DEI is an action verb!

Sitting in a meeting like any other I was training a department on an aspect of our Performance Management System. As usual I was trying to give practical application and examples that could help in understanding the system and the reason for the changes we were making to the previous legacy system. After the main training was complete, I was going over some ancillary material and the Department Chair referenced a course she was teaching and how she could use some of the resources for her class.

I immediately referenced a project that I had been privileged to be a part of, 'Creating Inclusive Communities', through my professional organization, CUPA-HR. After showing her the resources and  a couple of the testimonial videos, I also showed her the items related to usage as training and the conversation starters. I further showed her some of the resources that we were shown going into the project from both RISD, Rhode Island School of Design, and Swathmore College. 

I was amazed at her response. It was as if I was giving her a resource that she had so desperately been searching. After a great conversation on Diversity, I ended our session and sent her the resources electronically for her use.

After some thought about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) I realized I viewed it in a different light than before, as well as the work we did with the Creating Inclusive Communities project. DEI isn't about an initiative, fad, project or strategic plan. It's an ethical value. It's a way of thinking.

DEI is change at a core level. To fully grasp an appreciation for DEI one has to harness humanity and the meaning of humanity for themselves and others. It's breaking down the societal belief that one group is less than and another group is better than. It's infusion of cultural appreciation in such a way that verbiage becomes action. Administrators don't have to discuss DEI. They simply infuse the principals of cultural relativism and personal civility into each policy, procedure and decision.

A true understanding of DEI doesn't lead to conversation... It leads to action!

jamie