March 1st is Zero Discrimination Day. It is marked every year by the UN and other international organizations. The day aims to promote equality, before the law and in practice, throughout all of the member countries of the UN. The need for improved equity and diversity is often most keenly reflected in the workplace. That is as true at Humber River Health as it is in other workplaces, and we are doing something about it.

Ask Umwali Sauter why she chose to do equity work and she will answer that she didn’t. Equity work, she says, chose her.

“I arrived in Canada as a refugee from Rwanda 20 years ago,” says Umwali. “I know what it is to be on the wrong end of gender, immigration status, and colour dynamics, but I also know that it does not always have to be that way. And it won’t.”

It certainly won’t be at Humber River Health, if Umwali has her way. Almost a year ago, she accepted a position as Humber’s first ever Equity and Inclusion Specialist. It is her job to ensure that an equity and inclusion lens is applied to every decision made at the hospital.

“What we are going to do is develop an equity and inclusion strategy that is love-based,” she says. “That may sound a little silly, but when you think about it, love is the primal human connection that we all have. Love connects everybody.”

When Umwali began her job, she found the hospital to be similar to many public institutions – a place that assumed it was equitable and inclusive, but wasn’t. She points to the lack of demographic data tracking, and how that makes it difficult to spot gaps in human resources and hospital services. She points to the need to strengthen relationships and learn more about health equity challenges affecting surrounding communities. And then she points to the fact that getting people in a position of power to commit to equity advocacy and self-reflexive practice can be a challenging proposition.

And then she makes one last point she says is very important. Humber is no different than any other big company or institution, except that it is one of the places that has acknowledged it needs to improve and is taking steps to do so.

“I am here because Humber River Health wants to improve, wants to be fair, and wants to be equitable. I am proud to be here and to be part of making that happen.”