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Real DEI work requires long term effort and a deep commitment to continuous learning and improvement. As Editor of Access Charleston and Publisher of Big Charlie's Spot TV, I’m determined to do what it takes to improve our representation and our eternal commitment to DEI. This begins with my own personal commitment, responsibility and need for self-development. What if we’re not the magnanimous people we think we are?”—The Washington Post
While we may not have much power to eradicate our own prejudices, we can counteract them. The first step is to turn a hidden bias into a visible one. I have come to the conclusion that we each have hidden biases that we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality. My goal for creating Access Charleston was to have a publication that showcased brilliant, authoritative, and utterly accessible local news and colorful stories of local people and places. Conversational . . . easy to read, and best of all, it must have the potential, at least, to change the way we think about our local marketplaces and our respective communities here in the Charleston region.
Education on why and how diverse representation matters is important. My goal is to identify and communicate why a diverse publication can become important to Charleston, SC. Access Charleston is building a marketplace publication whose aim is servicing diverse clients and a responsible corporate culture that encourages and values creativity, innovation, and fresh ideas from everyone. We can’t be successful when we think small or with a narrow perspective.
We’ve created a space for authentic conversations from a myriad of voices in a series called Access Charleston Conversations. Our mission is to serve as a safe space for support, education, and establishing local community wide resources. We are planning to host a conversation about how to talk to kids about race.
We have more work to do in centering our support and listening to our our diversified local communities, we truly want to know their experiences and needs. With the increase of violence against the AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) community, it became clear we need to do better at pausing, listening to, and supporting these valued communities as well in our Access Charleston outreaches. Many of us will never fully understand the daily lived experiences of our neighbors. We have work to do in educating ourselves about what our neighbors are lving through and how to best support them as well.
DEI is Everyone’s Job
LGBTQ+ community members, or other people within an underrepresented group don’t see, meet and connect with people similar to them within this Access Charleston publication, its almost impossible for us as a community newsletter to make all people feel included and part of the Access Charleston Conversation.
In this spirit, we are now including and embracing the spirit of diversity in every post. Our goal is to establish meaningful two way contributions for all communities.
The Work Never Stops
There’s never a point where we stop after reaching a certain goal—there is only progress. Our DEI work will never be over, even when we reach the initial goals we set for ourselves. It’s vital that we create and maintain a culture where everyone in the community feels comfortable giving candid feedback, sharing experiences openly, and coming up with new and innovative ideas that we can continuously write about and act on.
We will keep learning, striving for progress, and asking for your advertising and subscriptions support. Our mission is to be both leaders and eternal learners in Charleston, SC. As Editor my goal is to help counter historical inequities and ensure we are a colorful and diverse team where everyone feels warmly embraced, included, and equal.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this.
Oscar Smith, Editor, Access Charleston and Big Charlie's Spot TV Network
