As part of the University of Colorado-Denver's School of Education and Human Development Community, I had an opportunity to submit a short essay for the weekly "Monday Morning Message." This essay series engages students and faculty on issues relevant to research and practice issues in education in all settings.
As a lifelong student of equity and justice, I’ve devoted my career and academic focus to deepen my understanding of the effectiveness of diversity programs in large, complex and matrixed organizations. I’ve been fortunate to work on projects that focus on eliminating racial injustice embedded in various institutions. The essay I submitted focused on the importance of intentional commitment to diversity and inclusion efforts amid the current public health crisis.
Diversity and inclusion work in U.S.-based organizations has been shaped by the contentious history of civil rights in the U.S., borne out of the struggle of Black Americans for human rights and dignity. In many organizations, the diversity and inclusion function leads and supports inclusive excellence, by developing and nurturing a cultural climate where diverse identities and perspectives are welcomed, and where differences are recognized and honored, never ignored or minimized.
As a lifelong student of equity and justice, I’ve devoted my career and academic focus to deepen my understanding of the effectiveness of diversity programs in large, complex and matrixed organizations. As the coronavirus pandemic foreshadows widescale economic recession, a truly concerning trend emerges: organizations are scrambling for ways to streamline budgets. This is understandable, given the severity and gravity of the public health crisis. Unfortunately, diversity functions and programming are being threatened by budget cuts, according to a report released by the National Inclusive Leadership Excellence Academy (Williams, 2020). As scholars of equity-focused leadership, we know that this strategy is ill-advised. Times of crisis only accentuate systems of oppression, inflating social inequities due to racial, ethnic, linguistic, gender and other differences. The COVID-19 crisis is no exception, as the pandemic has revealed a “racial pandemic within the viral pandemic,” with Brown, Black and indigenous people at greater risk for coronavirus infections and death (Kendi, 2020).
How are organizations benefiting from current approaches to advance diversity, equity and inclusion? In corporate America, the diversity function often delivers “return on investment” via quantifiable value proposition, the so-called business case for diversity. Changing demographics result in growing numbers of diverse customers and business partners. Competitive forces in a capitalistic system mean that people have choices in how they spend their resources of time and money. Increasingly, large corporations are investing considerable resources to address myriad diversity challenges and opportunities (Diversity Primer, 2010).
Beyond the business impulse of monetizing diversity, other organizations are focused on a higher calling: doing the right thing. In service-oriented sectors like education and health care, the work of diversity, equity and inclusion is more than simply a business imperative or compliance issue. Diversity serves a moral and social imperative: high-quality, equitable service that addresses disparities in access and utilization among students, clients, patients and the community at large.
The global pandemic has required monumental shifts in the way organizations does its work; changes that come with both short- and long-term implications. We have the opportunity to impact possible interventions for enhancing workplace and/or academic culture to support people with marginalized identities. Regardless of our role in the organization, we should be looking at our practices and procedures to identify diversity and equity considerations. Case in point: students in poverty don’t have similar experiences, because those with marginalized identities such as young people of color, LGBTQIA+, or students with disabilities are experiencing these changes differently than their dominant-culture peers. In this time of uncertainty, when certain decisions need to be made and implemented quickly, there’s always the opportunity pause and ask the important questions that undergird an equity focus. The following reflective prompts are adapted from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s “Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide” (2015):
More than ever, as leaders and practitioners, we are challenged to stay the course toward equitable leadership by focusing on diversity and applying an intersectional lens toward our efforts. In the study and practice of intersectionality, researchers warn against the “additive” approach that fails to recognize that “people with multiple marginalized identities experience ‘more’ oppression and discrimination than those holding fewer marginalized identities” (Wilkins-Yel, Hyman & Zounlome, 2019). For example, simply adding racial and ethnic identity to feminist perspectives denies the breadth and complexity in the experiences among women of color who hold more than one marginalized identity that are “intrinsically connected” (Gayles & Smith, 2019).
In the midst of crisis, a renewed sense of community and altruism must also bring us closer toward achieving greater equity. We must continue to uplift the narratives of inclusiveness, belonging and empathy in creating inclusive and diverse organizations that are supportive and welcoming of people of all identities.
References
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2015, 8 January). Race equity and inclusion action guide. http://www.aecf.org/resources/race-equity-and-inclusion-action-guide
Diversity Best Practices. Diversity Primer (2010). Retrieved from www.diversitybestpractices.com/publications/diversity-primer
Gayles, J., & Smith, K. N. (2018). Advancing theoretical frameworks for intersectional research on women in STEM. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2018 (179), 27-43.
Kendi, I. (2020). What the racial data show. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-exposing-our-racial-divides/609526/
Wilkins-Yel, K. G., Hyman, J., & Zounlome, N. O. (2019). Linking intersectional invisibility and hypervisibility to experiences of microaggressions among graduate women of color in STEM. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 113, 51-61.
Williams, D. (2020). COVID-19 DEI Crisis Action Strategy Guide. National Inclusive Excellence Leadership Academy. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved from http://inclusiveexcellenceacademy.org/deiandcovid19/
As a lifelong student of equity and justice, I’ve devoted my career and academic focus to deepen my understanding of the effectiveness of diversity programs in large, complex and matrixed organizations. I’ve been fortunate to work on projects that focus on eliminating racial injustice embedded in various institutions. The essay I submitted focused on the importance of intentional commitment to diversity and inclusion efforts amid the current public health crisis.
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| Maileen Hamto |
As a lifelong student of equity and justice, I’ve devoted my career and academic focus to deepen my understanding of the effectiveness of diversity programs in large, complex and matrixed organizations. As the coronavirus pandemic foreshadows widescale economic recession, a truly concerning trend emerges: organizations are scrambling for ways to streamline budgets. This is understandable, given the severity and gravity of the public health crisis. Unfortunately, diversity functions and programming are being threatened by budget cuts, according to a report released by the National Inclusive Leadership Excellence Academy (Williams, 2020). As scholars of equity-focused leadership, we know that this strategy is ill-advised. Times of crisis only accentuate systems of oppression, inflating social inequities due to racial, ethnic, linguistic, gender and other differences. The COVID-19 crisis is no exception, as the pandemic has revealed a “racial pandemic within the viral pandemic,” with Brown, Black and indigenous people at greater risk for coronavirus infections and death (Kendi, 2020).
How are organizations benefiting from current approaches to advance diversity, equity and inclusion? In corporate America, the diversity function often delivers “return on investment” via quantifiable value proposition, the so-called business case for diversity. Changing demographics result in growing numbers of diverse customers and business partners. Competitive forces in a capitalistic system mean that people have choices in how they spend their resources of time and money. Increasingly, large corporations are investing considerable resources to address myriad diversity challenges and opportunities (Diversity Primer, 2010).
Beyond the business impulse of monetizing diversity, other organizations are focused on a higher calling: doing the right thing. In service-oriented sectors like education and health care, the work of diversity, equity and inclusion is more than simply a business imperative or compliance issue. Diversity serves a moral and social imperative: high-quality, equitable service that addresses disparities in access and utilization among students, clients, patients and the community at large.
The global pandemic has required monumental shifts in the way organizations does its work; changes that come with both short- and long-term implications. We have the opportunity to impact possible interventions for enhancing workplace and/or academic culture to support people with marginalized identities. Regardless of our role in the organization, we should be looking at our practices and procedures to identify diversity and equity considerations. Case in point: students in poverty don’t have similar experiences, because those with marginalized identities such as young people of color, LGBTQIA+, or students with disabilities are experiencing these changes differently than their dominant-culture peers. In this time of uncertainty, when certain decisions need to be made and implemented quickly, there’s always the opportunity pause and ask the important questions that undergird an equity focus. The following reflective prompts are adapted from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s “Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide” (2015):
- What are possible impacts on diverse, underrepresented and underserved communities?
- How is the organization addressing racial, ethnic and gender biases and power differentials?
- What are effective ways to engage communities that will be adversely impacted?
- How can engagement be inclusive, representative and authentic?
More than ever, as leaders and practitioners, we are challenged to stay the course toward equitable leadership by focusing on diversity and applying an intersectional lens toward our efforts. In the study and practice of intersectionality, researchers warn against the “additive” approach that fails to recognize that “people with multiple marginalized identities experience ‘more’ oppression and discrimination than those holding fewer marginalized identities” (Wilkins-Yel, Hyman & Zounlome, 2019). For example, simply adding racial and ethnic identity to feminist perspectives denies the breadth and complexity in the experiences among women of color who hold more than one marginalized identity that are “intrinsically connected” (Gayles & Smith, 2019).
In the midst of crisis, a renewed sense of community and altruism must also bring us closer toward achieving greater equity. We must continue to uplift the narratives of inclusiveness, belonging and empathy in creating inclusive and diverse organizations that are supportive and welcoming of people of all identities.
References
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2015, 8 January). Race equity and inclusion action guide. http://www.aecf.org/resources/race-equity-and-inclusion-action-guide
Diversity Best Practices. Diversity Primer (2010). Retrieved from www.diversitybestpractices.com/publications/diversity-primer
Gayles, J., & Smith, K. N. (2018). Advancing theoretical frameworks for intersectional research on women in STEM. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2018 (179), 27-43.
Kendi, I. (2020). What the racial data show. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-exposing-our-racial-divides/609526/
Wilkins-Yel, K. G., Hyman, J., & Zounlome, N. O. (2019). Linking intersectional invisibility and hypervisibility to experiences of microaggressions among graduate women of color in STEM. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 113, 51-61.
Williams, D. (2020). COVID-19 DEI Crisis Action Strategy Guide. National Inclusive Excellence Leadership Academy. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved from http://inclusiveexcellenceacademy.org/deiandcovid19/