Mental Health Awareness Month - JEDI
As it is the end of Mental Health Awareness Month, we thought we would unpack the JEDI initiative a little deeper because it is much more than a trend. It is the development of accountable, sustainable organizations that understand the wholeness of individuals as it relates to mental and relational health and the working conditions they are asked to be productive in.
The definition of justice is behavior and treatment that is rooted in justness and fairness. What is interesting about justice is that many believe that it is subjective; what we interpret as fair or just must be examined. We usually refer to this in the workplace, but we also must consider the mental impacts the systemic injustices have imposed. What happens cognitively to a person who constantly sees what others don’t see? Or what others choose to ignore. That person and that workplace are no longer sustainable and understand that person will choose up. Making justice for all, in the workplace and in our country, finally honors a pledge that many of us have recited but never believed in.
Equity is defined in the quality of treatment, behavior, and resources. What is interesting about equity is that for equity to exist, there is some vital work that is required for equity to exist for everyone. For instance, in the Black community, many will straighten their hair or go through alternate means in order to look “presentable” in the workplace. Something like the Crown Act is as impactful as it is because it made workspaces more equitable. For those who don’t know, the Crown (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act is legislation recently passed that bans race-based hair discrimination. This law was passed by Senate as recently as this year of our Lord 2022 A.D., so we can imagine what this has previously done to the mental health of current and previous generations of various cultures.
Diversity is the active, authentic involvement of people of various races, disabilities, ethnicities, genders, and orientations. On a basic level, what does it mean to have true involvement in every way you can experience humanity? In what ways can it contribute? Secondly, in what ways have we dismissed others’ true experiences as invalid because it is not in our scope of reality? Diversity is much more than how people look in the room, so we can say we “considered” them. It is about the different ways we can experience life, including neurodivergency, cultural competency, and empathy expressed by a genuine desire for humanity.
And lastly, inclusion, which is the space where everything previously stated ties together. Inclusion includes the practice and policy of equitable access to opportunities and resources for those that are usually excluded or marginalized. This step of JEDI is probably the most important as it relates to mental health and organizational structures because it requires authenticity and action because we know when it’s performative, boss lol. A particular mental health term called gaslighting is defined as a psychological means of manipulation that puts others in a position to question their own sanity. This term is usually used in more intimate relationships but understand the relationship with your job is intimate because it requires so much of your time. So know this: If your policies do not begin to reflect the active closing of the wage gap, the dismantling of systemic oppression, and opportunity accessibility? You are performing for retention. We know what gaslighting looks like now, individually and corporately. Inclusion is the step that lets us know if you’re with the sh**s as much as you say you are.
Understand when you choose to participate in JEDI initiatives, especially with us, you are participating in much more than staff retention or corporate trends. You are participating in restorative practices that lead to sustainable people living quality lives who just so happen to work for your organization. So, yes, happier people produce more, but it must also be known that you may lose employees who may not believe in JEDI or restorative practices. Ask yourself what are you really in it for and what do you want to be in alignment with? Because at this point, everybody’s mental health is on the line, not just your organization.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing is faced until it can be changed” - James Baldwin