Decolonizing DEI Work Archives | The Inclusion Solution

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: A Call To Action

by Brittany J. Harris | Dec 12, 2024 | 0

When we began this series 11 weeks ago, I am not sure I expected us to stay on the topic this long, nor did I anticipate its timeliness to this moment we are experiencing now. Racism is not new, but this newfound energy and outward (re)commitment to justice and dismantling racism by organizations and corporate leadership is. Inasmuch as I can be cynical about it all, I am also hopeful, inspired, and re-energized. As leaders begin to (ideally) align their organizational priorities, financial resources, and accountability measures with statements of solidarity and empathy, I would like to offer specific actions that affirm what we explored in this series.

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: … Means Naming White Supremacy Culture [In Ourselves] Part II

by Brittany J. Harris | Dec 12, 2024 | 1

Last week, we continued our “Decolonizing Diversity, Inclusion, Equity Work” series with a discussion on white supremacy culture. I challenged you, our readers, to reflect on the ways in which the shared tenants of white supremacy culture show up in how you have experienced and do this work. To hold myself accountable to modeling this exercise and not “preaching to,” rather “experiencing with,” I completed this reflection exercise for myself.

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: …Means Naming White Supremacy Culture

by Brittany J. Harris | Dec 12, 2024 | 0

Reimagining and transforming the state of an industry or organization requires the critical interrogation of values, norms, behaviors, practices, policies and narratives—the elements we commonly refer to as culture. Culture is the fabric that holds groups of people and organizations together. In the U.S. context, many of our dominant cultural norms derive from the beliefs and practices of white men. So, what is white supremacy culture?

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: An Introduction

by Brittany J. Harris | Dec 12, 2024 | 1

I worry that diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioners and leaders have been the proverbial “choir” for far too long. Amidst an increased sense of panic and fear, I believe there’s also a greater sense of opportunity to challenge, re-evaluate, and reimagine a new norm for our work. That is what this series is about: owning and exploring the ways in which we can do and be better. What would it mean to decolonize diversity, equity, and inclusion work?

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: … Means Naming White Supremacy Culture [In Ourselves] Part V

by Scott Ferry | May 28, 2020 | 0

We’ve spent the last two months exploring how to decolonize DEI and, by extension, ourselves. But what if you’re the colonizer? I am exactly who is meant to benefit from the system. And I do, constantly. White people—historically men—make the rules… and we don’t even bother following them. Because that’s not the point of white supremacy. The point is to remind everyone who’s on top. We can’t decolonize ourselves, because we aren’t colonized. But we can fight alongside the patriots.

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: … Means Naming White Supremacy Culture [In Ourselves] Part IV

by Thamara Subramanian | May 21, 2020 | 0

When Brittany gave us the challenge to name white supremacy culture in ourselves, I couldn’t help but feel a combination of exhaustion and defensiveness. I tried to think about how white supremacy has been internalized in my own head, in my communities, in my city—but I kept running into a mental wall, and this frustrated and fatigued me. I felt like I was trying to peel off a scab that wasn’t fully healed yet? Colonialism may be centuries old, but this wound is fresh.

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: … Means Naming White Supremacy Culture [In Ourselves] Part III

by Leigh Morrison | May 14, 2020 | 0

Last week, Brittany J. Harris modeled the reflection that she encouraged our readers to participate in—considering how and where white supremacy culture and its values show up in her work. This week, I take on the same challenge. While I had previously tracked several of these as weaknesses in my work, I had not necessarily paused to reflect on ways that they may be based in white supremacy. This exercise challenged me to think more critically about my practices and how I may have internalized the harmful norms that shape them.

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: Corporate “D&I Speak”

by Mary-Frances Winters | Apr 23, 2020 | 2

We recognize that the words we use to talk about our work and the interpretations of the words and concepts are critical to making progress. In the context of decolonizing DEI work, it is imperative that we begin to muster up the courage to call out language that perpetuates injustices and inequities, whether intentionally or not. It is important to stop using language that sanitizes meanings in service of white fragility or to satisfy those in power—and replace it with heretofore taboo terminology, especially in the corporate world.

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: Centering Equity Through Equity-Centered Design

by Scott Ferry | Apr 16, 2020 | 0

Beyond the why of this work, practitioners also need to rethink the how. DEI work almost always starts in the C-Suite, by far the least diverse area of organizations, with women and people of color holding only 28% of those positions. That means the people who have most benefitted from privilege and inequity are the ones tasked with spearheading the effort to break down those very systems. A top-down DEI plan for an organization makes a critical assumption that should make the conscientious practitioner uncomfortable: that those with decision-making power know what is best for marginalized employees.

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: Why Our Beloved “Business Case for Diversity” is a Problem

by Leigh Morrison | Apr 9, 2020 | 0

While the “business case” may be an effective way for the largely white-dominated fields of D&I and HR professionals to connect to largely white corporate audiences, centering the economics of diversity and inclusion over justice inherently monetizes, and risks further marginalizing, indigenous peoples and people of color. This is what we mean when we say D&I has been “colonized.” As an industry, we are making a case for corporate success as the endgame, with equity and justice as a byproduct rather than the goal.

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: Putting DEI Money Where Our Mouth Is

by Thamara Subramanian | Apr 2, 2020 | 0

As I continue to explore my role in the broader social change ecosystem and how we can begin to decolonize as an industry, I always end up at the same end of the rabbit hole: Money. Even the language I just used, “industry” and the “work,” all have underpinnings that ultimately aren’t prioritizing what we stand for: diversity, inclusion, and ultimately, equity and justice for all. To decolonize DEI, we have to start acknowledging that we are working within a capitalist system.

Category: Decolonizing DEI Work

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: A Call To Action

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: … Means Naming White Supremacy Culture [In Ourselves] Part II

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: …Means Naming White Supremacy Culture

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: An Introduction

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: … Means Naming White Supremacy Culture [In Ourselves] Part V

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: … Means Naming White Supremacy Culture [In Ourselves] Part IV

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: … Means Naming White Supremacy Culture [In Ourselves] Part III

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: Centering Equity Through Equity-Centered Design

Decolonizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work: Why Our Beloved “Business Case for Diversity” is a Problem

Racial Justice at Work: Practical Solutions for Systemic Change

Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit

Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy and Belonging Across Differences

We Can’t Talk About That At Work! (Second Edition)

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