2020 - “When One Door Closes, Another Opens” - Katherine Zampolin 7/13/2020
Being the eternal optimist, I would like to use Alexander Graham Bell’s quote to sum up 2020 so far. Shortly after the arrival of 2020, we found ourselves in the midst of the largest global pandemic of our lifetime. Doors began to close – literally and figuratively. Travel ceased, schools closed, and events canceled. Some businesses were forced to close temporarily, while others were forced to close permanently. Panic buying ensued, wreaking havoc on supply chains. The pandemic has caused social and economic disruption unlike anything most of us have ever experienced. The isolation has taken its toll on all of us, but even more so for the elderly, for those suffering from mental health disorders, and for those with special needs. The effects have been felt unevenly across racial, gender and socioeconomic lines. Many of us wanted to simply close the door on 2020, to forget about it, and move on to 2021.
Where one door closes, another opens. Just halfway through 2020, we found ourselves in the midst of the largest civil rights movement of this generation. Could one contributing factor for the size of this movement be the fact that more people are at home as a result of the pandemic? Perhaps the closed doors from COVID-19 have helped to amplify protests, which, in turn, have opened the door for widespread social change. The door is open, but what do we do now? We take action, right? What does “taking action” look like? We know we don’t want to walk around on eggshells, and empty talk accomplishes nothing.
DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) has shifted to JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. We need to remove barriers so that all individuals and communities can have the same resources and opportunities. While it is certainly critical that leaders of organizations and institutions be engaged advocates, grassroots efforts are the key to JEDI success. We need to have challenging conversations, practice humility, empathize, and most importantly, we need to listen. It’s going to be uncomfortable. It might feel very personal at times. Everyone will make mistakes. But, it’s time to bridge the gap to one race: the human race. Let’s keep this door open for good.
