Inequality-opoly : learn a structural racism and sexism board game? The idea for Inequality-opoly came when Perry attended diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings. During these trainings, Perry noticed the difficulties the facilitators faced in demonstrating the effect of racial and gender discrimination in a way that is engaging and personalized to all the people in the room. As an educator for over a decade, he knows the best way to teach or reinforce something is to make it a game. He thought that gamifying diversity training would make for deeper understanding and richer discussions. After 3 years of research, development, and playtesting, Inequality-opoly is now for sale thanks to a successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaign at www.inequalityopoly.com. See even more details on https://www.forbes.com/sites/paologaudiano/2020/07/29/a-board-game-that-brings-racial-inequities-to-life/.
Diversity And Inclusion advice for today : You can make better use of the office cafeteria or lounge area. These common areas for office people can be made available for small events and representations of different art and culture. Discussions on various topics appreciating diversity in the workplace encourage participants to ask questions and share feedback, inspiring others to speak up for their rights. Such opportunities can generate interesting and open conversations, which are true diversity and inclusion efforts.
When I played Inequality-opoly, I was deeply impressed by how population statistics come to life as each player experiences the many ways in which race and gender have a dramatic and significant impact on daily life events. But even more impressive – and depressing – is the realization of the inevitability of the unfairness in the game’s ultimate outcome. It is the clear connection between cause and effect, in this case the link from systemic racism and sexism to the lived experiences of individuals, that makes Inequality-opoly such a powerful educational tool.
One of the things that originally drove me to work in the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) space was the stark contrast between the gut-wrenching emotions of hearing about specific experiences of individuals in a given demographic group, and the detached analysis of statistical, population-level data that describe the group as a whole. This is true for any type of societal context: in the workplace, talking about the high churn rate of women does not convey the kinds of individual stories we heard thanks to the #metoo movement; in a city, the statistics about disproportionate policing of Black people does not begin to convey the sensations we get when we watch videos of George Floyd’s murder.
And the COVID-19 pandemic (PDF) widened these disparities because Black women were more likely to work in occupations and sectors heavily affected by the economic downturn, such as health care and social services, educational services, retail, and accommodation and food services. Black women who stayed employed during the pandemic faced a disproportionate risk of virus exposure because they are overrepresented in essential work, working in close physical proximity to others, and paid less when in those roles. None of these disparities are accidental. They stem from the interlocking systems of white supremacy and sexism that permeate US institutions’ policies and practices. These forces shaped the historical devaluing of Black women’s labor for centuries. See more info at The Game of Structural Racism and Sexism in America.