When is the right time to end DEI?

Reading through President Trump's Executive Orders regarding DEI and the responding analysis of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, I keep returning to two questions:

1. What is our goal?

2. What are our real limits?

Trump's order gives the impression of saying "TADA! IT'S DONE B*!@(#*@$!" while The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights seems to respond, "TADA! No, no it's not. It's really not." Both are assertive. Both point to history. Both hint at the future. Both cannot be right. It really left me asking: What is our goal in regards to diversity and equality? How do we plan to get there and bring others with us? How will we know when we've achieved it? And how will we respond when faced with roadblocks?

Looking first at the executive orders, it seems clear that Trump refuses to take responsibility for the systemic voids in opportunity that exist for those who do not have cultural privilege. Ignoring the issue perpetuates it. By allowing the divide to continue, it deepens, much like a canyon set between shifting tectonic plates. As time goes on, the rift widens and deepens. It is true that this void is not the "fault" of people of privilege: the system has been handed down for generations. But it IS the responsibility of people of privilege to determine their complicity in this system, and to determine a just course of action in response to the faults of their fathers. Trump's dismissal of this responsibility is dismal, and it speaks to wider cultural views that create barriers to the free and equal society Americans seek to espouse.

While there are pockets of extreme prejudice that remain, the vast majority of Americans disavow the disadvantaging of another person based on their identity. The majority of Americans do believe in the American dream that everyone has opportunity as a born right and that they should not be blocked from achieving their full potential in regards to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Most believe this potential is not theoretical, but achievable. Yet in the world around us, there is vast cognitive dissonance. Who we want to be is not yet who we are.

I believe that Trump's support often comes from this cognitive dissonance. There is a reality that one day, we should all hope that DEI does not exist. We should all dream of the day when equality is truly so entrenched that we don't actually have to think about its implementation. One day, we should be able to welcome this kind of order because we know the work is done. But today is not that day.

Growing up and living in primarily white upper class communities, this kind of thinking is what I often see in my neighbors. They support Trump on these issues not because they want to harm others, but because they are ignorant of the work remaining and anxious that these approaches will cause them harm. A common concern I have heard is reverse racism. It's easy to scoff as someone who knows that equality benefits everyone, but scoffing and scolding create enemies, not partners. Partnership means understanding and speaking to underlying presumptions with respect, not scorn, even when someone is clearly in the wrong. Many who support the Executive Orders presume that opportunity was created during the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's and that these initiatives are a step backwards, not forwards. Within their current frame of reference, ending DEI re-levels the playing field that others are trying to tip. While incorrect, this is important to understand, and to assume the best whenever possible, in order to engage effectively with authentic (although often misguided) concerns.

Patience is painful, yet necessary. It takes time and precision to delve into nuance with someone who does not understand and may seem like they want nothing to do with understanding. But this is part of the work that needs to be done if equality is to become the new normal. Clarity paves the way for kindness. Explaining the gap that exists, the measures to close it, and the benefits to all can feel excruciating when these ideas seem obvious. But this is what needs to happen. Over. And. Over. In painful detail. Presenting the clear end result that is not to flip tables, but to pull up of chairs. Many are afraid of losing their place; clarity shows them there is genuinely enough room for everyone.

All this to say: the goal is true equality. Achieved together. With patience and persistence to get everyone on the same page. But what about roadblocks and limits? What does this look like now that executive orders prohibit DEI based action?

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Right's summaries of what the Executive Orders do and don't do are succinct and helpful in wrapping one's mind around the roadblocks that have been put up. They clearly outline what is at stake and what isn't, providing key points for reflection and strategy. They also provide clarity on how this is an issue that impacts everyone, not just minorities.

The analysis points out how efforts to reduce inequality clearly benefit everyone by referencing a study done by Citi that estimated that $16 billion dollars of economic output have been lost over the course of 20 years by perpetuated privilege (article and reference linked here). They also speak to the misconception that DEI is about "quotas." Rather, it is about creating pathways for equity that are just that: pathways. It opens doors, but it doesn't push people through who don't have the necessary skills to hold their position. This does not take opportunities from others: it just widens the pool of those who have access by including worthy candidates, not by removing privileged ones. All of this is helpful in discussion and providing a common frame of reference.

That being said, I disagree with a key point of the analysis, that our multi-racial democracy is threatened.

I don't disagree because I think the executive orders are right, or that they are inconsequential. They do have real effects.

I disagree because I believe we are more powerful.

We have a say in the way we shape our societies. We DO have the right to hire intentionally and fairly. We DO have the right to free speech and to gather support for advancing true equality. We DO have the right to elevate marginalized people within our communities. We DO have the right to noncompliance with regulations that do not align with creating a better, fairer world.

The government can pitch a fit, lash out, and then catch up on its own time.

We can do the right thing now.

(If you want to hear me ramble more, here's a paper on non-compliance I just wrote for a different class. Power rests on compliance, and we make a difference based on our choices. You can read it here.)