Speaking Up At The CCDC

Earlier this week, I was honored to have the floor at the Chesterfield County Democratic Committee’s (CCDC) March meeting. The CCDC’s Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion invited me to speak following my appearance on the news for the 50501 protest earlier this year.

First, I discussed the contrast between understanding and acceptance. I explained that they are not the same concepts and we can have one without the other. The ability to choose acceptance—even in the absence of understanding—is critical to building connections, especially in socio-political settings.

The CCDC comprises a predominantly older demographic, a demographic that is quick to dismiss younger peoples’ newer, more progressive ideologies due to a lack of understanding. This rejection of ideas has led to a generational disconnect. A generational disconnect in any space creates a harsh environment for collective progress, and the CCDC is no exception. I explained that to move forward as an organization, the current members need to adapt their space to be accepting of younger, more diverse members and their accompanying ideologies. The ability to accept, even while misunderstanding, will bridge the CCDC’s generational disconnect and make their space more inclusive. My favorite line from my presentation was, “Accept those who you don’t understand because your acceptance has the power to make others feel understood.”

Then, I discussed the necessity of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives in organizational spaces, what DEI is not, and how the CCDC can go beyond the minimum in DEI practices. Ways to go beyond the minimum include prioritizing DEI training, exposing yourself to unfamiliar environments to become educated on people and their ideologies, doing personal research if you have specific questions, asking others in your space how you can make the environment more inclusive for them, and overall seeking opportunities that will benefit interactions with diverse people.

Next, I explained the importance of avoiding microaggressions. Microaggressions are indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group. They are also perhaps the most frequent form of discrimination because, from my experience at least, microaggressions usually are not due to outright racism or sexism or any other sort of prejudice but rather a lack of awareness. Through educating ourselves on a variety of communities (a great place to learn is DEI training), apologizing when we say or do something insensitive, and applying corrections (instead of getting offended or making excuses for why your act of microaggression is justified), we can resolve microaggressions and make our spaces more welcoming.

Lastly, I concluded my presentation by citing research institutions to support my argument with numerical data. According to a study conducted by Pew Research Center, “One-in-four Gen Zers are Hispanic, 14% are black, 6% are Asian and 5% are some other race or two or

more races.” Another study by the Public Religion Research Institute reports that 30% of Gen Z adults identify as queer, making Gen Z (my generation) the nation’s most diverse generation yet- which is why the CCDC must adapt their spaces to be inclusive for younger, more diverse members.

Thankfully, my presentation was received well! I shook dozens of hands and was overwhelmed with affirmations about how insightful I was. I had wonderful conversations with delegates, school board members, moms, aspiring politicians, and everyone in between!

The full video of my presentation is embedded below, check it out! Once again, thank you to the CCDC for inviting me to speak, it was a great day to be a changemaker!

Don’t wait for change, be the changemaker,

-Lyn Jones