'Toward One Wisconsin' focuses on DEI

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WKBT) -- People from across the state came together for the 'Toward One Wisconsin' conference in Eau Claire on Tuesday.

The two-day event brought professionals and advocates together to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion in today's landscape.

This year's theme 'Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers' challenged attendees to look at DEI differently, going beyond gender, race and sexual orientation and encouraging conference goers to embrace the evolution of inclusion.

Kelly Blackmon is the founder of Butterfly Consulting, an agency dedicated to DEI and culture change consulting for corporations nationwide.

"There's a new iteration of DEI that's changing. Something that isn't based on the things that polarize us but the things that connect us," said Blackmon.

He says previous conversations about DEI have pushed people away by focusing primarily on race, gender and sexual orientation. He came to the 'Toward One Wisconsin' conference to discuss the future of inclusion.

"I don't think that it's a bad thing that it's pushed people apart. I think it just means that there's evidence that there's a new version of it needed," said Blackmon.

"I don't think it's going anywhere but I do think that it's polarizing us because it's not right for us anymore."

His message for attendees is to expand the DEI conversation beyond outward identities and include the characteristics that make us human.

"It involves things like grace and patience. It involves things like assuming people's intrinsic value, things like being personally accountable," said Blackmon.

He's also challenging conference goers to overcome their fears.

"As a consultant in this space what I'm having people do is to have each partner I work with to first identify what scares them about this and coil that fear, so it may be a case that your shareholder is going to see that you're doing something under the guise of DEI and it's going to be something that's going to be politicized," said Blackmon.

"To remove that, it's going to be something that's just about being inclusive."

Blackmon isn't alone. Maysee Herr says evolution is central to inclusion.

"I've been part of this work for many years, and I still feel there's so much more to learn and so many more people to learn from and meet in this work," said Herr.

The conference continues on Wednesday from 8:30am to 2:30pm at the Pablo Center for Performing Arts. The opening discussion: Jewish Muslim Discourse in Divided Time.

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