my employer’s bullshit approach to diversity and inclusion
Published on
December 1, 2023
“You can’t change what you won’t say. Most of you can’t bring yourself to use the word ‘racism’, so you cling to terms like ‘inclusion’, ‘diversity’ and ‘belonging’. They mean you never have to deal with nasty labels that name what’s going on.”
I'm going to have to stop you before you start your spiel about your:
unconscious bias training
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) surveys
lunch and learn sessions
woolly, commitment-light social media statements
They do nothing concrete to improve Black people’s experiences in the workplace. You give anything that might the widest of berths because you can’t tolerate any race-related discomfort. As progressive, right-on white people, you won’t let your self-image be punctured by reality. I’ve seen you repeatedly silence Black people and put your fragile egos before their wellbeing and safety. You think it's fine to ask them to mine their trauma and share painful experiences to educate their colleagues. But taking action to address the root causes of racism in your workplace is not.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “you can’t be what you can’t see.” You also can’t change what you won’t say. Most of you can’t bring yourself to use the word ‘racism’, so you cling to terms like ‘inclusion’, ‘diversity’ and ‘belonging’. They mean you never have to deal with nasty labels that name what’s going on. What’s happening is that some people glide through their time working for you, like olympic-standard ice skaters. And for others, it’s like wading through golden syrup wearing wellies filled with gravel. By “others”, I mean staff who aren’t white, non-disabled, middle-class, university-educated cheerleaders for your worldview.
“We see your apathy, lack of understanding, warm words followed by inaction and the denial and downplaying of your privilege, and we judge you for it. I’d have more respect for you if you kept schtum instead of gaslighting current employees and catfishing new ones, by pretending that you believe that Black Lives Matter.”
All of this means I have 2 jobs. The first is the role you pay me for and the second is playing a never-ending game of Let’s Pretend. It goes like this. Let’s pretend that:
hiring from your network, who have similar backgrounds and identities as you, isn’t related to the aforementioned lack of diversity at senior levels
a group of overworked and well-meaning volunteers, with minimal time and zero budget, can address the company’s inequities
this is a meritocracy
Keeping my job is dependent on not poking holes in this tissue-thin veneer of equity. So I stay in the Sunken Place, nod, smile and self-censor.
I and others like me, listen to what you say and watch what you do. We see your apathy, lack of understanding, warm words followed by inaction and the denial and downplaying of your privilege, and we judge you for it. Harshly. I’d have more respect for you if you kept schtum instead of gaslighting current employees, and catfishing new ones by pretending that you believe that Black Lives Matter.
This is why from now on, I’m no longer talking to white people at work about race.