This annual celebration is for the benefit of The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio.
November 13, 2025, I was back again helping with this amazing event! This event serves as an important fundraiser for The Diversity Center’s School & Youth programming, which reaches thousands of students annually. Your support enables us to empower the next generation of leaders to continue advocating for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
As I now do for too many charities to list here, I basically act as the eyes and ears of the event planners, greeting patrons, walking around making sure everyone is enjoying themselves, smiling broadly. I have morphed into some type of a goodwill ambassador for these charities. Time and time again this evening, someone would walk up to me and ask, “Did I see you at The Arthritis Foundation [or another event]?” I got much love on the outfit. A few women walked up to specifically compliment me on the outfit.
Since I was going to Erie the following day, I decided to use this opportunity to wear a suit skirt outfit instead of a dress. I have worn this one other time, see the photo at left. I was blessed to have met Billy Bean in 2019 and could not have been more honored to have done so. Billy was Major League Baseball’s Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, who passed away at his home last year after an 11-month battle with acute myeloid leukemia. I thought it was fitting to wear it again at an event like this one as my silent tribute to him.
I remain very fortunate to have such heartwarming experiences time and again. I will reiterate, which I did so extensively at the Diversity Center event, people, actual look-in-your-eyes people, remain so tremendous, so accepting (yes, I do understand that at this event, that was a given, but that is part of the “Be Smart” mantra).
People, hiding behind an organization or internet anonymity, are cowards. It takes balls for someone to hate you to your face. Most people do not have the balls, hiding behind the internet or a gun. This is why visibility, done so with dignity and grace (not with shock or in-your face demands of others), is the best antidote for hate. It is truly difficult to openly hate someone exuding kindness. I exude kindness because I understand it matters. So, here we were before heading out the door this evening (BTW, I wore it so much better this day than I did back in 2019).
One Response
Kandi,
I could count on one hand the number of people after eight years who have had the courage or whatever to face me but we have to accept some people are total AHs , gender isn’t their issue they just hate people FULL STOP ! To you being Kandi and me being Teresa isn’t an act we are showing our true selves but at the same time I’m no pushover , women just achieve things in different ways it is a lesson we must learn to survive .