In this episode of Moments That Matter, Sarah tells leaders to put the diversity metric first, and don't be afraid to look for where barriers are being created that stop progress.

Announcer 0:02You're listening to Moments That Matter, a special CXR podcast series, where leaders and telling professionals share their own experiences with varying aspects of discrimination and inequality. Hear on Moments That Matter, we are dedicated to creating connected conversations around specific moments. These are moments that matter.

Nicole Wormley, Danaher 0:26Hello, everyone, my name is Nicole Wormley, and I have the privilege of leading diversity attraction and university recruitment for Danaher Corporation, I am pleased to have a quick chat with Sarah Smart, the Vice President of global recruiting with Hilton, we're taking part in a quick conversation on the CXR sponsored series called Moments That Matter where leaders connect to share an instance or two within their lives where they experience or witness a form of discrimination, or inequality, and had the realization that something in their lives or their work environments needed to change, a pivotal moment that matters for them. So Sarah, can you share a little bit about yourself and tell us about the moment that you decided to share with us today?

Sarah Smart, Hilton 1:12Thanks, Nicole. Hello, everyone. I am delighted to be able to be here today. And to share in these conversations with the CXR community. A special shout out to Gerry and Chris and the entire team for creating this platform. It means a lot. So thank you, Nicole, it's a great question. I actually had to think through sort of all of the many moments that I have experienced in my life. And I'm sure that everyone here has as well. But I kept on going back to one thing and i think it's it's you know, I'm going to share a little bit of personal history here as well. So I was raised by two activists, they back them used to be called the hippies, sort of post hippie these would be the protesters out today. And in fact, I've had a couple of conversations with my mom about not going to protests during the time of COVID. And they were very early in my life, my family made the decision to move to inner city, Wilmington, Delaware, which is Delaware is the state that Joe Biden was the senator for back he was the senator during the time that time and they made the decision to move to Wilmington, Delaware, in downtown Wilmington. Because there was busing that was made available to children in downtown Wilmington to be bused to the suburbs to have access to better schools. This has been an issue that's actually come up in the election that has come up for Vice President Biden several times. My parents were not wealthy, they, my family was not wealthy, they spent the majority of their time and their money trying to make social change. In this on their side, on the side jobs, they were teachers. So just to emphasize how little wealth there was, at the time, being someplace where you could be bused to take advantage of great school systems was a huge thing for my family. So first through third grade, went to a local school, and then the busing started. And I remember going to the bus stop. And there was a sort of a period in our lives where we were the only white people within maybe, you know, white family within maybe a 10 to 15 block radius. Um, and I remember getting on the bus for my fourth grade, my first trip out to HB DuPont, which was in the suburbs of Delaware. And it was me and my brother, and we were the only two white people on the bus. And I remember getting off the bus and we were greeted by protesters. Um, and I didn't understand it. It didn't. I was I, I was on a bus with my friends, I was with people that I had grown up with that had gone to all of the classes that I had gone to at Lewis elementary school when I got off the bus and there were protesters, and they were telling us to go home. Um,