The mission of Enterprise Bank's Inclusion Council is to celebrate and promote awareness of personal identity in the workplace, identify equity gaps in order to help resolve them, and strengthen everyone's sense of belonging within our Enterprise Bank family. The Inclusion Council is committed to helping influence and impact positive change towards social justice and inclusivity within the March/April 2021 communities we serve. Personal views and opinions expressed here are those of Inclusion Council e-Zine individual volunteer contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Enterprise Bank. The Hill We Climb Table of Contents by Amanda Gorman National Multiple Sclerosis When day comes we ask ourselves, Month………………………………………...3 where can we find light in this never -ending shade? Pronouns and Gender: He, She Or The loss we carry, They...? ……………………………….….…..4 a sea we must wade We've braved the belly of the beast National ASL Day………………………...6 We've learned that quiet isn't National Autism Awareness always peace Month………………………………………….8 And the norms and notions far from pristine of what just is but that doesn’t mean we are Women’s History Crossword Isn’t always just-ice striving to form a union that is Puzzle………………………………………..10 And yet the dawn is ours perfect before we knew it We are striving to forge a union Celebrating the Solar New Year...12 Somehow we do it with purpose Somehow we've weathered and To compose a country committed to witnessed all cultures, colors, characters and Diversity Calendar……………..………15 a nation that isn’t broken conditions of man Women’s History Crossword Puzzle but simply unfinished And so we lift our gazes not to what Answers………………………………..…..17 We the successors of a country and stands between us a time but what stands before us Where a skinny Black girl We close the divide because we descended from slaves and raised know, to put our future first, by a single mother we must first put our differences can dream of becoming president aside only to find herself reciting for one We lay down our arms Image source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/ And yes we are far from polished so we can reach out our arms jan/27/amanda-gorman-img-models-youth-poet-laureate to one another it can never be permanently and change our children’s We seek harm to none and defeated birthright harmony for all In this truth So let us leave behind a Let the globe, if nothing else, in this faith we trust country say this is true: For while we have our eyes on better than the one we were That even as we grieved, we the future left with grew history has its eyes on us Every breath from my bronze- That even as we hurt, we This is the era of just pounded chest, hoped redemption we will raise this wounded That even as we tired, we tried We feared at its inception world into a wondrous one That we’ll forever be tied We did not feel prepared to be We will rise from the gold- together, victorious the heirs limbed hills of the west, Not because we will never of such a terrifying hour we will rise from the again know defeat but within it we found the windswept northeast but because we will never power where our forefathers first again sow division to author a new chapter realized revolution Scripture tells us to envision To offer hope and laughter to We will rise from the lake- that everyone shall sit under ourselves rimmed cities of the their own vine and fig tree So while once we asked, midwestern states, And no one shall make them how could we possibly prevail we will rise from the sunbaked afraid over catastrophe? south If we’re to live up to our own Now we assert We will rebuild, reconcile and time How could catastrophe recover Then victory won’t lie in the possibly prevail over us? and every known nook of our blade We will not march back to nation and But in all the bridges we’ve what was every corner called our made but move to what shall be country, That is the promised glade A country that is bruised but our people diverse and The hill we climb whole, beautiful will emerge, If only we dare benevolent but bold, battered and beautiful It's because being American is fierce and free When day comes we step out more than a pride we inherit, We will not be turned around of the shade, it’s the past we step into or interrupted by intimidation aflame and unafraid and how we repair it because we know our inaction The new dawn blooms as we We’ve seen a force that would and inertia free it shatter our nation will be the inheritance of the For there is always light, rather than share it next generation if only we’re brave enough to Would destroy our country if it Our blunders become their see it meant delaying democracy burdens If only we’re brave enough to And this effort very nearly But one thing is certain: be it succeeded If we merge mercy with might, But while democracy can be and might with right, periodically delayed then love becomes our legacy 2 National Multiple Sclerosis Month By Kate O’Neil Every year, March 1st marks the beginning of National Multiple Sclerosis Month! This a month dedicated to spreading information about MS and helping others understand what life is like living with this disease. This month is important because there are still many who are unsure what Multiple Sclerosis is. MS is a disease where the immune system incorrectly attacks the healthy tissue in the central nervous system. The immune system within the CNS causes inflammation that damages a nerve’s myelin and when this happens, messages sent within the central nervous system are altered or stopped completely. So, what does this mean? Well, symptoms of MS vary from person to person and may change in severity overtime. Common symptoms of this disease include walking difficulties, numbness and tingling, muscle spasms, fatigue, weakness, and vision problems as well as changes in cognitive function. It is sometimes tricky to diagnose this disease since many of these symptoms could be indicative of other medical issues, however strategies for diagnosis often include a neurological exam, a careful look at medical history, and tests such as MRIs, spinal fluid analysis, and blood tests. There is no current cure for MS however typically a neurologist will lead the efforts towards treatment. Strategies include modifying the disease course, managing relapses (the occurrence of new symptoms or the worsening of old symptoms), and managing overall symptoms. Many people living with this disease live good lives by focusing on exercise, cognitive health, spiritual wellbeing, diet, and emotional wellbeing. If you want to get involved in creating a world free of MS, there are many fun events such as Walk MS, Bike MS, and in non-covid years, Muckfest- a mud filled obstacle course 5k! For more information on Multiple Sclerosis, feel free to visit this website: https://www.nationalmssociety.org/ Source: https://www.nationalmssociety.org/ Image source: https:// www.aviornutritionals.com/ chances-to-support-ms-the- family-during-multiple-sclerosis -awareness-month/ 3 Pronouns and Gender: He, She Or They...? By Kira Morehouse and Matt Coggins I admit that it took me a while to get started mainly because by no means am I an expert on the use of pronouns. My colleague Matt Coggins and I struck up a conversation after both of us had acknowledged attending one of Enterprise Bank’s diversity trainings on Unconscious Bias that our Learning & Development team offers on a regular basis for all team members. Matt and I had both remarked about how effective the training was at helping us become aware of our own biases as well as the impact that such biases have on our interactions with others. However, the training only briefly touched upon the idea of using pronouns as the presenters who were hired from outside of the bank introduced themselves by offering their first names with their preferred pronouns (in their cases it was She/Her/Hers) but did not delve in to talking in any great details about what the purpose of sharing pronouns means to them and others in these types of introductions. Thankfully, both Matt and I share a similar mindset of being open to learn from every one’s lived experiences, knowing that we are all different in many ways and that diversity among all of us deserves to be celebrated. Therefore, we will not let fear of being wrong or saying the wrong thing hold us back from attempting to find a good starting point for this topic, because otherwise then how can we learn? Ultimately, we asked Sophy Theam about all of this regarding our questions and lack of knowledge, which then led us here to writing this article based on some conversations we had. Hopefully, this is helpful for others as we dive in. Here is what we found out (and if others reading this know more than we do, we welcome the opportunity to be corrected and to learn more): Many of us have grown up with the idea that gender is limited to just male and female, and that this type of identity is based solely upon physical standards. However, this concept is challenged by the reality that gender is not limited to physical traits so much as it is a human-made social construct with some people falling into more than one category based upon a spectrum.