Fostering Inclusion at Managing Matters
Inclusion and diversity should always be woven into culture and values. And for Managing Matters, an award-winning AMC head-quartered in Toronto, we are focused on diversity initiatives more than ever.
The current global civil rights movement has underscored that much work needs to be done to properly address racism and inclusion in the workplace and our community at large. Like millions worldwide, Managing Matters was horrified by the killings of George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Breonna Taylor and countless others. In response, we took careful stock of how staff were feeling and opened an internal dialogue in which we could share anything on our minds. We also observed how other businesses were displaying their commitment to anti-racism as well as reactions to racially motivated violence. Ultimately, we wanted to come up with a plan that actively worked on educating our team on anti-racism, as well as encourages our clients to do the same.
In order to achieve this, three internal Committees (Education, MM Gives Back, Health) have been working together to create a series of MM Diversity initiatives. The Education Committee provided a starting point for learning and awareness in the monthly internal newsletter. This offered resources from a variety of sources to increase knowledge and awareness on issues surrounding diversity and anti-racism, especially as they relate to the Canadian experience. We also made sure this information was shared in a variety of ways, to account for our team’s diverse learning styles.
We quickly realized, however, that working with an expert was paramount in our MM diversity initiatives. So, we arranged a workshop on anti-racism for our staff with Bee Quammie, an award-winning writer and educator. Bee was able to provide information and context to racism and anti-racism in Canada, which allowed the team to better understand the current climate. Thanks to Bee’s eye-opening discussion, which examined everything from the history of enslaved people in Canada to how micro-aggressions continue to affect BIPOC worldwide, we now have a greater wealth of knowledge to draw upon.
Of course, these initiatives alone won’t be enough, which is why they’re just the beginning of many more to come. Together, the MM leadership is committed to providing diversity initiatives like these on a regular basis, and looks forward to sharing more stories of progress in the near future.
Founded in 2004, Managing Matters Inc. is a full service, accredited association management company based in Toronto. MM clients grow and thrive by having access to a team of dedicated and specialized professionals in the areas of event management & production, website & database management, marketing, certification, communications & public relations, social media, strategy, financial management and creative.
