How it began
Platinum was originally a people based project intended to bring together individuals who share a common purpose: to stand up to negativity, hatred, and bias. Dr. Egerton initially started this private campaign over 20 years ago by creating parallel approaches in her work with organizational development and personal coaching. Her work has been built upon the need to create a clear path for those who follow after her, leaving as few obstacles for them to face as possible. She realized this work must be made public after we discovered so many other like-minded individuals were traveling the same path. There were allies all around— people who genuinely care about how they treat others, people without a self serving agenda, people who are concerned with making the world a compassionate and kind place for everyone. She also recognized she was in a powerful position to provide guidance and support for these individuals and forge a breakthrough towards equality and unity. During this meaningful work Dr. Egerton expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to facilitate global change: "I am moved by the overwhelming number of individuals who have joined me in this journey and I welcome those out there who are ready, willing, and able to do the work but don’t know how or where to start."
The movement towards equality begins at an individual level and does not need to be advocated by everyone to be experienced by everyone. This effort is a culmination of individuals making small changes each day, affecting the world around them in a positive and meaningful manner. Each interaction between friends, coworkers, family members, neighbors, and strangers is affected and changed to generate a chain reaction of positivity and continuous growth. So why should we invest so much into this process? One could argue that it is imperative in building the bridges between people who are aware of the differences but who have seemingly forgotten about the many similarities that connect us as one human race. At the apex of these connections, the fundamental characteristic that all humans possess and unfortunately the characteristic that is threatened the most, is our humanity. Our humanity is our ability to see people as people, not as objects— it is our kindness and our compassion, our empathy and our integrity. We have lost the importance of comprehending our humanity and have consequently hindered its evolution. The world continues to change around us while we stand still, unable to learn or to grow. The differences we face become threatening and create challenges, when instead they could provide us with the opportunity to connect and learn from each other. We must be willing to acknowledge and welcome these differences and use them as sources of enlightenment and inclusion— and as a return to basic human decency.
