Diversity & Inclusion Group

The Diversity and Inclusion Group (DIG) offers residents the opportunity to build understanding about unconscious bias and stereotypes, and to find methods to engage with others in ways that feel safe and authentic.  

During COVID, we presented monthly Zoom programs focused on where our assumptions and stereotypes come from and how they give rise to comments and actions that hurt others without our even knowing it. We focused on a few areas familiar to most of us, including racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ+ bias, and ignorance of our local and social history with indigenous peoples, immigrants, and people from other cultures.  We now offer our programs and presentations in-person and offer excursions to places and events to further broaden our appreciation of differences.

In the coming year, we will increase our experiential and interactive programs, and revisit earlier topics to increase awareness of how we unconsciously hurt people we engage with, and how we can bring curiosity and compassion to bridge divides in our encounters with people who we see as different.

Look through our past program materials at Diversity and Inclusion Group Programs.

We invite you to get involved on our steering team, offer program suggestions or help with publicity, technical or other program support.

Diversity and Inclusion Group Goals

• Build understanding about how bias operates and help everyone at Willamette View feel more welcome and safe.
• Learn about increased cultural sensitivity needs, unconscious bias, micro-aggressions, and other inequities in our society and at Willamette View.
• Promote multicultural education and discussion for residents and staff through articles, guest speakers, films, and outings.
• Help develop awareness and skills to have difficulty conversations, and respond in the moment to microaggressions whether victim, perpetrator or bystander.

Key Diversity and Inclusion Terms

• Unconscious Bias: Assumptions and stereotypes we don’t know we hold about others based on identity labels like race, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, education, etc.
• Microaggressions: Unintentional offensive comments or actions that reinforce a prior mental image or unconscious bias. Typically directed at marginalized groups, they often go uncorrected, allowing them to occur regularly.
• Cultural Insensitivity:  Lack of recognition of the many ways we are different, even as we think we are alike AND the many ways we are alike, even as we think we are different.