I am a DEI Discontent
To be very honest: I really don’t like the whole “DEI thing.” And yes, I understand that supporting your DEI efforts may be one of the reasons why you’re considering hiring someone to help with your HR, so that may be disappointing to hear from me.
Just to be clear, I do support diversity, equity and inclusion.
And I’m happy that nonprofits are concerned about the diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations. But too often DEI seems like just a trendy box on a form an organization or company can check off … so they can move on and get back to business as usual.
SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE’S BEEN JUMPING ON THE DEI BANDWAGON.
Over the last several years, especially after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, it seems like every company and organization has been jumping on the DEI bandwagon. They’ve been proudly announcing their diversity stats and proclaiming their passionate support for inclusion and racial justice. But if you have an honest conversation with the people of color or the non-binary or queer people or women in those same organizations, you’re likely to hear a different story.
You’ll often hear about a culture that hasn’t changed at a deep level. About an organization that is talking the talk, but has no idea how to walk the walk, that hasn’t put in place any tangible practices that embody real inclusion and racial justice.
If you want DEI that’s more than just pretty words, I’m all in.
Care about DEI? Care about justice? Let’s get real.
Don’t get me wrong. Making a statement about how important DEI is to your nonprofit and how much you care about racial justice, is a good thing to do. But for too many organizations, that’s where it ends.
Words are not enough. Not even all the right words. They are like trying to put those cute little kiddie band-aids on a gaping wound.
If you’re not supporting BiPOC to get hired, promoted & lifted then you’re not really “for racial justice.”
If you’re not working to decolonize your mindset you’re not really working toward diversity, equity and inclusion, at a comprehensive and meaningful level.
Racial justice and inclusion have to be embedded, truly infused into the heart of your practices and policies.
This is something I care deeply about. It is core to who I am and everything I do. And I approach this work with empathy and an ability to have the hard conversations in a way that can lead to positive change.
How I can help with DEI and racial justice.
So, I actually don’t use DEI language much at all. I will talk to you about having well-grounded, concrete practices that embody racial justice – like looking at hiring metrics to see who is being interviewed and hired.
I will talk about moving more BIPOC into positions of leadership. I will talk about equity in pay and about having transparent pay structures. For example, I will not personally recruit for any position that doesn’t pay at least the 2-bedroom wage. In IL, that’s currently $46k I don’t think it’s ethical to ask anyone to work a full-time, white-collar job for less than that.
Is all this harder than putting a band-aid on? I won’t lie to you. It is. But it works a lot better. And I believe it’s worth it. Not only for the people in your organization, but for the long-term integrity, health, growth and success of your organization and its mission.
Ready to get real about DEI and racial justice?
