Inside NASA's diversity equity and inclusion efforts | Driving Change | Edward Gonzales
Driving Change From the Inside: Presented by Actually Curious (https://www.actuallycurious.com)
Candid conversations on the DEI movement happening in the US job market.
During the same summer that Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson made private space travel a reality, NASA announced an $18M investment in STEM diversity. But what’s it look like behind the headlines?
With government agencies under a microscope in the wake of an embattled and racially charged Presidential transition, we were grateful to have the opportunity to sit down with Edward Gonzales, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion lead for Heliophysics at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
NASA’s investment in STEM diversity signals that the importance of recruiting, training, and maintaining a diverse workforce has risen in priority. This is a positive sign following a year that had our nation wake up to the realities of injustice and inequality and their effect on government public service (law enforcement in particular).
Key moments:
0:37 Skip intro
1:16 Eddie's background growing up in West Conia, Los Angeles
2:14 From crayons to handcuffs in a very short time
4:44 LAPD hypocrisy at law firm working on the Christopher Commission
( https://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports98/...)
5:48 It's 2001, he finds the courage to apply and move to NASA
6:46 A major moment in 2008 pushes diversity forward at NASA
7:09 Allyship at NASA from leadership all the way down
7:57 Let's talk about education for the white people
8:14 About the future of DEI at NASA
9:00 Details about what teams and processes make DEI happen
9:38 How Eddie became a DEI leader at NASA
11:50 Advice for leaders of all levels who are trying to Drive Change
12:28 What legacy do you mean to leave behind, Eddie?
13:08 Advice for the next generation of black, brown, and underrepresented talent interested in working at NASA
Driving Change is a multi-media series from Curiosity Lab (https://www.curiositylab.io) produced in partnership with Digital Content Next (https://digitalcontentnext.org/), featuring senior leaders from NASA, NPR, Robin Hood Foundation, and Havas Group.
Curiosity Lab created Driving Change to elevate the voices of the leaders fighting for underrepresented talent, and to give a window into what's possible for the diverse talent of our future.
Subscribe: / curiositylab
Visit us: https://www.curiositylab.io
Follow us: / c_riositylab
Driving Change From the Inside, developed and produced by Curiosity Lab in partnership with Digital Content Next. Our video content is directed and edited by A Million Other Things for Curiosity Lab.