“Why are you attacking the good guys?”
More than once, I’ve received this question when pointing out problems with diversity initiatives. The well-meaning messengers posing this query mean to protect fragile work addressing issues of race, but they implicitly send another message. The message is that people of color should be happy with any effort ostensibly directed at them, whether or not that effort yields positive results in the long run. While I was once responsive to their frustrations, I no longer heed them. This time of upheaval around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies presents too great of an opportunity to shift the status quo. When so many workplaces have broken faith by doing away with DEI commitments they claimed were central to their core values, I am encouraging employees of color too to say good riddance to current workplace diversity programs, in favor of organizational justice and workplace equity.
