By Ava West
On Thursday, Feb. 20, Grand Rapids Community College continued its 30th Annual Diversity Lecture Series with a talk by Ovell Barbee Jr, a human resources leader and the owner of Ovell Rome & Associates.
Ovell has a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion and is a popular speaker and the author of “The Big House: A Human-Centered & Progressive Approach to DEI and Positive Workplace Engagement.”
Before Barbee gave his talk, Kanejia Conner, a GRCC student and recent winner of the GRCC talent show, recited two of her original poems. The first titled “Dear America” and the second, “Black Girl Magic.”
In “Dear America”, she recited, “Dear America, open your eyes and see the cultural appropriation, the oppression, the racism, you are founded upon. Dear America, let us take back what was, is, and will always be ours. Sincerely, a tired Black woman.”
After Conner’s poetry presentation, Jamillya Hardley, the Director of the Woodrick Center of Inclusion and Multicultural Affairs, spoke about Black History, the Woodrick Center and the lecture series.
“The Woodrick Center’s legacy, founded by… Bob (and) Aleicia Woodrick, a couple who worked relentlessly to combat racism, discrimination and advocated for an equal and just Grand Rapids community,” Hardley said.
She continued, “As we begin today’s conversation, I want to invite you to learn, lean in, challenge yourself to reflect, and take what is learned during our time together to spread the knowledge to those you interact with each and every day.”
She then presented Natalie Alvarado, a Detroit Energy intern and a GRCC campus fellow, who introduced Barbee.
“It’s always a very humbling experience to listen to how you are described,” Barbee said. “I really appreciate the awards and accolades but they are not the reason why I do the work. So I’m excited to have an opportunity to speak with you. I appreciate the invitation from Grand Rapids Community College.”
Barbee’s talk focused on what he believes to be the focal point of Black History Month, resilience and legacy. The speech also covered the impacts of the recent election and the need for community.
“I had the opportunity also to serve as a Chief Diversity Officer…it was here in Grand Rapids I was working at Spectrum Health,” Barbee said. “…(The new CEO) literally stopped me and asked me (if I) would be interested in serving as a Chief Diversity Officer. And at that organization when that announcement was made some people said to me ‘We thought you already were the Chief Diversity Officer.’ Because I’ve always been a person who has been passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion, and advocating on behalf of individuals.”
He continued to talk about his time at Spectrum and how his diversity team was very small. He explained that he didn’t want to be a Diversity Officer without resources, so he advocated and talked to HR.
He then spoke about being one of the founders of the West Michigan Diversity Round Table, and about how the group often allowed people to describe how they were feeling. He followed this thought by asking the audience to share one word about their feelings.
One audience member shouted, “Optimistic,” while another said, “Disappointed.”
Barbee used these words to transition to his next topic, the power of language, saying, “Word choice is very important.”
He then delved into harmful language and combating that with more positive language. He created acronyms for “merit” to illustrate this. One of them, merit focusing on values and impact, stood for Mission, Excellence, Respect, Integrity and Teamwork.
He did this to emphasize the power of positive language, saying that “positive language helps to create a more diverse and welcoming environment.”
He continued on, describing that positivity does nothing without data. He made it clear that although some people are always going to question the data, facts don’t lie, and that’s why it’s important to have them.
He then discussed some Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) stats, such as the underrepresentation of Black CEOs and gender diversity in leadership.
“As of 2024, only 1.6% of Fortune 500 companies have Black CEOS, despite Black Americans comprising 14.4% of the U.S. population,” Barbee said, also noting, “In 2024, women held 29% of C-suite roles, up from 17% in 2015; however, women of color only occupy 7% of these positions.”
Barbee then spoke to specifics of data in Grand Rapids, and what he described as “stagger statistics” within the Black community.
“More than 60% of Black households are unable to afford household basic essentials- nearly double the hardship rate for white households,” he said.
Through his presentation, Barbee asked the audience to keep the different stats in mind, saying he was going to be “…presenting these next slides in a neutral manner, latest DEI outcomes and executive orders.”
He noted that the slides were as recent as they could be, while still being able to have a cohesive talk.
He then quickly and thoroughly went over Executive Order 14151, reversal of affirmative action policies, Department of Government Efficiency, job loss in the federal workforce, impact on education and private sector and redefinition of gender recognition.
He then examined how some business leaders are handling these updates, and how they are trying to change “risky” language to “safe(r).” That is, language that still represents what they stand for with less risk for persecution.
“Now immigration is at the forefront of a lot of conversations, it is definitely a hot topic,” Barbee said.
He began to close his speech by reminding the audience that progress takes time and that doing anything is better than doing nothing. He said it’s important to, “not let your silence send the message that you are condoning a situation.”
At the end of his speech, Barbee spoke about the importance of humanity.
“As we’re watching the news, we should be thinking about the word humanity,” he said.
Barbee’s full lecture is available online. The Diversity Lecture Series will continue on March 20 with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” as the keynote speaker. Free copies of the book are available on the 5th floor of Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall. The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. in room 168 at GRCC’s Applied Technology Center.
