Thank you for your thoughts on DEI programs. The examples you give point to two other factors that contribute to the ineffectiveness of some DEI traininigs. First, the organizational leaders who set up such programs often have not bought in to the fundamental human value of helping people come to understand those they have been socialized to see as "other." Often company leaders institute DEI with the idea of checking a box. Roosevelt Thomas longtime leader in corporate DEI programs says that it takes an organization 15 years to make the cultural changes to create a truly equitable and inclusive workplace. Most corporate leaders are not committed for the long haul.
Second, most DEI program focus on behavior rather than starting with self-reflection. If I cannot see how I have been shaped (often unconsciously) by white supremacy, why would I see a need for change? The culture and systems that shape our lives inculcate us to adopt attitudes and perspectives that stand in the way of a true embrace of diversity. For white people especially, it is difficult for them to see how they have been shaped and emotionally crippled by white supremacy, and is why DEI programs are often seen to cause guilt and fear, when in fact what they do bring to the surface those emotions that serve as a barrier to true empathy and interest in the racial other. A person must get in touch with the ways in which white supremacy/systemic racism has shaped their attitudes before they will have any interest in moving further.
Thank you for your thoughts on DEI programs. The examples you give point to two other factors that contribute to the ineffectiveness of some DEI traininigs. First, the organizational leaders who set up such programs often have not bought in to the fundamental human value of helping people come to understand those they have been socialized to see as "other." Often company leaders institute DEI with the idea of checking a box. Roosevelt Thomas longtime leader in corporate DEI programs says that it takes an organization 15 years to make the cultural changes to create a truly equitable and inclusive workplace. Most corporate leaders are not committed for the long haul.
Second, most DEI program focus on behavior rather than starting with self-reflection. If I cannot see how I have been shaped (often unconsciously) by white supremacy, why would I see a need for change? The culture and systems that shape our lives inculcate us to adopt attitudes and perspectives that stand in the way of a true embrace of diversity. For white people especially, it is difficult for them to see how they have been shaped and emotionally crippled by white supremacy, and is why DEI programs are often seen to cause guilt and fear, when in fact what they do bring to the surface those emotions that serve as a barrier to true empathy and interest in the racial other. A person must get in touch with the ways in which white supremacy/systemic racism has shaped their attitudes before they will have any interest in moving further.