Diamond teeth

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Stan

[This guest article from my daughter, Serra Sewitch-Posey, is a call for authenticity, heart and bravery in the midst of our chaotic, uncertain times. May it inspire you as it did me.]

We are all confused and afraid. We are desensitized to horrific things. We go about our days planning dinners, doing our jobs, watching our shows. I feel distant, buffered from the madness unfolding at the White House, the constant “breaking news” email updates. I am buffered by my privilege, for now. My life has not been personally affected. I don’t feel the danger.

I feel strangely hopeful and alive. I like where I’m at in my life. I take walks and fold laundry and bake peanut butter banana muffins.

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Battle of the acronyms

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Stan

Among the flurry of executive orders President Trump issued in his first days returning to the White House is the removal of prior executive orders that established actions required of federal contractors (including sub-contractors and grant recipients) towards improving the representation in their workforce of historically disadvantaged and excluded segments of our population. Such “affirmative action” programs have had a contentious reception over the decades since the most famous executive order, 11246, was issued by President Lyndon Johnson, one year after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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“Are you better off…?”

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Stan

Every Presidential election cycle this question is posed: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” The implication is that whoever is occupying the Oval Office is the singular cause of how we experience our economic and social environment. While the Presidency does have strong influence in certain aspects of our economy and our society, there is much less impact from a President’s actions than the question implies.

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SHRM misses the point

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Stan

SHRM (the Society for Human Resource Management, a professional association of HR professionals and leaders whose aim is to advance the profession) has made a public announcement that the group will be dropping the “E” (for Equity) from the previously promoted acronym, “DE&I” (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). DE&I seems to have emerged around 2016. Previously, the language used was “equal opportunity”, “diversity”, “equal pay”, “non-discrimination” and “affirmative action”. Most of these terms were found in laws and regulations that go back decades to the Civil Rights Act, subsequent executive orders, multiple employment-related laws and various court cases. All of these were part of a political and social trend of opening up the avenues of economic advancement to everyone based on capability, regardless of any non-job-related factor, like age, gender, ethnic status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.

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