Featured Action Team: Diversity & Inclusion Action Team

CCL’s Diversity and Inclusion Action started in May 2023 as a space where any CCLer from any background could come and learn about any aspect of diversity and inclusion. In a time when diversity initiatives — and America’s diversity itself — is under a fresh wave of very public attacks from the Trump administration, this team’s work is especially vital.

“Diversity” simply refers to the range of differences in aspects of people’s identities, like race, age, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability and so on. In a diverse workplace or society, people with different identities are present.

“Inclusion” means people from all backgrounds feel encouraged to express their ideas and perspectives. Inclusion allows our country, our communities, and CCL itself to benefit from everyone’s unique contributions and their valuable expertise.

“We need to be as aware as we can so that we can connect with different communities,” says Karina Ramirez, CCL’s Vice President of People and Culture. For example, CCL Inclusion intern Kendyl Brown, says, “My identity as a disabled person significantly impacts my perspective as an environmentalist. I count on my fellow CCLers to be inclusive, and I always consider how proposed policies may impact people with disabilities.”

To that end, last week the Diversity and Inclusion Action Team hosted their latest workshop on the topic of disability inclusion. Kendyl worked with Rachel Porter, one of CCL’s regional D&I Community Ambassadors, to plan the event. The workshop included a brief introduction to disability language and history, inclusion and the disabled community at CCL, and the intersection between the environment and disability.

Looking ahead to 2025, the team plans to cover topics like language justice and eco-tourism, as well as host a third installment of their series on microaggressions. Check out the full library of the team’s past courses and workshops, or go ahead and join the team.