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Someone\u2019s name is core to who they are and their identity.\u00a0 It likely reflects both their family and their heritage.\u00a0 Some people change their names – focusing more on their future than their past.<\/p>\n
My last name is somewhat unique and has been subject to many mispronunciations and misspellings over the years.\u00a0 I can still vividly remember when \u201cDummeier\u201d was on a certificate I received in 2nd grade!<\/p>\n
I work very hard to show respect to everyone I meet by pronouncing their name correctly – the way they choose to pronounce it.\u00a0 I meet many people, so living up to this standard can be challenging – especially as our community and County workforce has become more diverse.\u00a0 We have many colleagues from different nations, backgrounds, and experiences, and their names reflect these differences.\u00a0 I am committed to getting their names right – to show them the respect they deserve.<\/p>\n
I especially appreciate our colleagues who show me the grace of correcting me if I get it wrong – like in Tuesday\u2019s meeting with some newer employees.<\/p>\n
Our Pride Month \u201cLunch and Learn\u201d video reinforced this key principle.\u00a0 The conversation with Kit Gertje (Engineering Technician in Planning & Public Works) and Lucky Bradley (Grant Compliance in Human Services) helped me learn about LGBTQ+ history and even some vocabulary.\u00a0 They also spoke to their experiences as transgender employees and provided insight into our broader LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n
I particularly appreciated their sharing about misgendering.\u00a0 It\u00a0is upsetting to imagine\u00a0someone intentionally using the wrong pronouns to be hurtful.\u00a0 However, their comments about using grace when someone accidentally misgenders them were powerful – even sharing some personal experiences to illustrate their point.<\/p>\n
If you missed the \u201cLunch and Learn\u201d featuring Kit and Lucky, you can watch it here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, we have other tools to help us learn about our incredibly diverse workforce and the community we serve, including our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion video series (featuring the voices and experiences of our employees) and training modules available at our DEI page<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Coinciding with Pride Month (Yes, Pierce County recognizes July as Pride Month – like Tacoma), this month\u2019s DEI video features Kit talking about the importance he places on pronouns.<\/p>\n