Benefits Despite the Backlash: Why DEIA&B Matters
The field of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging has changed over the past 3 years, and more so over the past year. After a flurry of activity from organizations and the public in 2020, we are currently experiencing a backlash against DEIA&B principles and practices, resulting in challenges to building consensus around the direction of the field. Federal laws may serve as a guide, but in some states like Florida, Georgia and Texas, state policies are at variance with Federal statutes. Even the name of the field has changed, evolving and expanding: some practitioners emphasize Equity (e.g., EDI), some leave off Accessibility (e.g., DEI and EDI), etc. What hasn’t changed is a growing interest in the field from an increasingly younger workforce.
I recently attended a friend-raiser dinner for an anti-racist, social justice organization, as the guest of “Sidney Stevens” (not my friend’s real name), a friend of the organization’s Executive Director. The dinner took place at a patron’s home. I arrived before “Sidney” and found about a dozen guests in the dining room. I explained that I had been invited to the dinner by “Sidney Stevens”. The host confirmed that I was at the right place, but no one knew “Sidney”.
I found a seat and tried to engage one of the younger guests, asking if she was familiar with the organization and their mission. She replied that she was the Director of Development and said little else. A man approached me, identified himself as the Executive Director, and asked, “Who are you with?” Knowing that “Sidney” and the Executive Director were friends, I replied that I was a guest of “Sidney Stevens.” He replied that he didn’t know any “Sidney Stevens” and asked when “Sidney” would arrive. At this point, “Sidney” arrived – and to my shock, the Executive Director greeted “Sidney” warmly with a big hug. The Executive Director turned to me, and I witnessed the realization: “Oh, you’re with that Sidney Stevens!”
I should mention that I was the only Black person in the room.
My exchanges with the Executive Director and Director of Development were problematic on many levels. As representatives of an anti-racist social justice organization, they were not welcoming to a Black guest – and in fact, seemed suspicious of my very presence. I felt criminalized, in the way Black men are profiled as suspicious and/or dangerous. I was interrogated: “Who are you with? When are they coming?” instead of, “How did you find out about our organization? Do you wish to assist in our work?” Even more disturbing, this suspicion, this bias affected the Executive Director’s ability process my words. He was literally incapable of hearing what I was saying and was unable to associate the name of a person I’d mentioned repeatedly with someone he’d known for years. This experience aligns with experiences of marginalized people who express that no matter what they say and no matter how they perform, their contributions are ignored, undervalued and/or discounted.
I lead with this story to illustrate that, despite all the work that’s been around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging, we are clearly witnessing a backlash and a lack of vigilance in commitment to inclusive principles. After the 2020 murder of George Floyd, organizations around the world examined their capacity for change and their role in creating change. Corporations created DEIA&B departments, and nonprofits integrated DEIA&B principles into strategic plans, Vision, and Mission statements. But in 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admission programs at colleges and universities. Over the past year, corporate DEIA&B budgets have been cut, and thousands of DEIA&B professionals were laid off. Organizations have taken shortcuts in their DEIA&B strategies. Some organizations created departments with existing employees – adding to the workload of diverse employees rather than hiring DEIA&B professionals to create programs and policies.
For profit and nonprofit organizations seeking growth and relevance should not ignore the impact of intentional DEIA&B policies and practices. Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are the largest percentage of the U.S. workforce. A recent Pew poll cites that more than half of millennials believe that focusing on DEIA&B in the workplace is positive. When polling 18–29-year-olds, this number increases to over two-thirds. The “millennials-and-younger” workforce is also far more diverse than their predecessors, and expect their work environment to be socially conscious. To appeal to this workforce, organizations must demonstrate a measurable commitment to DEIA&B. With so much organizational information readily available, potential stakeholders/employees can quickly look up an organization’s online profile and will act accordingly.
The Impact of Intentional DEIA&B Practices and Policies
I’ve recently advised two nonprofit organizations who had successfully added diversity to their boards in 2020 and 2021 to reflect their constituents more accurately. They responded to the civil unrest of 2020, creating thoughtful mission and values statements, as well as programs to engage a more diverse audience. Unfortunately, due to term limits and early exits, diversity on these boards is now largely non-existent and diverse constituents have expressed alarm over the lack of diversity on the board. In both instances, I worked with leadership on the issue, and concluded that the organizations had treated DEIA&B as a problem that needed to be solved, rather than an opportunity to be pursued. The Recruitment Committees aggressively recruited for diversity but having “solved the problem” returned to recruiting non-diverse individuals. Mindsets hadn’t changed.
Now, both organizations actively track diversity in recruitment, as they track fundraising capacity, key professions, etc. I’ve also encouraged both organizations to recruit diverse candidates that reflect a diverse world, and to recruit candidates with experience in working with diverse communities. It’s foolhardy to assume that diverse employees have the skills to translate their experiences as diverse people to others – or even to assume that we want to have these skills. It is not the responsibility of marginalized people to address these issues, even though many of us wish to do so. Due to adopting an intentional DEIA&B recruiting strategy, both organizations added diversity to their boards, and both connect with diverse constituents on a more meaningful level.
An Example of Impactful DEIA&B Practice and Policies
I’m closely aligned with an organization that recently launched a festival of programs, exhibitions, panels, and screenings. This was an ambitious project, but the Executive Director was convinced that success would come by leaning into the diversity. Rather than making sweeping executive decisions, his approach drew in the entire organization. To lay the foundation for broader community engagement, all major stakeholders were asked for input, suggestions, guidance. A gathering was held, and artists, activists, donors, and stakeholders were invited to provide thoughts and insights. The festival was announced as was a call for entries. A committee of artists, activists and nonprofit professionals was created to select the final participants and staff created a ratings checklist which included ratings for diversity, community engagement and social impact (as well as artistic quality). A final review was performed to ensure that the results were truly representative of the community and that there was a wide range of voices and perspectives.
Throughout this process, deep questions were raised: (1) how to create support for applicants, (2) how to build equity into the entry and selection process so that marginalized voices have a better chance at participation, (3) what could be done to mitigate classiscm, racism, misogyny, and homophobia so that applicants from marginalized communities could have a more level playing field if accepted? No organization can fully address these issues, but the committee came up with meaningful strategies: stipends for economically challenged applicants; free venue space for exhibitions; free marketing advice; virtual advisory sessions for the applicants; virtual advisory sessions for accepted participants, which also provided space for artists to meet and create synergies.
The results of this work validated the strategy of inclusion. Artists spread the word, praising these strategies. The organization strengthened existing relationships while creating new ones. Festival attendance exceeded expectations with an array of diverse voices, diverse ideas, diverse perspectives, and diverse audiences. Over 1,000 people were added to the mailing list, and the organization saw a rise in new donors. Existing donors praised the organization for the festival content and the rise in race and age diversity in the audience. At a time when many nonprofits are struggling to attract new stakeholders, this organization bolstered its future by leaning hard into its commitment to DEIA&B in policy, practice, and intention.
The field of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging has experienced setbacks over the past year. Some question the validity of a field in which consensus can be difficult to build. Others directly challenge the field, passing laws that abolish or negatively impact DEIA&B programs. Still, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. We are currently in an age of unprecedented access to information: in 2018, Forbes reported that90 percent of the data in the world was generated in the previous 2 years. With a younger, growing workforce regularly generating and accessing data, it makes sense that despite challenges to DEIA&B, the world is growing and will continue to grow more inclusive. Access to information has toppled governments and has quickly shifted public opinion on issues of race and misogyny. Despite challenges to DEIA&B, and uneasiness around geopolitics and trends, forward-looking organizations should lead with integrity and intention to help positively impact the world and create change. Organizations who stay committed to DEIA&B will attract the most talented candidates – candidates who will lead the future.
Citations
(1) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf
(2),(3) https://www.forbes.com/sites/paologaudiano/2023/10/09/why-the-backlash-against-dei-is-an-opportunity-to-get-better/?sh=6857a998ff67
(4) https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2020/data-on-display/millennials-in-labor-force.htm
(5) https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/05/17/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-workplace/#:~:text=Workers%20under%2030%20are%20the,work%20is%20a%20good%20thing
(6) https://imagine.jhu.edu/blog/2023/04/18/gen-z-in-the-workplace-how-should-companies-adapt/
(7) Equity refers to fair treatment for all people, so that the norms, practices, and policies in place ensure identity is not predictive of opportunities or workplace outcomes. Equity is different than Equality in that Equality implies treating everyone as if their experiences are the same. Equity acknowledges that marginalized people have different experiences and makes an attempt to address the impact of these different experiences. Affirmative Action is an example of a policy that promotes Equity.
(8) https://www.advocate.com/politics/ron-desantis-dei-universities
(9) https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/10/21/arc-moral-universe-long-it-bends-toward-justice
(10) https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/05/21/how-much-data-do-we-create-every-day-the-mind-blowing-stats-everyone-should-read/?sh=669cb92060ba
(11) https://www.npr.org/2012/02/08/145470844/revolution-2-0-how-social-media-toppled-a-dictator
(12) https:www.wsj.com/articles/social-media-becomes-battleground-over-days-of-street-protests-11591018647
(13) https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/10/13/metoo-impact-hashtag-made-online/1633570002/o