Fostering & Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion In OUR Community
By: Josh Cross, CEO & President of the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce
Fostering, supporting, and empowering diversity in our business community is not only important, but it is essential for a thriving community. Different perspectives in a workplace can directly influence a product, how it’s made, who it serves, how it functions, and so on. In addition, people with different backgrounds and a variety of life experiences provide fresh new perspectives that will help refine and enhance processes and improve the customer experience. The summation of all of these positive results? OUR community is stronger when we encourage and support diversity.
That’s why our Chamber and Diversity Council have created “The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Handbook.” This first-of-its-kind booklet includes tools, insights, and more on how you can encourage and support diversity in your workplace. Our hope is that our community, which is full of incredible organizations, feels more equipped and knowledgeable about fostering and encouraging diversity in the workplace. After all, we are all stronger when we stand together.
Here at the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, we believe there is no room for discrimination of any kind in the workplace. As a community builder, we are dedicated to making intentional, actionable strides to ensure our city is one of increased equity and inclusion.
That’s why we’d like to invite you, whether you’re a business professional, community leader, organization chair, to take the pledge below to support diversity, equity, and inclusive (DEI) practices in your workplace. Now is the time to use your influential voices to foster workplace environments that demand fair treatment, resources, opportunities, and advancement for all. Leaders that take the pledge will be recognized on the Chamber’s website and will receive a window sticker for their business indicating that they are a DEI Committed Workplace.
THE PLEDGE
As business leaders dedicated to implementing change, we pledge to be:
- LEADERS: responsible for ensuring there are no barriers based on economic position, gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic.
- LISTENERS: who recognize the need to create workplaces representative of the diversity in our community, we need to actively identify opportunities for meaningful, honest conversations to take place.
- EDUCATORS: committed to providing permanent policies, resources, and education for our employees and ourselves on unconscious bias, equity, discrimination, and diversity.
- ADVOCATES: who will use our positions and voices to address racism, oppression, and bias in our community and place of business.
- CHANGE-MAKERS: united in this pledge to hold ourselves accountable as we take action to remove the systemic barriers that prevent all employees from feeling equally respected, supported, and valued.
- In addition, you pledge to review and adopt three or more of the policies and practices offered by the “The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Handbook,” which you can view at AtascaderoChamber.org/Committees/Diversity-Council/Diversity-Handbook/.
- You pledge to be part of the solution, to implement practices and policies reflective of the changes we seek. We can and will do better – as business leaders, individuals, and as a united community.
Sign the pledge at AtascaderoChamber.org/Committees/Diversity-Council/The-Pledge/ or scan the QR code below to stand with other businesses in our
community as we support and encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion!
-Josh Cross, Atascadero Chamber CEO
President & CEO of the Atascadero Chamber | Josh Cross
