In late April, CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion within the workplace in the U.S. brought their interactive “Check Your Blind Spots” tour to Lehigh’s campus. The goal of the experience is to help raise awareness of unconscious biases and empower people to take part in diversity and inclusion conversations both in their communities and with their employers.
The mobile vehicle parked at the flagpole and all were invited to participate in multi-media experiences focused on the issue of blind spots– including watching a video to introduce the nuances of unconscious bias and taking an implicit association test to help identify potential biases. The trailer was staffed by hosts who engaged with visitors to discuss the material and provide additional online resources, including the Project Implicit website from Harvard University.
Lehigh recently joined the CEO Action coalition and President John D. Simon will be representing the university on its President’s Circle. As a member of the President’s Circle steering committee, President Simon joins other leaders from a select group academic institutions and associations who will help tailor and extend the spirit of CEO Action through new commitments related to diversity and inclusion. The working group will focus on designing a framework to engage administration, faculty and students with the CEO Action pledge commitments, and bring CEO Action to their respective institutions. You can read more about Lehigh’s involvement with CEO Action in this Inside Lehigh article from last fall.
Hear more from two Lehigh staff members who checked their blind spots: