Return on Equality, 3620 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA (2026)

02/27/2019

Earlier this year, my perspective on life and the unexpected, and what it means to be grateful for your every breath, changed completely.

While getting ready for White Party, I received news that my 32-year old sister-in-law passed away unexpectedly. She was in perfect health. The news shook my entire family. A mother lost her daughter, my brother lost his soulmate and became a single father, and I lost the sister that I’ve wanted since I was 5 years old.

I thought of my wedding last summer, when my sister-in-law pulled my nephews down the aisle in a decorated wagon and handed us our wedding rings.

Appreciate others. Tell people you love them. Put things into perspective. Don’t allow yourself to be easily angered. Live today as if tomorrow is not promised.

02/26/2019

Presenting the 2019 One Wharton Week video! Thank you to everyone who participated!

02/25/2019

College was always an expectation in my family. It was seen as a way out of poverty and a path towards the American dream. However, college did not become a concrete goal for me until I was 12 and experienced homelessness. To keep us away from a homeless shelter, my parents moved us into a motel room. For months, I witnessed my mother rise at 4am and work long hours. Every day she laced up her shoes and did not complain. She always remained positive and inspired me to do well in school in order to make her proud. Even though I was young, I saw the contrast between people who had an education and those who did not. 15 years later, I still try to emulate my mother's immigrant work ethic. Because of her and other positive role models, I not only became the first in my family to graduate from college, I will be the first to graduate with a master's degree. However, I am one of the "lucky" ones who achieved her dream. Sometimes I can't help but think of all the others who never got a chance.

02/20/2019

One Wharton Week is here! Full event descriptions at https://www.whartonroe.org/one-wharton-week-2019

02/18/2019

At Wharton, I became an entrepreneur, but this is not my first brush with entrepreneurship. I come from a long line of entrepreneur-minded individuals, and was inspired by both my father and grandfather who had their own ventures. Having entrepreneurship as part of my life growing up meant that I understood the dedication required build a business. I knew about the missed soccer games and orchestra recitals (spoiler alert: I didn't become Messi or Yo-Yo Ma). I knew about the plenty a company could bring, but also the harsher times of disintermediation by larger firms. I knew about the risks and rewards, especially when it takes a toll on your physical health. Despite knowing this, AND knowing that over 50% of Wharton companies fail, I wouldn't change a thing. I have had some of the best experiences of my life building and would easily make the decision to go into business for myself again and again.

01/21/2019

“‘I wish I were white,’ I said to my mother. She looked at me in confusion. Then sadness filled her eyes as she processed what I had said. ‘Why?’ She didn’t understand why I would want to change my skin, to change how I looked.
Growing up in Haiti, my mother was continuously surrounded by people who looked like her: teachers, doctors, celebrities, etc. There was never a question in her mind around if she could do something or be someone. My mother knew she was beautiful, and the world she lived in never tried to show her that she wasn’t.

I, on the other hand, grew up in a society where I continuously questioned how I looked. I did not look like the people around me: doctors, politicians, fellow students, actresses on TV, etc. I did not see myself in most places, and when I did see myself, it wasn’t a version that I could relate to or that I wanted to emulate. So, I wanted to be white.

My mother heard what I said, and she tried to help me see past the world around me to the value and beauty that I had, as I am. However, she could not truly understand how impactful representation is in how people see themselves because she had always seen herself. It took years for me to work through this mental block in order to see myself as I am, and not how this society sees me. The first time it clicked for me was in college because I was surrounded by other black women, who had found a way to embrace their full selves. They inspired me to do the same.
What we see and whom we see can truly impact how we see ourselves and what we ultimately do with our lives. This is why equal representation in media matters. If you can see it, you may just start to believe it.” Naeemah Ph

04/24/2018

"One of my most ridiculous encounters with the police happened when I was 18 and a freshman in college. One of my side ventures was to buy clothes and sneakers in SoHo and resell them to friends/classmates in Queens and Long Island. After one trip back from SoHo, I decided to meet my track teammates at a 7-11 on the border of Queens and Long Island to sell them some sneakers I had just bought.

When I arrived, my teammates were waiting with some snacks from the store hanging around the car. I greeted them, walked in to get myself some food, and then noticed a yellow cab with two white guys in the front staring at me. I felt this was odd since yellow cabs don’t operate in Long Island and well… it had two white guys in it. I came out of the store and as soon as I handed my friend the sneakers, the guys hopped out with their guns drawn, two additional squad cars pulled into the lot to block our car in, and a van with a full camera crew hopped out as well.

We were ordered to get on our knees, hands above our heads while the police officers had their guns drawn as they searched us and our car with no warrant – the entire time with the camera crew filming. We were on our knees for ten minutes while the cops conducted their search. Five minutes into their search, a crowd had gathered including my high school Spanish teacher who looked at us as though we were criminals. Once they realized the only sale was for sneakers, the camera crew packed up their stuff and left.

After we got up and were uncuffed, the police just said “stay out of trouble, we could’ve arrested you for a clothing transaction outside of a business, but we’ll let you go with a warning” then drove off. As we stood there with the crowd still around us, I had never felt so embarrassed, scared, and humiliated. We drove back to my friend’s house in silence as we all contemplated on how helpless we were in that scenario. The cops had immediately assumed we were dangerous or doing illicit activities, when we were just doing the same thing many other teenagers did…hanging out with friends in a store parking lot. " - Michael Finn

02/16/2018

"After morning physical training, a black Soldier of mine told me he wanted to file a complaint for racial discrimination. During training, the white Sergeant Major of another unit told him to pull up his shorts, saying “You ain’t back on the block.” I had heard similar comments made in other contexts; my instinct told me this had to be a misunderstanding. Despite my instincts, I knew that I had to act if my soldier felt that there was racial discrimination, whether or not it was a misunderstanding. If there was even the perception that I would not stand up and fight on behalf of my men, regardless of their color, how could I possibly lead?

In my experience in the Army, racism was extremely unusual. It was particularly rare in Combat Arms, like the Infantry unit where I served, because units have a strong identity that transcends race or background. This identity comes from working together under tough conditions toward shared goals. Because of this strong identity in Combat Arms, I was truly shocked when the black Soldier approached me complaining of racial discrimination. I decided there were two ways to approach this: one would be the formal complaint process, the other would be to talk to the Sergeant Major and figure out whether this was an incident of racism or a misunderstanding. I asked my Soldier what he wanted to do, and he decided to talk to the Sergeant Major, knowing that he could always file a formal complaint later if he so chose.

My Soldier and I went to the Sergeant Major’s office and sat down to discuss what happened. The three of us had a frank discussion of the incident. The Sergeant Major explained that he did not mean for his comment to be construed in a racial light. He regretted that he had given offense, and he actually thanked us for choosing to bring the issue up to him in a direct and professional way. We all walked away feeling better about what had happened."

02/15/2018

It's One Wharton Week 2018 and ROE is featuring a series of stories from the Wharton Community. In today's story we hear from WG'19 Fanta Conde on how her new family here at Wharton has accepted her and pushed her to overcome her experiences that have been holding her back.

Join us today for our final event One Wharton Week: Understanding Consent at 12:00pm at JMHH 340 to have a discussion with both genders about the movement and enthusiastic consent.

--
“So dad is never coming back?”
“Not anytime soon my dear,” my mother responded to me as I wondered when I would be able to see my dad again.
I was only 7 years old in my native Guinea when my father, a doctor, was accused by the government of having treated, and therefore supported, Alpha Conde, who is now President of Guinea, but was then an opposition leader. Unable to find any other work, my dad was forced into exile, and our lives turned upside down. We moved to a smaller house in the city, living off my mother’s income, and most sadly, as a divided family.
This trauma not only shaped me into the strong woman I am today, but it also left me with scars that I couldn’t imagine beginning to fade until I stepped foot at Wharton. I almost never shared my story until I found, in my SLF family, classmates and friends that made me feel at home. As I was sharing my story, my SLF family comforted me as they listened and shared my pain. When I concluded with this statement: “This is why I hate politics and anything that is even close to it,” many investigated with follow-up questions. One, who is now a good friend, even went as far as to challenge my conviction by telling me that the only way I could protect myself and others from going through the same injustices is to get involved and prevent them from happening. “You need to get over your fear and for that you can take baby steps. I think you should run for Cluster president.” I looked at her like she was crazy, but then I did run. It was the first time I ever ran for anything and it was a transformational experience. I still have zero political ambitions, but at least my perspective has changed.
This is just one example of how Wharton gave me friends who accepted me like family and who push me to overcome the experiences that held me back.

02/14/2018

It's One Wharton Week 2018 and ROE is featuring a series of stories from the Wharton Community. In today's story we hear from WG'19 Kristen Dumbeck on her courageous fight to show the importance of gender equality in the workplace.

Join us today for One Wharton Week: Get Out Movie Screening at 6:30pm at 2401 Walnut to wind down and watch this Oscar nominated thriller.

--

"Out of college, I landed a job at one of the world's largest investors in private equity on an all-male investment team. After meeting with other firms and working through countless investments, I began to realize that my all-male investment team was actually the industry standard. While still managing my day job, I then proposed an internal study tracking the impact of gender-diverse investment teams and returns over time. A few senior female mentors were very supportive and helped me assemble a team. Together, we found that investment teams with at least one senior woman tended to have better performing funds. While the data wasn't conclusive or statistically significant, I was still excited to present the findings to senior management and propose collecting more data on gender (and more broadly, diversity) going forward.

After a lot of preparation, I arrived early to the meeting with a stack of carefully reviewed presentations. Before I could even open my mouth, a top-level executive loudly declared, "I'm not sure why we're having this meeting. I mean this issue [of gender inequality in private equity] is simply one that will go away over time because people will quit caring."

The moment was shocking, such that even my senior female mentors stammered to find a response. My cheeks flushed red and I regretted having ever proposed the study.

Two years later the company was asked to speak at the World Economic Forum as well as the White House on the issue of gender equality within private equity. Investors became more interested in placing their capital with diverse fund managers, and therefore the company followed up on my suggestion of collecting more data on diversity in the industry (without giving me credit for the suggestion, which too often happens to women). We received numerous awards for promoting women at our firm, and the subject became the focal point of many diversity initiatives internally. The truth is that my study and the initiatives which followed were incredibly relevant to the future of the firm, despite not being recognized at the time.

Gender equality is not a trending fad. Ultimately, our generation will hold the keys to the world's capital 20 years from now, and it's up to us to decide what we want that world to look like. I came to Wharton because I want to make a difference not just for one firm, but for an entire industry."

02/13/2018

It's One Wharton Week 2018 and ROE is featuring a series of stories from the Wharton Community. In today's story we hear from WG'19 Luisa Castellanos on how her experience feeling caught between two identities has helped her understand others.

Join us today at One Wharton Week: AMA: I want to talk about my faith at 4:30pm in JMHH 340 to hear more stories from your classmates, this time on their personal experience with faith.

--

“The girl from everywhere and nowhere.” That’s what I’d branded myself to a captive audience of brand new Cluster 2 classmates during a pre-term 60 second lecture. So, I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised when a couple of months later, a classmate asked me in passing whether I identify more closely with Brazilian or American culture. I think she was expecting a simple answer, judging by the fact that she asked this mid-bike ride in Cartagena. The truth is, more often than not, I find myself caught in between two different cultural identities, never fully one or the other, always on the outside looking in.

I’ve struggled a lot with what this means. This feeling of being “caught in between.” In moments of confidence it means highlighting my ability to move seamlessly between cultures and connect people who normally wouldn’t find common ground. But in moments of self-doubt it means feeling like I’m not able to connect with people on a deeper level, like there’s always something I’m missing, or something about me that doesn’t get fully understood. Some have tried to explain this phenomenon, giving it catchy names like “third culture kids” or “cultural chameleon,” but at the end of the day, I think what I’m seeking is a feeling of belonging and being understood.

After initially brushing off my friend’s question with a meek “it depends,” I got back to her a few hours later and unloaded what had been brewing in my head. I shared how I feared my new friends at Wharton would just see me as confused, or at the very least confusing. She then gave me a hug and told me that the thing that sets me apart is my ability to bring people together. That this “otherness” was a good thing because it helped me see the value in understanding lines of difference. I feel a little bit closer to bridging those lines, and for that, I thank her.

02/13/2018

It's One Wharton Week 2018 and ROE is featuring a series of stories from the Wharton Community. In today's story we hear from Professor Stephanie Creary on how her experiences have shaped both her research and teachings in Diversity & Organizations, a course she began teaching here at The Wharton School last Fall.

Join us today at One Wharton Week: Machine Learned Bias at 12:00pm in JMHH 340 to hear more from professors focused on Diversity & Inclusion in their research.

--

"Back in college, I was highly involved in the Black students’ association. During one of our group meetings, a member discussed some of her experiences as a Nigerian student living in the US. She talked about how challenging it was for her to transition from being in the majority in Nigeria to being in the minority in the US. She disclosed how difficult it was to feel like a “foreigner” even among people who “looked like” her. Added to that, she described several encounters in the US that “felt like racism” but she was not sure if that was the appropriate term. Her disclosure spurred a larger discussion on race, ethnicity, and nationality including how those of us who shared a “Black identity” could be sub-divided into our different privileges. For example, while I had always identified myself as Black, this experience made me become more aware of my identity as also an African American woman whose American identity and phenotype were privileged in this context. Since then, I have tried to incorporate the experiences of international students and workers more explicitly into my research on the value of including multiple identities at work and when teaching my Leading Diversity in Organizations course at Wharton. I think it is important to help international students and workers better acclimate to living and working in the United States where engaging effectively across differences may seem difficult. Fostering a more inclusive culture for all including our international students is not only beneficial to our collective learning, but also our capacity to innovate here at Wharton and in organizations more broadly."

Return on Equality

02/27/2019

02/26/2019

02/25/2019

02/20/2019

02/18/2019

01/21/2019

04/24/2018

02/16/2018

02/15/2018

02/14/2018

02/13/2018

02/13/2018

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