We are all diverse | Reinaldo Bulgarelli | TEDxLaçador

Reinaldo shows us we need to talk about diversity and inclusion. Respecting doesn't mean being indifferent, it doesn't mean treating everyone as equals. People have different characteristics, therefore, different needs, demands, interests, perspectives, expectations. Among the more than seven billion people in the world, each one of us is unique and special; each one of us is one of the solutions that life has found within the great many possible compositions.
With his 40 years of history, Reinaldo Bulgarelli is a diversity consultant focusing on large organizations. As an executive secretary of LGBTI+ Company and Rights Forum , he has contributed for a more inclusive, respectful, open and safe company environment for everyone; really everyone. Reinaldo has shared with us a statement by Eleanor Roosevelt worth thinking about, "Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. [...] Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

How nice, isn't it?

We've laughed, cried,

got angry,

said things, it's awesome.

The only thing that can't be,

the only thing at all
is indifference, right?

Everything except indifference.

You, beautiful people here, have come
because you're not indifferent.

Whoever is watching
isn't indifferent, right?

Indifference towards people,

indifference

towards perspectives, expectations,
views, demands, right?

It's sad to see the indifference
and what it does.

I'd like to reflect a bit on this theme,
of course, I'm very fond of it,

I've been working for 41 years
with these issues,

21 of them in the business environment,

but 41 years addressing these issues;

I'd like to share with you one aspect
of the subject of diversity and inclusion,

which is the way we transform
our characteristics

in reasons for privilege,

for bragging,

the way we also transform
these caracteristics

in justifications for violence,

justifications for inequality,
disadvantages, and so forth.

We transform characteristics
in reasons for privileges,

and here we've talked a lot about this,

and I as a white man need to say this,

I wasn't the one
who created the expression,

but a white journalist like me

told me that I have to know that,

with the color of my skin, the way I am,

it is as if I had a passport

to places all the way to the end.

Even to go through a police blitz
without being shot 200 bullets

I've got to -

(Applause)

I've got to have a clear notion

that privilege is when you benefit

from others' inequalities.

So, this is privilege.

It's not to work, everybody does it,

it's not to say,
"Wow, I've worked so hard."

It is to have characteristics
that enable one to have a passport.

It's to make us think.
To make us reflect, right?

We, men, have 90%
of all leadership positions,

of executive positions within companies.

To be precise, 87%.

Eighty seven percent.

But there are people who, upon hearing

all these conversations here,

all the stories we've heard,
the views, the expressions,

still think, "Wow, now it's all for them?"

Imagine, 90%.

Considering the racial issue,
there are just 5.7% black executives.

Considering the executive position
as a place where some people

want to get to and can
and should get there, you see?

Five point seven.

I haven't said anything about black women
in executive positions,

in the 500 biggest companies, have I?

In the 500 biggest and fanciest companies,
the most powerful ones,

black women account for 0.4%
in executive postions.

So, hearing all the stories we listen to,

this black affirmative,

this need to have as many blacks
as whites in these environments

in all these situations, just see
how far we are from it, aren't we?

We create difficulties,

transform characteristics in grounds
for violence, for more problems,

and this brings people a lot of trouble

and brings us a lot of trouble, right?

I like to tell my story,
in the midst of all these issues,

with all the characteristics,

but, if we have problems
with characteristics,

it's not going to end up well, you see?

I'll start using a technical term:
identity markers;

it's one of the ways to say
"these group characteristics we have."

We've heard a lot about it
here today, haven't we?

I think there are two messages
I'd like to highlight here:

one, raise your flag, raise your hand,

speak up, say it out loud,
otherwise they'll walk over you,

and ignore you in the middle of the way;

otherwise, at the time of planning
the world, some will be forgotten.

And the idea, as it has been said here:
don't leave anyone behind.

This is the idea as humanity,
I think it's pretty reasonable,

it's possible.

The other idea,

that is complementary but not exclusive,

is this: on the other hand,

don't let anyone reduce you
to your identity markers,

don't let anyone reduce you
to one of your characteristics.

And neither you shall reduce yourself.

We are this, that
and much more, aren't we?

AD Junior talked about that,
several others brought this idea:

don't let my characteristics disappear,

on the other hand, do not reduce me
to one of them, I've got several.

I'm not just a woman, not just that,
or not just something else.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't
realize, in our Brazilian society,

in my opinion and in so many others'
opinion, but sharing with you my view,

this view of human diversity

doesn't mean we shouldn't have
the main themes in focus.

In my history, in my view of the world,
based on what I study

it all gets worse with the race issue.

Any issue you come across,
being a woman, being an LGBTI person,

being a handicapped person,

any situation, if you add the race issue,

you have a big problem.

This shows us, Brazilian society,

that we'll always have to deal
with this matter,

learn a way to live together
in our humanity

to face what is out there

rather than push it down a carpet
forever, as it has been said;

invisibility, unsaid histories, right?

In all such characteristics -

This isn't a photo of mine, okay,
poor people don't have infant photos.

It's difficult to have,

so I found this one in a website
with free photos, right?

I started school in the 60s,

when I arrived, on the very first day,

happy and excited,
afraid, too, but happy

the teacher seeing me and my friends
discovers I'm left-handed.

I told this story just the other day,
it's great to remember

that left-handedness seems
to be a banal thing

but so is the banality of violence
against our characteristics.

The teacher said, finding out about
my left-handedness, "Oh this is indecent!"

She sat me in front
of everyone in the room.

"This is indecent, it's imoral!
Here this can't be, it's wrong!"

She didn't even know I was gay.
God knows what she would have said -

(Laughter)

had she known it.

My mother solved the matter,
but it's an example we can say,

"Gee, sometimes people say
horrible things about us,

and we might believe them."

In my case, it didn't last long
because my mother solved it.

She went to school
and scolded the teacher badly,

"Let the boy be what he wants to be!"

I loved the idea...

(Laughter)

Often, though, twisted ideas can live
in our heads for a long time,

and we've seen people here today
talking about this,

about how we reinvent ourselves,
how we detox, I don't know;

all the expressions we can use
to think in these wrong ideas, right?

How the idea of what is good and bad,
right and wrong, normal and abnormal,

beautiful, ugly, reliable, safe,
interesting, and so on,

how did it all go live in our heads?

One of the reflections to make
is about transforming characteristics

into reasons for privilege or violence,

and it makes us think.

And, calm down,
let's not throw it all away.

"Is that so, I've been taught
this is nice, that isn't, I don't know."

No, the idea is: just figure the origin.

Where did it come from?

There are many things
you won't manage to discover.

Even so, get a hold of it.

That's what is called the unconcious bias

or the prejudice based on stereotypes

and discrimination practices.

Get a hold of it.

I have, as a criterium -

again, sharing with you.

It's my criterium to think,

does this help me
in my relation with myself?

This concept of right, wrong,
nice, beautiful, whatever,

these values, these issues,
these views of the world,

do they help me
in my relation with myself?

What about with other people?

What about for people to live
together and better and in peace?

It's a criterium, it's a way
to get rid of some things

or review these things, or a way
of reinventing oneself or to detox

or to find all the medicines
we can find, right -

to bridge with Maria Vitória's talk,
beautiful wonderful her, isn't she?

What a nice history,
coming from someone so young.

I might not be in the right age
to see all that she can do,

where she can get to.

But she's fantastic.

It's obvious she will get somewhere nice.

If we take these issues
and think about them,

about how they went to live inside us,

it's one thing.

About transforming characteristics
in grounds for inequality,

for violence, for disadvantage,
for vulnerability, for all this,

and to you this education
for indifference,

I've also been thinking a lot about it.

I went back to my origins and discovered,

wow, I was raised -

I think you, too, or in other words,
I don't know you but think about it.

I was raised to not observe much.

To not pay attention to anything.

So I also like to tell the history

of going to my mom's friend's house,

there was a penguin in the refrigerator,

in my house, there was no penguin
in the refrigerator.

When a new and better refrigerator
arrived, it was a big party.

The damn penguin called my attention,
to me it was new, it was a big deal,

it was so odd.

I pointed my finger and said,
"Look, a penguin!

What's that on top of the refrigerator?",

that thing over there.

My mother, very elegant and polite,

very - she slapped my hand.

(Laughter)

The same mother
who saved me that other day,

this time slapped my hand

and told me something
that is a marker in our education,

"Don't take notice."

Don't take notice. To respect is to not
take notice, not to look, not to comment.

She slapped my curiosity, my creativity,

She slapped me, imagine,
a young scientist,

because that is what we are
when we arrive on the planet.

Isn't it? Small little people,
looking everywhere,

we are tiny scientists,
curious about everything.

She could have said, "Take notice of all,
look around, everything is new for you.

But pay attention to what you'll do
about the things you're observing."

Are you going to humble yourself
for a penguin on the neighbor's fridge

or are you going to say it's tacky,
ridiculous, and judge immediately?

When you know how to deal
with characteristics, one thing is sure:

don't go away with that.

A very nice example, and it has to do
with our colleague here,

I've lived a situation in a factory -

I like to tell this one, but there were
many situations, with an armless person.

She worked at the factory,
the manager came by and said,

"I like to greet everyone."

With that armless person,

who had no arms and no hands,

different from you,

and he, the manager, saying:

"I don't know what to do,
so I slapped her butt the other day,

as a way of greeting her."

It turned out to be very bad,
it was horrible how people took it.

The lady also said,

"As a matter of fact, it's been six months
I've been working with this manager" -

you liked the history, I bet, didn't you?

"It's been six months I've been
working with this manager

and he doesn't know how to talk to me."

This Is one of the side effects
of not noticing,

of not knowing how to deal
with characteristics,

of being raised to think that we
shouldn't look, shouldn't notice,

talk, dialogue about our characteristics.

See that not in any moment -

I'm trying to avoid the word "difference,"

because these are characteristics,
and we can change,

different in relation to whom, to what?

In this relationship, we're not colorless,
odorless, insipid, stagnant,

shapeless, lifeless.

We need to deal with the construction
of equality, as it has been said here,

with the construction of equity,

more than equality.

We need to take into account
people's characteristics

so the world planning
won't leave anyone behind,

won't leave anyone aside,

won't exclude anyone.

Another experience I've had, to conclude,

in a company, a group of workers saying,

"Look, we need to treat everyone equally."

Then a woman rose and said,

"I'd like a breastfeeding room,

I've just come back from maternity leave
and my breast is full,

I'd like to take my milk home
to feed my baby.

So, this talk of equality and all,
but I'd like to ask something.

How many women are here" -

it was a group of men.

"How many women are here after just
returning from their maternity leave

with a full breast who would like
to take their milk home for their baby?

Do you know where I draw milk?

In the company's restroom.
In the dirtiest place of the company."

Do you know what they proposed her?
"Use the outpatient care unit."

Another place full of sick people,
people with colds, it wouldn't work.

It was nice to discuss
this issue to realize,

don't treat equally,
consider the particularities.

Why not a nice breastfeeding room,

with a fridge, a chair,
something like that?

To build a world based
on the vitruvian man,

to build the world based
on standard patterns is easy.

The chair on which you sit,

everything around us;

we need to consider all of us.

You all here are listening to me,
what if among you there's one deaf person?

How are we going to invest
so that we have sign language,

so as to have audiodescription.

Because in democracy,
it's important we don't act like that,

everyone is listening here,
or the majority is, only one person isn't,

so that person is neglected.

The idea is, one person matters.

Each one of us is unique, is special.

Each one of us is one of the solutions
that life has found

within the great many
possible compositions.

One matters.

One matters.

Let's keep this idea.

Let's keep the many invitations
that were given here today.

Let's keep the idea,
as Paul Valéry has said,

that the most profound thing
in us is the skin,

by the way, talking about "skin deep."

How many invitations were made!

Think about it, one matters.

Each one of us matters.

Thank you very much.

(Applause) (Cheers)