October 2024 Edition

Our Voices, Our Stories Series

By: Emily Delany

Throughout the Our Voices, Our Stores Series, employees from MSU Federal Credit Union will be sharing their personal and professional experiences, highlighting their impact to the Credit Union’s collective diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) work. We are thrilled to welcome Emily Delany as this month’s guest writer. .

I was adopted from South Korea when I was six months old and raised in a white, conservative, and religious community alongside my older brother, who was also adopted. When we were young, our parents wanted us to understand our Korean heritage and culture, even though we were being raised in a different environment. We attended Korean Culture Camp every summer from preschool through high school and participated in Korean school for a week or two in between. 

Despite this exposure, I quickly assimilated into the Western culture of my community, which was easy to do as one of the very few people of color in the area. With that came many microaggressions in school, that I truly didn’t realize were considered “racist” until I started at the MSUFCU.

Since joining the DEIB Council at MSUFCU, I have gained a deeper understanding and experience of what it truly means to belong and how important it is to have a workplace that prioritizes DEIB. Being hands-on with a project that actively promotes inclusivity has been an eye-opening experience. I’m grateful to be a part of a team of people who want to listen to every concern, question, and situation that our peers go through, and are motivated to create a change for them. I am thrilled to see where our DEIB Council will go in the future, and how I will contribute to the growth and changes to come!

Important October Observations & Celebrations

Month-Long Observances

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Bullying Prevention Month
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month
• Filipino-American Heritage Month
• German-American Heritage Month

• Italian-American Heritage Month
• LGBTQ History Month
• National Work and Family Month
• Polish-American Heritage Month
• Family History Month

Important October DE&I Calendar Dates

• October 3 – Navrati begins (Hindu)
• October 10 – World Mental Health Day
• October 11 – National Coming Out Day (LGBTQ+)
• October 11 – Yom Kippur (Jewish)
• October 14 – National Indigenous Peoples' Day (United States)
• October 14 – Thanksgiving Day (Canada)
• October 16 – Sukkot (Jewish)
• October 16 – Bosses’ Day

• October 19 – Spirit Day (LGBTQ+ anti-bullying)
• October 20 – Birth of the Bab (Baha’i)
• October 20 – Sikh Holy Day (birth of Guru Granth)
• October 21 – Waste Reduction Week
• October 22 – International Stuttering Awareness Day
• October 31 – Halloween
• October 31 – Diwali (Hindu)

National Hispanic Heritage Month - Sept. 15 to Oct. 15

Sept. 15 to Oct.15 is Hispanic Heritage Month! All month long, we celebrate Hispanic Americans' history, culture, and contributions to our communities.

From Bystander to Upstander: When and How to Respond to Incidents of Bias

During our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) series event in September, Dr. Vernon Woodley from the Lansing Board of Water & Light led a discussion on the five ways to practice responsive allyship and the bystander effect.

He provided tips on how to transition from being a bystander to an upstander. The five approaches discussed during the session offered valuable techniques that can be applied in different situations, empowering individuals to become allies.

Talent & Business Resource Navigator

The Business Resource Navigator and the Talent Resource Navigator are two pages that serve as a resource hub for our members to easily find and navigate through a wealth of information on the Chamber’s website. While some topics will remain static, we will keep these pages living with time-sensitive information as well to keep our members up to date on current information, grant/funding opportunities, events, professional growth opportunities, and much more.

Employers interested in applying should contact their local Michigan Works! office early to complete the fact-finding process. Our local office is the Capital Area Michigan Works!.

Upcoming Events & Programs

ATHENA WIN Professional Growth & Development Series- Generational Differences in the Workplace: A Panel Discussion

Panelists include:

• Joan Bauer, Retired, State Representative Michigan Legislature
• Debbie Horak, Principle and President, GUD Marketing
• Samantha Le, Senior Associate, Martin Commercial Properties
• Vivian Lievense, Accounting and Outsourced Solutions Associate, Maner Costerisan

The conversation will be moderated by Alyse Munishamaiah, LMSW, Associate Director of Outreach, Business, and Community Engagement, Central Michigan University.

• Project Incubators: A Good Place To Intentionally Foster Inclusion In The Workplace
• 4 Ways Employers Can Better Serve Working Moms
• What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It)
• Why Diversity Programs Fail
• It’s a New Era for Mental Health at Work