Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Zero Discrimination Day GraphicZero Discrimination Day is observed annually on March 1. This day provides an opportunity for our Airmen and Guardians to leverage inclusive leadership, to have conversations about the importance of ensuring equitable treatment that enables our total force to give their most to accomplishing the Department’s missions. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Jim Masie)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Zero Discrimination Day is an opportunity for inclusive leadership, taking actionPublished March 1, 2022
                    
                    By Marianne P. Malizia, Director
                    
                    
                    Department of the Air Force Office of Diversity and Inclusion
            **ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --**Zero Discrimination Day is observed annually on March 1. This day provides an opportunity for our Airmen and Guardians to leverage inclusive leadership, to have conversations about the importance of ensuring equitable treatment that enables our total force to give their most to accomplishing the Department’s missions.
Launched in 2014, the United Nations created this international observance to promote dignity, equality and equal treatment before the law regardless of gender, age, sexuality, nationality, skin color, height, weight, profession, education or religious beliefs. The butterfly symbol used for this observance depicts transformation. Zero Discrimination Day calls on all people to step up and speak up to prevent discrimination.
This year’s Zero Discrimination Day theme is “Remove laws that harm, create laws that empower.” The theme highlights the need to identify processes and/or policies that may prohibit the full participation of Airmen and Guardians as they strive to be the best they can be, while bringing their full authentic selves to work each and every day.
The disparity review reports that the Department published in recent months identified disparities experienced by different races, ethnicities and genders in areas of developmental opportunities and administration of discipline, to name a few. Zero Discrimination Day is an opportunity for all Airmen and Guardians to look for ways to eliminate barriers that preclude Airman, Guardians, and their family members from having equal and equitable access to resources and opportunities for personal and professional success. We must continue to cultivate an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued for being their authentic self, and where everyone has a true sense of belonging as a member of the Department of the Air Force family.
As 21st century leaders, we operate in a complex global environment, unlike any before. The operational demands are great. In order to ensure the security of our nation, our Airmen and Guardians must have access to the tools that enable them to do their very best work. These tools include, but are not limited to training and educational opportunities, and access to actively engage in mentoring relationships. We must eliminate barriers that prevent our people from being able to use their multi-faceted cognitive, collaborative and innovative power toward solving our challenging and diverse problem sets.
“Some of the world’s most challenging problems can be solved simply by eliminating stigma and discrimination,” said Michel Sidibé, a United Nations leader, referencing Zero Discrimination Day. All Airmen and Guardians, both military and civilian, are responsible to take action. Ensuring diverse perspectives are in the room, at the table and given the opportunity to be heard and considered is a great start to building the necessary trust and collaborative environment that eliminates stigma and misperceptions that can lead to discrimination. Look for opportunities to question assumptions, both for yourself and others, and explore those assumptions with inquisitiveness and an interest in finding new ways of thinking.
Today, and every day, I challenge you to remove barriers, to enable everyone to thrive. A start to doing so at an individual level is to gain awareness of your personal biases. This will empower you to mitigate the influence of bias in decision-making and act more deliberately and inclusively. Resources for understanding biases, both conscious and unconscious, are available via **Air Force eLearning**, **Digital University**, and the **Diversity and Inclusion Resource List**. To get involved in the Department’s official efforts to identify and make recommendations to remove organizational barriers, step up and join a local or Department-level Barrier Analysis Working Group team. For more information on the DAFBAWG teams, e-mail **SAF.ODI.Workflow@us.af.mil**.FS 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Zero Discrimination Day 



inclusive leadership 



diversity 



total force 



dignity 



equality 



One Air Force 



Marianne P. Malizia  Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil