On Thursday, June 24, Liberty Latin America (LLA), parent company of C&W Communications/Flow hosted its first ever virtual Pride event which included robust discussions on why LGBTQ+ inclusivity is important and how to be allies. The event kicked off with a Pride Parade; and included two informative panel discussions.
Flow Trinidad’s newly appointed Vice President, Simone Martin-Sulgan participated in the panel titled ‘Barriers to LGBTQ+ Inclusivity and Showing Allyship to Overcome these Barriers’. The panelists discussed the importance of participating in discussions of this nature, particularly with our next generation.
Martin-Sulgan noted that “the younger generation is teaching us things about inclusivity, as they are the ones who will help shift and mold the perceptions of many.”
Addressing the issue on what it means for her personally, she said “it calls for three things on our part. Empathizing with each person; advocating for the cause; and affirmation that you genuinely wish for your colleagues to be included.”
Notably, Martin-Sulgan said “as a multicultural and multi-ethnic society, we all welcome diversity and inclusion. We see it in our cultural celebrations, we see it reflected in the faces of our people and we see it in our food and music! As Trinbagonians, diversity and inclusion are part of our daily lives. As a people, we know that our diversity may be what defines us, but our commonalities keep us connected.”
She also called on persons to “bring their authentic selves to work every day,” inviting members of staff to always “remain curious to ensure that the dialogue continues on this issue so that equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) remain a key foundation pillar on who we are as a Company.”
As a Company, Liberty Latin America, C&W Communications, Flow Trinidad support and appreciate our LGBTQ+ colleagues, family, and friends. During the month long observance, employees from across the business were encouraged in many ways to get involved and show their pride as an ally by adding their preferred pronouns to their email signature and/or LinkedIn profile; changing their MS Teams background; using a Pride email signature; supporting the LGBTQ+ community at work; sharing a Pride social media post from LLA to their own social profile; learning what the different LGBTQ+ flags and terms mean; reading a book from an LGBTQ+ author; and donating to an LGBTQ+ charitable organization.
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