"It’s like baking a cake, diversity is all the ingredients you need (eggs, flour, sugar, etc.), inclusion is the mixing and baking process and belonging is the finished product. Verna Myers describes this so well when she says that ‘Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance'.” 

Fadzi Whande was born in Zimbabwe. When she was very young, she moved with her family to Massachusetts USA. A great portion of her early years were spent in America before returning to Zimbabwe some years later. Thereafter Fadzi grappled with her own sense of identity. She felt somewhere in-between. She had heard so much about her ‘home’, the home that her family was from, but when she returned this proved to be a large adjustment. She felt the pinch of what it is like to not quite fit in. She had a different accent; she had layers of culture, of language, or stories both from near and afar. It is as such that Fadzi believes that her job found her. Fadzi is a Global Diversity and Inclusion Strategist.

Fadzi is a great believer in being yourself and shaping a society that is inclusive. She hopes one day that her job will not be required, yet we still have a long way to go. For many among us, shapeshifting to fit in is the norm. Muting a sense of self, or altering a sense of self, disguising something unique about oneself can leave indelible marks, and indeed question marks, around who we really are. We spoke with Fadzi as she continues to explore and discuss ways to celebrate diversity and embrace inclusion through stories and lived experiences, for it is there, that we can relate.   

How important is it to share our stories and experiences in order to create inclusive communities? In what ways have you seen positive change occur as the result of sharing our stories and experiences?

Sharing our stories allows us to engage and connect with others. Stories are basically our lived experiences and it brings awareness to those who do not have the same experiences but it also connects you to people who can relate to your experiences. Whenever I share my story I have had people come to me and tell me how they can relate to what I shared. It also allows people to go deeper than the surface level or the visible attributes they see in me (diversity). Stories are a vehicle for greater connection and deeper understanding (inclusion).

In what ways have your childhood experiences helped to shape you, your interests and endeavours?

I was born in Zimbabwe but attended primary school in the USA. I then lived in Botswana and the UK before settling in Australia. In each country I lived I was exposed to different cultures and experiences giving me a greater appreciation for people. I also grappled with my identity and the notion of what and where ‘home’ was for me. All of this has helped shape me and these experiences are why I am so passionate about diversity and inclusion.

What have been some highlights during your time as a Global Diversity and Inclusion Strategist?

My work has afforded me the opportunity to meet some amazing people (Princess Royal Anne) and be exposed to so many different cultural experiences. To be honest the highlights are the private conversations I have with people where they thank me for sharing my story and how my vulnerability has impacted them. I have also led some amazing projects like the program funded by the US Embassy that focused on developing a racially conscious law enforcement, going to the Commission on the Status of Women at UN Headquarters in New York and my Sofa Sunday leadership and mentoring program for emerging young women leaders.  

What has your experience been like as an Australia Day Ambassador?

It’s an honour to be recognised as an Ambassador and it’s a position I don’t take lightly. Being able to meet new people and hand out citizenship certificates is such a privilege. Each year I get to meet remarkable people making huge contributions in their community. In 2019 I had the opportunity to visit the City of Greater Geraldton. The conversations I had with some members of the Southern Yamatji community were life changing. I will continue to reflect, acknowledge and honour the sacrifices and contributions made by first peoples. What an amazing country we have.   

In Australia, around a third of the population is from overseas. In Melbourne, we have more than 200 languages. How do we bring a range of voices into conversation and embrace not only our wonderful diversity, but boost inclusion and celebrate all the fantastic things we all have to share?

Isn’t that wonderful such diversity? I think we first need to change our perspective on diversity from being a negative to a positive. Diversity is about difference and we need to celebrate the opportunity to learn from such a variety of different things. We also need to take personal responsibility for inclusion. We need to use our voices to amplify the need for us to create more inclusive spaces. To realise that as difficult as some spaces are we still need to create and enter them and allow the often untold stories to be heard and understand that even silence can be loud. It is about our willingness to celebrate difference and challenge the narrative of division and discrimination caused by fear of the ‘other’.

You did a TedX talk title: How diversity heaven can be inclusion hell. In your experience, in what ways can we best combat exclusion and turn that around?

I would like to see us move away from diversity being the destination to the understanding that it is the means to creating an inclusive environment that fosters belonging. Diversity should never be the end goal. The goal should not be about getting more women, LGBTI or racially diverse people but it has to be more than that once we have that how do we foster an environment for them to flourish. You can have diversity with no inclusion. Our fear of those that are different to us creates exclusion and we also need to own up and confront our individual bias. In order for that to happen, we each must take responsibility for inclusion and embrace multiple perspectives and experiences. We cant pass the buck when it comes to Inclusion and Diversity each of us has to play our part and understand that it is vital to our sense of well-being.   

People often combine diversity and inclusion and while they do link, they are different things. How do you explain the unique aspects of each?

It’s like baking a cake, diversity is all the ingredients you need (eggs, flour, sugar, etc.), inclusion is the mixing and baking process and belonging is the finished product. Verna Myers describes this so well when she says that ‘Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance”.  

 Article by Sinead Halliday