Cornell Verdeja-Woodson

The term intersectionality is becoming more common in discussions of DEI. Still, many employers aren’t sure what it means—or why it matters in their workplace.

Many HR and diversity professionals tend to focus on one type of discrimination at a time. But humans themselves aren’t one-dimensional. For instance, Black women earn substantially less on average than their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts for doing the same jobs. And the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is more than twice the rate for people without disabilities. For a worker who is a Black woman with a disability, these two issues are compounded.

If corporate inclusion efforts don’t prioritize intersectionality, they risk being counterproductive—and can potentially even be harmful.

So how to build an intersectional DEI strategy with true belonging, empathy and inclusion in a company?

Our speakers will examine the following topics in this panel:

• How to boost awareness of intersectionality among DEI and HR officers across the company
• How a holistic approach can provide greater support for all employees
• The power of Allyship programs in fostering a culture of belonging