DEI Declared Dead

Donald Trump told Fox News that DEI is dead. Why, exactly, did he kill it? Trumpians would have us believe there's no discrimination, that the system is totally fair, that all of us are treated equally. Then, why is there a wealth gap between women and men, between whites and people of color? Scratch beneath the surface, you will find fear, racism, sexism, and all the other ism schisms and phobias.

It's easier to throw out pejoratives if you don't really allow DEI to be fully defined. Maybe if I name them, you will pause for a moment and think about this. Let me shed light on what these words actually mean. 

(From Chally)

• Diversity: This is when people from all different backgrounds come together. It includes people of different races, genders, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, visible and invisible disabilities, class, or status.
• Equity: The understanding that providing equal treatment or resources doesn’t necessarily deliver equally matching results is the foundation of equity. While many people share the same goals and dreams,  show us who you really are. path isn’t always the same, and one might experience more hardship and obstacles than another.
• Inclusion: Celebrating diversity requires thoughtful inclusion. Everyone must be recognized and appreciated for their talents, be provided with opportunities to get involved, and have their perspectives valued and heard.
• Belonging: A sense of belonging ties diversity, equity, and inclusion together. Each group member is respected, valued, and cherished while being their authentic selves. Belonging is a feeling of a shared community.

Is DEI illegal because there are people who would like to bring about the best in us? Is it illegal because it builds community? 

As defined, these all seem to be positive terms, looking for the best in all of us. As a Christian, this is what it means to love one another.  

Instead of hiding behind a pejorative, why not come out and show us who you really are, and what you really represent? 

(Forgive me. I see somebody else got to this idea before I did with a meme on Facebook, but as this situation rapidly evolves, I thought I should add my voice.)

Things That Work / Diversity

 

Matheus Vianna

Reaching Our Full Potential

As I grow older I've grown to appreciate diversity and understand it's value. Most people in my age group seem to have gone the other way. It seems as we grow older we seek out the familiar and shun diversity. It is possible I'm wrong about this, but there is support for my supposition. In an article published by Psychology Today, "Why Are People Older More Conservative," Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Ph.D. explains why people become more right-wing, authoritarian and rigid as they age. There are three factors:

Personality - intellectual curiosity tends to decline in old age

Judgement - Our ability to process information declines as we get older. "Older people are also more likely to make categorical judgments about events, things, or people. This often involves acting in more prejudiced ways – to pre-judge means to judge before really judging – because in older ages preserving old knowledge is more important than acquiring new knowledge.

Familiarity - Dealing with the familiar is so much easier than dealing with something new and seemingly unusual. 

Diversity generates change, and that's a good thing.

Greater Good Magazine says diversity makes us smarter. 

Being around people who are different from us makes us more creative, diligent, and hard-working.

• Diversity provokes thinking.
• Diversity leads to change, for the better.
• Diversity creates growth.
• Diversity leads to a more inclusive society. People become valued for their ideas.
• Diversity leads to increased adaptability in a changing market.
• Diversity prompt us to work harder.

Diversity requires us to get out of our bubbles. We tend to reinforce our opnions by insulating ourselves with ourselves. If everybody around me thinks like me, there's no motivation for change, there's no motivation for progress.

"This is how diversity works: by promoting hard work and creativity; by encouraging the consideration of alternatives even before any interpersonal interaction takes place. The pain associated with diversity can be thought of as the pain of exercise. You have to push yourself to grow your muscles. The pain, as the old saw goes, produces the gain. In just the same way, we need diversity—in teams, organizations, and society as a whole—if we are to change, grow, and innovate." Greatergood.berkley.edu

Embrace the change. I'm convinced it is the only way forward.

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” – Maya Angelou

Your Identity Matters

Express Yourself

Who you are is an asset, not a liability. Inclusiveness is a strength in a productive working environment and for society.

To anybody who has ever questioned your identity ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us.- Ariana DeBose

According to the CDC, discrimination comes in many forms. They list:

• Age Discrimination
• Disability Discrimination
• Sexual Orientation
• Status as a Parent
• Religious Discrimination
• National Origin
• Pregnancy
• Sexual Harassment
• Race, Color, and Sex
• Reprisal / Retaliation

What's The Problem?

Discrimination can influence individuals' health indirectly, even when they are unaware that it has happened. Discrimination due to race, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation determine access to health care and the social determinants of health, including contact with the criminal justice system. (-healthaffiars.org Feb 2020) Discrimination is corrosive, eating away at self worth and self esteem. Discrimination leads  to resentment and hate. The result for our society is a lot of wasted potential.

There's an economic cost for this country because of discrimination. Broad groups of people are categorized and marginalized by discrimination. We lose trillions of dollars by not allowing certain groups full participation in the economy. Those trillions would be put back into the economy in jobs, and increased spending power. For example, Gender inequality costs the US economy over 6 billion dollars a year. Racial disparities and discrimination has resulted in $16 trillion in lost potential over the past 20 years. -Citigroup Sep/2020

Instead of dividing us to gain political power and wealth, as some leaders do, we should be embracing the talents of those they would marginalize.

To change this we have two choices. We can wait for somebody to take charge, to become the leader of a just cause, or we can, as a group, speak out. Activism creates leaders and leadership. We need to be raising our voices, rejoicing in our diversity to help our society reach something closer to its full potential. 

But How?

I borrow from a positioning statement the Methodists once used, “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.”  If our hearts and minds are truly open, it must mean we're listening. Then, the doors will open wide. 

Discrimination is a learned behavior. Because of that, there is still the hope we can get it right.

 

A Call For Fox To Help Fund NPR

An Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post by Steve Coll calls for commercial broadcasters and cable outlets, like Fox News, to fund public broadcasting. The idea is not new. I've heard the idea discussed since the early 8o's when I was studying Mass Communications. The idea is, a set aside from commercial broadcasters would be the best way to fund public broadcasting. This would help ensure Public Broadcasting's future and help it fulfill its mission to serve under-served communities.

Public Radio is grappling with this issue. Despite growth to about 30 million listeners in the past decade, public radio stations are looking for ways to increase diversity in its audience. Steve Coll included in his article the BBC's handling of criticism that its coverage was left leaning. BBC managers studied their coverage and did not find they leaned in any particular direction but, did find they were not covering stories that appealed to conservatives. According to Coll, the BBC solved their problem by broadening their coverage. Coll recommends a similar self-examination for NPR.

At the recent PRPD Conference in Denver, a panel that included representatives from the CBC talked about how they broadened their coverage to be more inclusive. (Panel: The Next Step Up: Inclusiveness -  Farai Chideya (Moderator); Keith Woods, NPR; Kashmir Birk, Bioss; Susanne Marjetti, CBC)   The CBC deliberately became more inclusive in their coverage to reflect the diversity of their communities served.  The panel members from the CBC their audience grew. Not just numbers, but also in diversity.

I strongly recommend this piece. There are many more ideas that can be drawn on to build a stronger Public Broadcasting system.


Steve Coll, a former managing editor of The Washington Post and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, is president of the New America Foundation.