Jill Mari Embry CEO Balance In ovation Center, LLC 06/28/2024

Yes, it is 2024. Recently on, a professional, international Zoom call one of the attendees  thought it  was appropriate to make the comment, “yeah, some American’s are confused about what day of the week it is  since yesterday we had a fake holiday.” He continued, “It’s Okay to have a fake holiday for black people, but we can’t have a national holiday for St. Patrick’s Day”.

When I unmuted myself (my camera was off), I identified myself as a black female. I added, “In addition, , for the record, Juneteenth Day is a holiday to celebrate the emancipation of slaves in this country..

In some circles, the response would have been, “Oh, I didn’t know there was anyone black on the call”. . Not acceptable, but at least an awareness of the inappropriateness of the comment. This was not the response. Instead, he continued., “Maybe you didn’t see the rioting after George Floyd was killed and maybe. . . “

I, on several occasions told him to “just stop, this is not an appropriate forum for this.”. He did not. It wasn’t until the moderated jumped in to end the call did, he stop his racist rant.

What is, and is not, surprising about this is that this man thought that it was acceptable for him to make the comments he did in an international, status meeting for a medical device startup. The reason it is not so surprising is that I work in a predominately white male profession and industry. It is rare that there is any other person of color in a meeting I attend, let alone a woman of color. If you look at the executives and boards of medical device companies (from the largest to startups), the makeup is mostly white men, with a few white women thrown in Women are, typically in the more gender-neutral roles such as  regulatory, marketing and quality., which are considered to be more acceptable for diverse genders, verses engineering, despite efforts to recruit more women and people of color. Into STEM professions.  

Recently, the creation of laws prohibiting the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) has gained momentum as a means to outlaw the teaching of the truth of American History. It is based on the way in which racism, historically has been an integral part of our educational and political systems, our media intake, our laws and almost all aspects of our lives.   In addition, CRT emphasizes that race is a social construct put in place to, historically, allow white Europeans the ability to justify the subjugated, unjust and sometimes heinous  treatment of other groups of people. Popular in the 1970’s and 80’s, it was and still is taught at a university level, with some aspects of it integrated into high school course work. (Britannica https://www.britannica.com/topic/critical-race-theory/Basic-tenets-of-critical-race-theory) .

In recent years,  the number of states that have implemented or proposed laws against the teaching of Critical Race Theory has grown, with several other states with laws proposed and under review. The verbiage in the laws is often times ambiguous, making it difficult for educators to know what is off limits. . The overall take away is that teaching of American History in the context of race and its impact on society, is off limits. Statements such as the one by Governor of Florida, Ron De Santas, any teaching of the heinous acts of white Europeans against other groups, the subjugation of others, the continued racist practices and laws, is illegal.

“We won’t allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis,

He continued, “Finally, we must protect Florida workers against the hostile work environment that is created when large corporations force their employees to endure CRT-inspired ‘training’ and indoctrination.” https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/states-that-have-banned-critical-race-theor

Thanks to Donald Trump, and his term in the White House in which he enacted laws attacking diversity training and education,   Starting in 2021, state lawmakers introduced a wave of such proposals, many modeled off a 2020 executive order signed by then-President Trump forbidding federal employees from receiving training on a number of “divisive concepts,” including the idea that any race was inherently superior to another, or that individuals should bear guilt for things that happened in the past. Some of these bills explicitly named critical race theory—an academic framework for analyzing structural racism in law and policy.

Allowing the ignorance of our history, and the impact on laws and society to be acceptable plays into what we have always been told “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it”. The problem with all of the above is that it has added to the Trump Era mindset of some white Americans that ignorance of our history, and the impact on laws and society is acceptable. In addition, lawsuits removing attempts of universities, colleges, institutions, corporations and government bodies to adjust in order to provide a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment, thus improved policies, products, etc. is fueling a renewed acceptance of racism and bigotry.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

George Santayana: Spanish writer and philosopher

The problem with all of the above is that it has added to the Trump Era mindset of some white Americans that ignorance of our history, and the impact on laws and society is acceptable. In addition, lawsuits removing attempts of universities, colleges, institutions, corporations and government bodies to adjust in order to provide a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment, thus improved policies, products, etc. is fueling a renewed acceptance of racism and bigotry.

We live in a very diverse world. With each individual country growing in diversity. In order to create a healthy society, an understanding of the past and impact  on the society  as a whole, as well as individual societies is critical to progress as a species. The alternative is devolution and destruction.

We live in a very diverse world. With each individual country growing in diversity. In order to create a healthy society, an understanding of the past and impact  on the society  as a whole, as well as individual societies is critical to progress as a species. The alternative is devolution and destruction.

The mission of Balance Innovation Center, in our small world of medical device development, is to make diversity the norm, not the exception. With a diverse environment, the ignorance fueled by policies and laws meant to erase  history or paint it with a magical white Utopia will, hopefully, be an example to all as well as a platform for change in the broader spectrum of all of our lives.

Balance Innovation Center may likely be the attack of Edward Blume, responsible for the Harvard/Affirmative Action case and several others that have spurred a wave of removals of diversity and equity programs. But to not make an effort to address the inequities and racist practices in our institutions, companies, etc. is not acceptable.