The language of DE&I is constantly evolving. That’s why companies are realizing they have to go deeper than observances or clichés and look at the systemic policies and practices that lead to inequities inside and outside of their companies.

The intent is there. But the challenge is knowing where to start and where to focus on ensuring a lasting behavior change that underscores DE&I is sustainable.

Rainbow Diversity Institute (RDI) has the answer.

The company empowers leaders to make a difference by reinforcing DE&I as the cornerstone of company culture. Its team develops custom educational services that focus on training in equity, diversity, anti-oppression, decolonization, and anti-black racism.

“We aim to elevate global consciousness around DE&I to new heights. We know conventional DE&I training programs are not enough to move everyone toward a more equitable space, but it provides foundational knowledge. RDI helps drive the change by taking small but significant strides forward,” says Malissa Bryan, founder and CEO of Rainbow Diversity Institute.

The company aims to serve each stripe of the rainbow and beyond depicting the LGBTQ+ community, uncovering a deeper meaning behind the powerful brand name that resonates and celebrates employees of diverse backgrounds.

Its DE&I experts advise executives on how to navigate their staff and support them in making these changes through equity training, strategic planning, equity assessments, executive coaching, and more—to paint a picture of where their organization stands with its DE&I efforts. They take on an intersectional lens by focusing on individuals with multiple overlapping identities, and not just one group. Based on that, they provide customized training to match the client’s needs, which could be through virtual learning, asynchronous learning, in-person learning, or a blend.

The team also emphasizes the importance of systemic changes and provides recommendations in the form of policies, programming, strategic planning, governance planning, or future training that should be taken to continue the DE&I journey. Other areas of focus include applying an equity lens to policy development, recognizing and responding to micro-aggressions at work, and identifying different forms of discrimination.

Underpinning these efforts is Rainbow Diversity Institute’s foundational mission of inclusion and accessibility. The company was founded on May 1, 2020, after George Floyd’s death unleashed the need for greater DE&I across corporate America, Canada, and beyond. Propelled by the desire to shape a future that is truly reflective of belonging, Bryan who has 13+ years of experience in the EDI field, created Rainbow Diversity Institute to ensure that organizations make DE&I an ongoing priority rather than a reaction to societal events or workplace incidents.

Rainbow Diversity Institute has a long history of DE&I consulting, but its commitment to continuous systemic change sets them apart. Many organizations currently find themselves stuck in a state of transition in their DE&I efforts, as they shift from their previous state to a new state, complete with different metrics, goals, aspirations, and expectations.

“We help clients become vehicles for change by helping them focus on how to appreciate differences and foster a sense of belonging with stakeholders. Our training and development programs make clients aware of their unconscious biases, and encourage behaviors that set them aside to become allies for change,” says Bryan.

One of its clients was constantly receiving complaints from staff related to anti-Black racism in the workplace. Overwhelmed with frustration, they turned to Rainbow Diversity Institute for assistance. Its team of consultants was able to develop organization-focused goals and strategies with internal stakeholders, and openly communicate the plan and progress throughout the organization. Together, they could identify the root causes of these racial issues and take steps to mitigate them. This began by engaging employees in mediation and conflict resolution workshops, policy revisions, along with general DE&I training and micro-aggressions sessions. This allowed staff to proactively identify problems, streamline their complaint-handling process, update their policies, and provide tangible steps that can be taken to reduce such conflicts.

Driven by these successes and its newly launched asynchronous courses and partner programs, Rainbow Diversity Institute is uniquely positioned to continue responding to challenges as it has always done, head-on and anchored by its values.