DEI: What It Is, What It's Made Out To Be, and Why We Need It
Article by Michelle Yap | Art by Jillian Hartshorne
We as a nation should be proud to embrace these ideals, but instead, our nation has been moving against progressing with these ideals. Our nation was founded on the belief that we all deserve the right to equity and opportunity, but why are we still struggling to move forward with those ideals today? The struggles for racial equity, gender rights, disability justice, and equal access to education, healthcare, and employment are still prominent today, and even if we deny it, discrimination based on these characteristics is systemic in our society, and many people do it subconsciously. We as decent human beings should seek to promote equity to all, and DEI efforts are one step towards that. DEI initiatives aimed at rectifying those systemic inequalities prominent in many sectors, from education to the workplace. Although these initiatives have been explicitly clear that they are promoting equity throughout society and have proven to create fairer and more inclusive environments, multiple large political and influential figures, such as Donald Trump and Elon Musk, have been pushing back against those efforts, stating that DEI is just another form of “racism” and that they foster division. They state that DEI gives “unfair advantages” to those in marginalized groups, suggesting that because of DEI, institutions may take less qualified candidates over more qualified candidates because they are from a marginalized group. They’ve categorized people supporting DEI initiatives as being too “woke”, but what's wrong with wanting equity and equal opportunity for all? Those against DEI are saying that they want to promote equality, which sounds good but rather means that everyone is treated the same regardless of differences and needs. Instead, we should be promoting equity, which acknowledges that people have different needs, and promotes individually tailored solutions to achieve fairness and justice. Think about it this way: equality is like giving everyone the same pair of shoes, regardless of shoe size, while equity ensures that everyone has the right pair of shoes for them. By promoting equity, DEI initiatives ensure that individuals from marginalized groups have the same opportunities to succeed. Rather than undermining merit, DEI ensures that everyone has a fair chance to demonstrate their abilities. Instead of dismantling DEI initiatives, society needs to understand that promoting DEI efforts is essential in moving towards achieving the ideals of equity that our nation was founded on.
DEI can be traced back to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, which addressed systemic racism and promoted equal rights for those in marginalized groups. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 stemmed directly from this movement, and played a significant role in taking down legal segregation and institutional racism, a step forward toward equity. Additionally, the movement for gender equity gained momentum during the 1960s and the 1970s, which led to the passing of laws like Title IX in 1972, which prohibited sex-based discrimination in education. Both of these movements were pivotal in expanding DEI initiatives, which later expanded beyond race and gender and included sexual orientation, disability, and age. One of the earliest examples of DEI initiatives was the Affirmative Action policies introduced in the 1960s, which promoted equitable opportunities for historically marginalized groups in education and employment. As our nation’s understanding of diversity grew, DEI initiatives moved on to not only encourage representation, but also safe working environments where all individuals are valued, respected, and have the resources to succeed. These efforts have been instrumental in the promotion of social justice, so there should be no need to be scared of these policies and get rid of them.
DEI initiatives aren’t just for fixing our society today, but for pushing our society forward as well. For example, in the workplace, research has shown that diverse teams are more innovative, solve problems more effectively, and produce better solutions. Companies with DEI policies also have higher rates of employee satisfaction, which further increases productivity. Diverse teams bring more different and nuanced perspectives, leading to new ideas and solutions. By promoting DEI, we’re shifting toward a more productive and creative society, where the talents, contributions, and experiences of all individuals are valued. In education, DEI policies have helped close achievement gaps for underrepresented groups by ensuring that all students have access to the resources and support they need to succeed. For example, those with disabilities such as ADHD are given the opportunity to have extended times for standardized tests, like the SAT and APs, ensuring that they have the chance to fully show their knowledge and skills. These trends have been expanding worldwide as well. Global companies are increasingly recognizing the value of diversity because of how much it fosters innovation and drives business success. This global perspective shows that the principles of DEI are not just American ideals, they are important to moving towards a more inclusive, just world. DEI initiatives promote diversity and help create environments where everyone can thrive, not just survive.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity aren’t just some buzzwords that look good for companies, they’re what’s supposed to push us to build a fairer society. We shouldn’t be scared of these ideals, because they’re promoting exactly what our nation was built on: the right to equity and opportunity. Instead of running away from DEI efforts, society should be pushing DEI efforts so that we move forward as a society, and therefore, as a nation. We need to recognize that DEI initiatives are about making sure that everyone, regardless of race, gender, disability, background, etc., has what they need for a chance at success. Those who say that DEI is just “reverse racism” or unfairly benefits marginalized groups are missing the point. We need to understand that the reason why America has been so successful in so many fields is because we have all of these perspectives, viewpoints, and attitudes coming from different people, and if we want to continue moving forward, we need to embrace those perspectives instead of repressing them. This is why we need to embrace DEI as a necessary step forward, not as a divisive issue with a “secret agenda”.
Sources:
abcnews.go.com/US/dei-programs/story?id=97004455
online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-dei
cbsnews.com/news/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-corporate-programs/
forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/12/29/history-of-dei-why-it-matters-for-the-future/
pbs.org/newshour/show/the-history-of-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-efforts-in-america
