As I mentioned three weeks ago when I posted my LATISM16 Recap, I’m proud that Johnson & Johnson was my sponsor again this year. I love working with companies and brands that are committed to diverse and inclusive approaches to what they do, and I love how jnj diversity and inclusion initiatives are at the forefront of what they do. Here are some of the initiatives they shared with us during the Love Has No Labels Breakfast that opened the first day of the conference.
To me, one of the ways Johnson and Johnson has shown their commitment to diversity and inclusion, is their continuous support of Latinos in Tech Innovation and Social Media (LATISM), not only financially, but also by being a part of important conversations on issues that affect Latinos and other people of color. This year, part of jnj diversity and inclusion initiatives involved research about unconscious bias that resulted in the training of personnel and rethinking of their talent acquisition process.
During the keynote panel discussion moderated by journalist Gaby Natale, that hosted Wanda Hope, Chief Diversity Officer for Johnson & Johnson; Sheri Klein, VP of Strategy and Evaluation for the Ad Council, and Joni Fernandez, Senior Vice President of Univision, we had the opportunity to watch the videos created by the iconic Love Has No Labels Ad Council’s campaign that beautifully promotes diversity and inclusion through a message of equality that connects at a very emotional level.
Although the campaign was launched in February 2015, with the help of new brand partners like Johnson & Johnson, they launched new videos this year that will help in broadening the impact of the campaign throughout 2016. The series of ads shows has love has no barriers and cannot be labeled continues to spread the message of unity in the United States.
Wanda Hope talked about unconscious bias and explained how research has shown that we all have biases as a mechanism for our brains to make decisions quickly; a skill that serves us to decide on things we want to do by a process of elimination. When it comes our personal interactions she talked about the importance of questioning that thought process: “rethink your own bias; think about the language you use, and who you associate with.”
Some jnj diversity and inclusion initiatives to combat unconscious bias
Once they had the results of research and with an understanding of the science behind unconscious bias, that was added to jnj diversity and inclusion initiatives and they developed a strategy around it that included a training program with Harvard professor Mahzarin Banaji that helped them understand the kind of things that can be done to overcome biases. With that in mind they created training for their leaders around unconscious bias.
Another side of jnj diversity and inclusion initiatives tackles unconscious bias was implemented to change their talent acquisition process by revising some of the wording that could potentially make candidates not even apply for a position just because it sounded like it was targeted for a specific gender. “We need a workforce that is reflective of society. It’s a business imperative and the right thing to do,” said Hope during the breakfast.
After the first day of workshops and panels, I had the pleasure to be among a group of bloggers who talked to Wanda Hope at a cocktail organized by Johnson and Johnson with the influencers they sponsored to talk more about the importance of diversity and inclusion and jnj diversity and inclusion initiatives that they are putting into place globally.
For me, it was a pleasure to partner with Johnson and Johnson as they continue to be a leader in terms of diversity and dealing with gender bias. I want to thank them for their support of Latino influencers and for being my sponsor. Also my gratitude to Wanda Hope, who generously shares her knowledge and expertise and continues to champion diversity and inclusion.
About Love Has No Labels
It is a campaign launched in February 2015 by the Ad Council along with several brand partners to encourage audiences around the US to recognize implicit biases in order to promote acceptance regardless of race, religion,gender, sexuality, age and ability. Since the initial video debuted exclusively by Upworthy, it has been viewed over 160 million times making it the 2nd most viewed video in 2015. As a result, there have been over 2.7 million sessions on LoveHasnoLabels.com, where visitors can take a quiz to examine their own biases. While the campaign has made significant strides in promoting diversity and inclusion, there is still work to be done: Approximately 20 percent of adults still report they themselves are prejudiced or discriminatory.
Have you seen any of the Love Has No Labels videos? I love them all!
[dania]
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