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Celebrating Diversity

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What is diversity? In the workplace, diversity reflects differences across nationality, race, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity, physical ability, veteran status, and educational experience. SLAC is a world renowned scientific institution that is photocommitted to achieving excellence in scientific discovery while maintaining and celebrating a truly diverse workforce. What does this mean? Celebration of diversity extends beyond representation of differences to the inclusion of these differences into the culture and practices of the laboratory. Here at SLAC, our employees are encouraged and supported in their efforts to organize and educate around their differences.

SLAC Celebrates Juneteenth

The theme of SLAC's 18th Annual Juneteenth Celebration was "Acknowledging the Abolitionist and the Underground Railroad." SLAC employees once again gathered on the lawn in front of Building 41 to enjoy a barbeque lunch and commemorate the oldest known celebration symbolizing the end of slavery. Two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation made official on January 1, 1863, Major General Gordon Granger led Union soldiers to Texas with news that the Civil War had ended on June 19, 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation had freed only a few people and furthermore did not apply to those slave-holding states that did not rebel against the Union. It would take the Civil War to enforce the Emancipation proclamation and the 13th Amendment to outlaw slavery. The Abolitionists were made up of free African Americans and whites. Their method of non-violent opposition was the Underground Railroad.

Featured Abolitionists

  • Frederick Douglass: American Abolitionist, Editor, Orator, Author, Statesman and Reformer
  • Susan B. Anthony: Social Reformer. She campaigned against slavery, for the abolition of liquor and for women’s rights.
  • Harriet Tubman: Antislavery Activist. She helped hundreds of American slaves escape along the secret route to freedom known as the Underground Railroad.
  • John Brown: Antislavery Activist. He led raids in an attempt to lead a slave rebellion. His actions called attention to how serious the rift between abolitionists and slaveholders had become.

    • See pictures courtesy of Diana Rogers.

    Diversity Calendar

     
    January Autism Awareness Month
     
    February National African-American History Month
    March National Women's History Month
      Irish-American Heritage Month
      Deaf History Month
    April National Child Abuse Prevention Month
    May National Asian/Pacific Heritage Month
      Older Americans Month
    June Juneteenth Celebration
      Gay and Lesbian Pride Month
    July National Foreign Language Month
    August National Physically Challenged Month
    September National Hispanic Heritage Month
    October National Disability Employment Awareness Month
    November National American Indian Heritage Month
    December Universal Human Rights Month

    Getting to Diversity

    SLAC actively works to diversify its workforce by working to ensure equal employment opportunity for all. Equal employment opportunity is comprised of categories: employment actions (recruitment, selection, promotion and retention), and diversity-related programs. As an equal opportunity employer, management collaborates to ensure all qualified candidates are granted fair and equal consideration for all employment action. The Diversity Office provides oversight for all Diversity Programs.

    Diversity Defined

    Diversity includes all protected classes. These include the following categories: African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Latino, Native American, Women, Physical Disability, Sexual Orientation, Age over 40, and Veteran Status.

    Valuing Diversity

    As an international leader in scientific excellence, SLAC recognizes the importance of maintaining a diverse workforce in achieving its mission. We value diversity because we believe in our mission.

    The following is a partial list of SLAC/Stanford organizations that celebrate diversity:

     
    Content: vivian.lee
    Last edited: 09 Jul 2008