Campus Connection

Alum Shaundel Spivey shares how to do more authentic equity, diversity and inclusion work

“When you point a finger, you have three fingers pointing back at you.”

It’s an expression that UW-La Crosse Alumnus Shaundel Spivey, 12 & ’15, heard frequently as a child when he and his siblings would get in trouble. They were always pointing to assign the blame to a brother or a sister. However, usually some self-reflection was needed to move forward.

Today Spivey hasn’t forgotten the importance of looking inward instead of assigning blame. The executive director of the local organization B.L.A.C.K. challenged a group of campus and community members to use a pointed finger as a tool to re-think how they do equity, inclusion and diversity work. He spoke during a TEDxUWLa Crosse presentation spring semester at the UWL Student Union.

Reimagining equity work | Shaundel Spivey | TEDxUWLaCrosse

In Spivey’s presentation he explained that when people point — those three fingers pointing back can be labeled to explain key foundational steps to doing equity, inclusion and diversity work. The key concepts to remember are:

• Internal reflection: We must ask ourselves what our identities are and how those identities shape how we view others and the world. Who we are impacts our bias and how we interact with others. True internal reflection is needed as a foundational step to effectively engage with equity, diversity and inclusion work.
• Self-challenge: We need to challenge ourselves to get uncomfortable, putting ourselves in a new position to learn. Everyone’s self-challenge looks different. For some it may be reading a book related to equity, diversity or inclusion while for others it might be engaging in an event that is different from their own culture or identity.
• Reimagine yourself: Lastly, engage in equity, diversity and inclusion work differently. For some this means simply becoming engaged. For others, it is trying to figure out how not to continue to do the same thing.

Spivey said the thumb also can serve as a symbolic reminder. It is pointing down — showing the importance of dismantling systems of oppression, systemic racism, negative thoughts and stereotypes.

By engaging with these ideas, people are using the pointing finger — the index finger — not to assign blame but to move forward toward an equitable community.

“When we talk about equity, diversity and inclusion work it is important to understand that it is hard, but we are doing it so we can cultivate a space and place where everyone feels welcomed, appreciated, accepted, loved and valued,” says Spivey.

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Spivey was previously director of UWL’s Upward Bound program, where he and other alumni helped high school students realize their dreams of a college education.

About B.L.A.C.K.

In 2016, Spivey founded a nonprofit — Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge — which empowers La Crosse’s Black community by focusing on seven pillars: community engagement, financial literacy, youth engagement, family, spirituality, health and wellness, and education.