DEI - It's Not What You Think It Is.

There is a lot of talk about DEI and what it is, and what it isn’t. There are even executive orders being signed dismantling DEI under the misperception that anything DEI related is inherently a racist policy. People are calling for merit-based hiring as opposed to DEI hiring.  However, if companies and people hired based off merit, we wouldn’t need DEI. There have been numerous studies that show ethnic names on resumes receive less call backs than white sounding names.  Candidates have stopped putting their graduation dates on resumes, so recruiters can’t calculate their possible age. They have also stopped putting their address so hiring managers can’t draw conclusions based on where they live. So, what is then, if it’s not what we’ve been led to believe. In simple terms, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) refers to efforts to ensure that organizations and communities value and include people of all backgrounds and create a fair environment where everyone has equal opportunities. 

Similarly to the word woke, the term DEI has been weaponized and no longer reflects its original intention. DEI is not just Black or Brown people.  It’s not unqualified people of color getting the job over a white person. DEI is about allowing all qualified people the same opportunity as everyone else. That white woman VP is a DEI hire. The veteran sitting next to you in the staff meeting is a DEI hire. The neurodiverse manager is a DEI hire. The student from Appalachia sitting next to you in your 8am Econ class is a DEI admission. 

The reason you can navigate the cities with your strollers and suitcases is because of DEI policies. Sidewalk cutouts were initially implemented to make sidewalks and streets accessible to wheelchair users, particularly disabled veterans returning from World War II. This design feature was a direct result of activism and advocacy by disability rights groups.

​This is a great example of how when we are more inclusive in our policies and actions, we all benefit.