108. Embracing Diversity in a Small Town

You may have heard about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) since it’s a hot topic for many companies today, but how can we apply those principles to our small towns in a meaningful and intentional way? Rebecca and Cecily talk about what embracing diversity in small towns looks like, and how to have these own difficult but valuable conversations in your own sphere.

About Cecily

Cecily Engelhart is an Ihanktonwan & Oglala mother, artist, coach, media nerd, foodie, bookworm, and kitchen dancing enthusiast. She was raised in South Dakota; her school years spent with her mother in the small college town of Vermillion and summers with her father, grandparents, and innumerable cousins on the Yankton Sioux Reservation along the muddy banks of the Missouri River. All her fondest memories relate to cooking delicious food, being in the sunshine, playing favorite games, and watching movies. She is unwaveringly passionate about how methods of expression shape our understanding of ourselves and each other. Her personal and professional work have consistently coalesced around storytelling in its various forms, most often through cooking, design, writing, and filmmaking. Through all her contributions to the world, she seeks to be a good relative, a good future ancestor, and a responsible steward of Unči Maka.

In this episode, we cover:

• How diversity affects the growth of our small towns
• Why wanting our communities to improve does not equal throwing them under the bus
• We don’t know what we don’t know, and that’s okay. 
• Intentional, nuanced engagement vs. checking a box or tokenism
• Ways to increase the diversity of your own circle

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Seven Fires Community, a nonprofit that Cecily is a part of launching: www.sevenfirescommunity.org 

The consulting company Cecily works for: www.hopenationconsulting.com/transformational-coaching 

Cecily’s small business: https://www.facebook.com/rosiematho/