"I am a woman / Phenomenally / Phenomenal woman / That’s me."

— Maya Angelou

"I believe that each of us carries a bit of inner brightness, something entirely unique and individual, a flame that's worth protecting. When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it."

— Michelle Obama

“We go jam till the moon come down.

Is we who the stars shine on.

Play a mas and break away.

Freedom in we DNA!”

— Mical Teja, DNA, Carnival 2024 Road March

“There is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

– Amanda Gorman

“Don't you know?

They're talkin' 'bout a revolution.

It sounds like a whisper.”

– Tracy Chapman

“What diversity advocates are working for is an industry that honestly, accurately, and equitably represents the world we live in.”

–Mike Jung

"Being an ally can't just be about nodding when someone says something we agree with - important as that is. It must also be about action. It's our job to stand up for those who are not at the table when life-altering decisions are made. Not just those people who look like us. Not just those who need what we need."

― Kamala Harris

“Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.”

—Melody Beattie

“Know your worth, hold your own power, be you.”

– Morgan Harper Nichols

“Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers."

–Kahlil Gibran

“We must reject not only the stereotypes that others have of us but also those that we have of ourselves.”

- Shirley Chisholm

“Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is the true prosperity.”

– Eckhart Tolle

“It’s important that we remember [transgender] people that may have been forgotten in their lives — that we don’t let them go.”

-- Gwendolyn Ann Smith, Founder, Transgender Day of Remembrance

For the last few years, I've had the privilege of being a guest columnist with Ask a Manager. I know that's how many of you have found me! I'm guesting this week again. Read my column on how to address issues of race in the workplace. And join the Ask a Manager comments! There are thousands of engaged commenters wanting to do the same as you - learn how to be better allies at work. See you there.

"There is more to life than increasing its speed."

- Mahatma Gandhi

“I forgot what we were celebrating. Because we were always celebrating something, a new job, a new poem, a new love, a new dream.”

- Audre Lorde

“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”

- Brene Brown

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Conversations on racism should never be about winning.”

― Ijeoma Oluo