A Community Exploration of Systemic Inequality with Factuality
We need a broad and diverse community as part of DEF’s mission to promote a culture of innovation. Being inclusive is one of our core values, but words are easy and actions can seem hard. We are constantly looking for ideas for ways we can support and engage like-minded people from all backgrounds. Share yours here!
One of the topics that members of the DEF community often talk about, going back all the way to when we first started forming, is talent management in the national security community. This is a really broad topic, inclusive not only of the ways in which we capture and share information about ourselves and each other, but also the people that are included in the system itself.
We’ve had passionate members of the community pursue efforts like breaking down the gender barrier in the military and championing the voices of LGBTQIA+ public servants in national security.
Still, looming large are issues raised by systemic inequality and how they impact the challenges we face each day. Despite our desires to see anyone of any background with a desire to serve getting the opportunity to maximize their talents to improve the lives of others, we know the path isn’t that simple. And while feedback and experience are critical, words alone just won’t get the job done.
Enter Factuality, a 90-minute crash course on structural inequality in America, created by Natalie Gillard to help groups and teams simulate real life experiences in America.
We won’t spoil it for you, but the experience was… powerful. Given the amount of training many of us in government (and even industry) are required to take around topics like diversity and inclusion, you might think it would be hard to break the mold.
Allow us to address that perspective: Mold. Broken.
The session is distinctly interactive, including even some gamification techniques, and the facts used are all grounded in hard data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The way that Natalie draws out the stories of individuals in the workshop is incredible, and it really emphasizes the collective desire to move forward together into a world where these barriers are not only continually addressed, but removed, allowing the energy and insights of all to meet the challenges ahead.
Here are some of our favorite quotes from community members who experienced the workshop:
“This is the most human thing I’ve experienced in a while.”
“I feel cut — as in cut off at the knees, or cut as in a stab to the gut… some of those facts were crazy, astonishing, and scary. I’m always taken back by how much systemic bias I am still affected by and so grateful for opportunities like this to begin making a change.”
“It was unsettling how I overlooked benefits that I view as universal and ubiquitous, to remember how others may fight for that access daily.”
“My life is built on such riches I’m continually thinking about adding to it. This training was a powerful lesson that others live bracing for what may be taken away. Factuality elevated my understanding of what I consider comforts and gave me an improved lens to see community harm.”
“I have a B.S. in U.S. History (funny not funny), and I never learned about this. I was certified to teach this history in two different states, and I still never learned about this.”
“I feel curious — how can I (a white male) make intentional decision to help bring about change?”
“I really wondered how to do a game over Zoom, but Factuality nails it — the right balance of gamification, grounding in data, and production of empathy especially appropriate to this moment in history.”
“This DEF + Factuality event reinvigorated my appreciation for how much I stand on, and the importance of looking out and seeing where I can advocate that others may rise. It was a poignant reminder of the choices I have the luxury of making.”
“I feel motivated — get the stories out there because people act on stories and make change based on them — not data.”
“This workshop moves one closer to understanding that discrimination and harassment is not necessarily a single occurrence, but is often the combination of a multitude of seemingly harmless events which occur over a long period of time, and in combination with other “harmless” harassment serious consequences result; not only to the targets of harassment, but our society as a whole.”
“I grew up about ten minutes outside of Oakland, CA. VERY integrated town when it comes to race. Even in that diverse area I can’t remember having teachers with the same diversity as in the student population.”
Throughout the event, people took the opportunity to share resources they would recommend — here are some of them, in case they prove useful to you:
- 13th (documentary)
- Throughline (podcast)
- “Shade” on 99% Invisible (podcast episode)
- Hidden Brain (podcast)
- Leadership is Tricky (podcast)
- Waking Up by Sam Harris (book & app)
- Floodlines (podcast)
- I May Destroy You (TV show)
- Sinead Burke, Reid Hoffman, and DeRay McKesson (podcast episodes)
- Mona Chalabi (illustrations & Instagram)
- Privilege Walk & Alternatives (video & blog post)
We’re grateful for everyone who took the chance to get involved, who shared their feedback, and who have since advocated for similar events with their teams and organizations.
You can reach out to Natalie here to schedule a demo. As an all-volunteer non-profit with no membership dues, DEF’s expenditures are limited — but this investment was beyond worth it.
The Defense Entrepreneurs Forum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that inspires, connects and empowers people by convening events, forging partnerships and delivering tangible solutions. Our mission is to promote a culture of innovation in the U.S. national security community.
If you are a civil servant, military member, academic, entrepreneur, policymaker, or technologist (or just find the idea of helping solve tough problems enticing), we’d love to have you join the DEF Community!
