Decolonizing DEI Work Archives | The Inclusion Solution

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: … 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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