We all know diversity, equity, and inclusion are hot topics and buzzwords nowadays. It seems like everyone says they are committed to DEI, but are they? Are they really committed or are they checking the box and doing the bare minimum when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion? From my experience, most instances of DEI are performative. They are oftentimes check the box type initiatives and often seem like an afterthought.
Think about when you see a panel for guest speakers. How many times have all the panelists been white? Able-bodied? Men? I’m going to take a guess and say, often. Now let's think about “diverse” guest speaker panels. Was there one black guy? One woman? Was there just one person from a visibly different identity than the other panelists? I’m going to take another guess and say you are saying yes to this too.
What some might consider diverse, I consider performative. DEI was an afterthought. The event organizer realized, “oh we need X so we can look inclusive so let’s add this one person.” This one person who has multiple intersecting identities is supposed to represent every single person not in the majority. This one person is the spokesperson for everyone who people often classify as “the other.” Yea…that my friends, is performative. If you say you are committed to DEI, then be committed to it. Make sure that it is at the forefront of your mind and not something you try to fit in when it is convenient or easy.
Let’s circle back to my panel example. Think about panels (excluding affinity group panels) that had a diverse speaker list. How many panels have you attended (again excluding affinity group panels) that were predominantly non-white? Mostly women? Multiple panelists had a visible disability? I recently watched a Ted Talk featuring Mellody Hobson titled “Color Blind or Color Brave.” One thing that stood out to me during her talk was that if we attended a panel featuring all white men, that is normal. But when will that become strange? This got me thinking how we have made it socially acceptable to put DEI on the backburner.
I can still recall an event I developed featuring people who were first-gen college students and their experience becoming first-gen professionals. Without even realizing it, my panel featured one Black man, one Black woman, one Asian woman, and one White woman. I didn’t notice it until I had posted about the success of the event on LinkedIn and a friend commented that this was the most diverse panel they had ever seen. Their simple comment reminded me how important diverse representation is. People were able to see the panelists and see themselves.
This is why DEI should not be an afterthought. Make it second nature. Be intentional in your work when creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments.