Inclusion on Purpose Quotes

“The problem isn’t men, it’s patriarchy. The problem isn’t white people, it’s white supremacy. The problem isn’t straight people, it’s homophobia. Recognize systems of oppression before letting individual defensiveness stop you from dismantling them.”
― Ruchika Tulshyan, Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work

“As famous showrunner Shonda Rhimes writes in her book Year of Yes, when you are the first, only, or different in any environment, “you are saddled with that burden of extra responsibility—whether you want it or not” to represent your whole community in every interaction.”
― Ruchika Tulshyan, Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work

“Tracy Chou, a Taiwanese American software engineer who has two technology degrees from Stanford University (including a master’s in computer science), noticed a surprising pattern when she started mentoring other Asian women computer engineering college students. Many like her were steered by mentors to pursue nontechnical jobs in technology companies rather than lucrative engineering jobs. It wasn’t enough to be technically qualified to fit the industry; she encountered bias because she was expected to fit the personality type of a socially awkward software engineer, usually a white or Asian man.”
― Ruchika Tulshyan, Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work

“I’ve learned that there’s a lot of good intention out there when we say “diversity and inclusion,” but our societies and workplaces often operate on the principle that if we mean well, then even the worst of behaviors can be excused. It’s why most well-meaning people get so defensive when you call them discriminatory. There are few phrases that would get someone more angry than if you called their behavior racist or misogynist. Many people will retort with some version of, “But I don’t see color” or “I didn’t say that because you’re a woman.”
― Ruchika Tulshyan, Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work

“Now I know for sure that the imposter syndrome I felt then wasn’t my fault. Jodi-Ann Burey and I explored how imposter syndrome has less to do with individual women’s failures and more to do with experiencing institutional bias:”
― Ruchika Tulshyan, Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work