Now that we have reviewed the concepts and terms I use most frequently in this book, let's examine the landscape that we are encountering as we speak up. In this section of the book, I revisit those obstacles we talked about in the Introduction – understanding, accountability, fear, discomfort, and time – and give you some support and tools on how to overcome them. I also get into culture here, specifically American culture, but I touch on some ethnic cultural elements so you get an understanding on the part these can play when we come face to face with needing to speak up. I also want to give you a little inspiration that you can use when you need to dig a little deeper to find the resilience necessary to push back when you are feeling a bit nervy about it.

Before digging into this landscape section, I want to say something you may have already gathered while reading through Part I. The work of inclusion and equity is nuanced and very subjective, just like people, because it is about people's experiences. As a result, there are no universals, and it is imperative that the work is ever evolving – also just like people.

I know most of us really enjoy some stabilities and consistency in our experiences and associate them with things being mostly static. Try your best not to see the evolutionary nature of the work of equity and inclusion as a bad thing. Instead, see the value in the consistency of staying open to learning, growing, and making space for the multitudes of identities we will encounter throughout our lives. We are all different. We also have a ton of commonalities. Inclusion and equity are asking us to remember just as we are all individually evolving, so too is everyone else and to practice giving space and grace to all of that.

Now, about those obstacles …