Building a BRIDGE: What I Learned as DEI Committee Chair

February 22  

Article courtesy of Sanvello

By Roxane Battle Vice President Advocacy and Community at Sanvello

In my former career as a news anchor and reporter, I’d often run into people at the grocery store, school events, or out eating – people who recognized me from television. In an attempt to make small talk, or maybe because they really wanted to know, they’d strike up a conversation, asking me about the latest development on a current news story, or what the weather was going to be like on the weekend. Sometimes I knew the answer. Sometimes I didn’t, and I said so. I told the truth. 

“I don’t know.” 

“What do you mean you don’t know, you’re on the news!” 

I got that a lot. Over time, I learned to turn those potentially awkward encounters into opportunities for enlightenment by saying: 

“My job is not to know everything; my job is to find out.”  

Today, in my new career, I still employ that same strategy. 

As Vice President of Advocacy and Community for Sanvello Health, Inc., I focus on telling stories that make mental wellness approachable and relatable, especially for those who may not have considered reaching out for help due to stigma or accessibility. A big part of my job is advocating for marginalized communities. That’s why I’m also co-chair of Sanvello’s DEI committee, formed in the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd. I live in Minneapolis, a few miles from where it all happened, and as a mother of a Black male, I was shaken beyond, as were many of our team members around the country. We quickly gathered on a Zoom call to support each other. There were tears. And long gaps of awkward silence. Some expressed hurt, anger, frightened bewilderment, and a need to do more. 

Read the full article here.

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