The Wise Words series is sponsored by members of our local community
“The diversity of our nation is our greatest strength. Preserving diversity is crucial to the future of our community. By honoring our past, providing equal opportunities and social justice for all, and by celebrating different cultures and backgrounds, we can ensure that our society builds an environment that accepts, welcomes, and preserves diverse backgrounds and opinions in our community.”
— Congressman Adam Smith
9th Congressional District
“Educating everyone about the power of diversity to drive innovation and excellence is the key. Preserving diversity cannot be left solely to those of us who manage equity or social justice programs. It must be embraced and pursued by all levels of management, across all sectors of our community.”
— Sheila Edwards Lange
Vice President for Minority Affairs
Vice Provost for Diversity, UW
“Preserving diversity of businesses in SE Seattle is a key goal of our nonprofit fund. Small businesses as economic drivers are especially important in an ethnically diverse community to bring about economic equity, as well as providing needed goods and services. Supporting the business owners through our loan fund and technical assistance will help avoid displacement of its existing rich cultural base.”
— Wayne Lau
Executive Director, Rainier Valley Community Development Fund
“In King County our strength has always been derived from our rich diversity and our celebration and understanding of our collective experiences. I’m fortunate to be a part of a government who renamed itself after Martin Luther King, Jr., so that our region’s very identity and namesake are connected to America’s champion for civil rights.”
— Sung Yang
Chief of Staff, King County Executive’s Office
“In any environment, you always remember to look around, ask yourself, does the picture look like America? Are all the voices represented at the table?”
— Nate Miles
Vice President, Government Relations Lilly
“Diversity brings strength to the organization. It is more than skin color and race. It is important to bring out different views balancing different ethnic groups’ skills and backgrounds. Diversity reflects the global nature of the world. Leadership plays a role in diversity. Make sure your senior management is on the same page in hiring and firing that they accept the value of inclusiveness. Senior managers need to make sure that small businesses, many minorities, get their fair share in opportunities.”
— Tay Yoshitani
CEO, Port of Seattle
“Preserving diversity requires that institutions—at their core—model, foster and embrace the richness of different cultures. Seattle Colleges fosters diversity by sponsoring programs like the national Diaspora Tour and modeling with a workforce where 36 percent are minorities. This earns recognition—such as the Association of Community Colleges Trustees Equity award — which in turn gives us an opportunity to share best practices.”
— Jill Wakefield
Chancellor, Seattle Colleges