I know I’m not alone in feeling some sense of the word ‘bleak’ in recent months, especially regarding attacks on ideas of ‘inclusion’ and integrity.
Since Trump’s election and immediately following his inauguration, there have been feelings of unease from those who fight to create more inclusive workplaces and governments.
But there have been positive signs of hope in recent days.
Some of this hope is coming from what people are rejecting, including everything from Tesla due to its association with Elon Musk, to a Republican candidate backed by Musk in a judicial race, and Joe Rogan rejecting the “horrific” treatment of Venezuelan men deported to a brutal prison in El Salvador. It’s the first time Rogan has had such words since his strong endorsement of Trump as president. It’s a small but important shift because Rogan has millions of people’s attention globally, especially young men.
Meanwhile, there is some rejection of Americanisation in Australia, with pollsters putting it as a key factor in why Albanese has seen improvements as preferred prime minister against Peter Dutton. While Dutton’s been pursuing Trump-lite policies in his campaign to appeal to some segments of the population, including promises to cut 41,000 public sector workers, pursuing gas policies, and chase government efficiencies, it’s fast becoming apparent the strategy may not be as successful as he hopes.
Some are rejecting Trump’s destruction of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) by offering their support to those affected. In Europe, institutions are offering “scientific asylum” to US researchers who are being impacted by the White House’s attack on “wokeism”. That means researchers with projects seen as taboo under the Trump administration, including on diversity and the climate crisis, could find homes across Europe. France has issued a ”safe place for science” program. Belgium has opened postdoctoral positions to Americans, and the University of York in the UK welcomes persecuted researchers via a sanctuary fund.
But much of the reasons for hope come in the form of some public, dramatic acts of leadership.
There was the passion, energy and endurance displayed by Senator Cory Booker, who spoke for more than 25 hours against the Trump administration, breaking the record for the longest ever speech on the Senate floor.
He did it without food, toilet breaks, or sitting down.
The effort was motivating and galvanising and a true feat of the human spirit – everything the Democrats need right now.
Still in the United States, there was Judge Susan Crawford’s judicial win in Wisconsin against the Elon Musk-backed Republican Brad Schimel. Crawford said following her victory that she never thought she would be taking on the richest man in the world.
“Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court,” she said.
Back home in Australia, there are indications that diversity and inclusion efforts are withstanding the Trump-led campaign to end them.
In conversations with two separate industry bodies representing employers this week, I’ve been told that many employers are now looking to double down on their diversity and inclusion efforts, despite the Trump-led global pressure to end them.
In Victoria, new anti-vilification laws have passed, with existing religious exceptions narrowed in the bill to “prevent the vilification of LGBTQIA+ and other marginalised groups”. The bill passed also includes what’s become known as the “Sam Kerr clause,” aiming to prevent vilification and discrimination from being weaponised against their intended purpose.
Speaking of Sam Kerr, Football Australia opted for Kerr to retain her captaincy of the Australian side, despite campaigns against her after she was found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment in a London court in February.
Elsewhere, there are signs that integrity in leadership is prevailing as not only admirable, but something to celebrate.
One such example came from former WiseTech board director Christine Holman speaking on a panel at the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors event in Melbourne on Wednesday. She walked out on the WiseTech board in 2019 due to growing concerns about its founder Richard White. She was warned by several leading businesspeople, including a high-profile headhunter, that she would never get another board role.
“I’ve been told so many times that my chances of getting another board in this country is virtually zero, which is fine because I didn’t do this for money, or it’s not a retirement plan, and if I never get on another board again, that’s fine,” she she said.
Qantas chairman John Mulled was also on the panel. He praised Holman for her integrity and said she should be welcomed onto other boards.
Holman has since been appointed to many boards, including Football Australia, which was announced just last week.
These examples of leadership are just from the past two days or so.
This sense of hope isn’t everywhere, of course. In Australia, Queenslanders are contending with significant flooding. The horrific destruction of Gaza continues, with dozens more killed in the latest Israeli airstrikes. There are the horrors building as a result of the Trump Administration pulling back on USAID, ending poverty-building and life-saving projects globally. There is the aftermath of the Earthquake in Myanmar, and the final push to find survivors, with close to 3000 now confirmed dead.
The sense of bleakness remains. But there are some sparks of hope, the essential ingredient in leadership, action, and working towards something better for all of us.