The Why? Due is well aware of the critical role DEI plays in the news industry, both on and off camera. Her team recently updated the CNN GuestBook with searchable demographic information and areas of expertise and launched the New Voices initiative to help amplify underrepresented voices. Due also launched the LIFT mentoring program for people of color and women in the U.S. and London as well as CNN’s first-ever DEI brand campaign, We Are CNN.
She Says… “Understand that everyone won’t see things in the same way because of different lived experiences and that is OK as long as we are committed to listening to each other and learning from each other.”
Book I Wish Everyone Would Read: “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
How can leadership best support DEI? By making it a business imperative and embedding goals, resources and accountability throughout all teams and departments.
Advice for productive conversation about race in the workplace: Do not wait until there is a crisis. Create a culture where employees’ voices are not only heard but empowered. Emphasize the importance of calling people in and not calling people out. Understand that everyone won’t see things in the same way because of different lived experiences and that is OK as long as we are committed to listening to each other and learning from each other.