On the morning after the historic election of Barack Obama, I had the privilege of hearing Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chair of the Carlson companies and trustee of MCF member Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation, speak about leadership and life. Her talk was filled with jewels of wisdom, and the audience’s mood shifted from joyful to somber and back again as she shared personal anecdotes and lessons learned during her fascinating life.
One of her recurring themes was inclusivity — how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go.
Her stories of gender discrimination really struck a chord with me. She was hired for her first job under one condition: That she sign her name “M.C. Nelson” so no one would know she was woman. When she became pregnant with her first child, the company didn’t want to lose the successful “M.C.,” but having a pregnant woman in the workplace was unthinkable in those times. The company’s solution to the dilemma? Tuck her away in a hidden office with a separate entrance so no one would see her come and go from the building.
We may smile and say we’re grateful that those times are long gone, but are they? Women still earn 80 cents on the dollar that men earn. And while we’re ecstatic that an African American has achieved our country’s highest office, what about the many minorities in our own community who face huge barriers to success in school and life? As Carlson Nelson said, we still have a responsibility to work toward the greater good for a greater number.
At MCF we have a diversity framework that helps guide the work of our members. At Carlson companies, the inclusivity statement is one of Carlson Nelson’s favorite Edwin Markham poems:
He drew a circle that shut me out
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love and I had the wit to win –
We drew a circle that took him in
Join the conversation: What historic moment, personal anecdote or favorite quotation inspires you to break down barriers and create a larger circle?
- Wendy Wehr, MCF V.P. of Communications and Information Services
Posted by Wendy Wehr 
