Hello, welcome to a New Year. The district theme for this, the first month of 2024, is Vocational Services and within this month we also honor the 38th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a federal holiday. This year the MLK theme is Living the Dream: It Starts With Me: Spreading Hope, Courage and Unity.One of the principal cornerstones of Rotary is "Service Above Self" because "we are greater when we look beyond ourselves and when we do for others." The theme is appropriate to start off a new year and seems to mesh with the vision theme for MLK Day.
Rotary's definition of vocational service differs slightly from the standard dictionary definition as it is broader in its meaning, as it embraces the overall initiative of having members serve others to help them reach their goals.
Rotary has five avenues of service: clubs, service, community, international and new generations
Vocational Service is the second avenue of service in Rotary. It encourages Rotarians to serve others through utilizing their vocations, education, unique skillsets, and expertise to address community societal problems and needs by helping others discover new professional opportunities and interest, which encourage high ethical standards. This service advances goodwill and peace, which should start with the members and extend outward to all others.
Although times have changed, has Rotary's core service message changed? The answer is a resounding "No." Our Rotary is deep and multi faceted, but not complex. From the initial thought 119 years ago, Rotary has not wavered from its core principle of 'Service Above Self' as the principal motto of Rotary, because it best conveys the philosophy of unselfish volunteer service.
What has occurred, is an adapting of these values to fit with today's societal environment. For example Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This concept and issue is not new. Through the years the name changes to adapt to how society is embracing the issues.
DEI actually started during the Civil Rights movement, on which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had a profound impact. He worked diligently to ensure that all people, regardless of race, were treated with dignity and respect.
Dr. King was a true inspiration. His short life was given to the service of others. He felt that DEI work would help us bridge our divides and transform communities. He understood that true leadership is about serving others and working towards a greater good. He taught us to to put the needs of others first, be kinder to one another, and have a vision for a better nation.
DEI work urges essential conversations on racial equity and economic justice that can help heal our communities, and ourselves, by incorporating key attributes such as selflessness, empathy, integrity, and vision into our care and concern for others.
• restrictive viewpoints,
• restrictive innovation,
• greater difficulty in attracting diverse people,
• lack of a diverse leadership pipeline, and
• lack of voices in the room.
Another roadmap for DEI could be intersectionality. The way to address this is to validate and affirm the diverse identities of those involved. Validation means recognizing and accepting the reality and legitimacy of someone's identity without minimizing or denying it. Affirmation means expressing appreciation and respect for someone's identity without stereotyping or tokenizing it. By validating and affirming diverse identities you can build trust and rapport and foster a sense of inclusion and belonging. Our identities shape the world we get to navigate.
Statistically, having a team program with volunteers from different backgrounds, with diverse skills, has a substantial impact on success. True volunteering diversity has a varied body of volunteers with a varied selections of roles. These two aspects are linked as different people are attracted to different roles.
In his final days, Dr. King left us with this warning: "We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. This may well be mankind's last chance to choose between chaos or community."
Dr. King's light continues to shine.
As always, we would love to come speak with your club. If you are interested, please reach out to Peter Jones - peter.jones@bluebellrotary.org - co-chair of the DEI committee.
Respectfully submitted by:
Gayle J. Rogers
Rotary Club of Easton, PA
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee