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      Maj. Rashida Brown, 341st Medical Group group-practice manager, poses for a photo Aug. 13, 2021, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.Maj. Rashida Brown, 341st Medical Group group-practice manager, poses for a photo Aug. 13, 2021, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. Brown recently completed the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program with Cornell University and shared what she learned about fostering a more inclusive environment with Malmstrom AFB's Diversity and Inclusion Council. (U.S. Air Force photo by Heather Heiney)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Fostering inclusion to build a stronger forcePublished Aug. 19, 2021
                    
                    By Heather Heiney
                    
                    
                    341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
            **MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. (AFNS) --****Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton**, **Air Force Global Strike Command** deputy commander, was recently confirmed by the Senate for a fourth star and will soon be the first Black man to lead AFGSC.“It’s Airmen who drive our ability to adapt, it’s Airmen whose know-how and determination allow us to conduct warfighting, and as we push towards a more lethal and ready force, it is a**diverse and inclusive** force of Airmen that will help drive that end state,” he said.Maj. Rashida Brown, 341st Medical Group group-practice manager, has been one of the Airmen working toward that vision. She recently completed the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program with Cornell University where she learned more about improving engagement, fostering an inclusive environment and diversity and inclusion at work.
Part of Brown’s training focused on distinguishing between diversity and inclusion. She explained that diversity means significant representation of people who are different from an organization’s historical norms, while inclusion is ensuring the environment is supportive of those differences and employees are engaged and feel they have a say in influencing the organization.
“Both are critical because without focused efforts on diversity, we won’t be challenged to approach our interactions in a more inclusive manner,” Brown said. “In the last decade, the civilian sector has made a big shift of focus from diversity to diversity and inclusion and it’s important that the Air Force keeps up with this progress.”
According to Brown, one part of inclusion is looking at diversity more like a salad instead of a melting pot. In a melting pot the individual elements must transform themselves to fit into the pot whereas in a salad, each component maintains its own identity while adding value and difference to the dish.
“Diversity is our greatest strength, but we must shift the culture to be more inclusive of the differences that make us diverse in the first place,” she said.
On Jan. 11, 2021, the Air Force**stood up** the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The department supports both the Air Force and Space Force and works directly for the secretary of the Air Force while continuing to address the strategic impact of diversity, inclusion and equity on Airmen, Guardians and their families.Locally, the 341st Missile Wing Diversity and Inclusion Council has been working to foster inclusion on base as well as in the community since it was formed in 2020.
“We’re working to bring training and education opportunities and further awareness with heavy emphasis on special observances,” Brown said.
Some of those observances included the first-ever Great Falls Juneteenth celebration and events highlighting Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Pride Month.
For leaders and Airmen who want to foster a more inclusive environment, Brown offers the following advice:

1. Be clear about what is expected and valued.

2. Ensure all employees feel safe at work, in taking risks and in expressing thoughts and feelings.

3. Develop strong norms that uniqueness among group members will be integrated.

4. Do not expect people to check their identity at the door when they go to work.

5. Model inclusivity through communication and behaviors.

6. Check stereotypes and biases in order to reduce prejudice.

7. Be careful not to label people.

8. Question negative gut reactions by looking for information that contradicts the initial reaction.

9. Ask whether the reaction would have been the same if someone else had engaged in the same behavior.

10. Express disapproval of microaggressions, which are actions or statements that express discrimination, whether those microaggressions are intentional or unintentional.

11. Combat perceptions that there is a greater social value associated with some groups over others.

“There is much work left to be done,” Brown said. “But we are now being challenged by the future leaders of the Air Force and being empowered by current leaders of the Air Force to have the hard conversations, push the envelope to change systems and learn how we can lean on our differences to make us a stronger force.”AFWN 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



diversity 



AFGSC 



Air Force Global Strike Command 



Malmstrom AFB 



Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program 



Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 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