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  • Enough with the “why DEI training doesn’t work” articles 🙄, pay raises blocked unless Wisconsin university cuts $32M in DEI spending, and Virgin Voyages brings fun accessibility

Enough with the “why DEI training doesn’t work” articles 🙄, pay raises blocked unless Wisconsin university cuts $32M in DEI spending, and Virgin Voyages brings fun accessibility

DEI in 5: Biweekly DEI News

As someone who has been designing and facilitating DEI workshops for years, I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to read yet another article (like the one linked just below) highlighting how “DEI training doesn’t work.” 🙄

Even more so, seeing that the article was penned by psychologist, Mahzarin Banaji (who is well known for co-founding Harvard’s Project Implicit in 1998 and co-authoring the well-known book Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People) and sociologist Frank Dobbin (who is a professor of sociology at Harvard University and co-author of Getting to Diversity: What Works and What Doesn’t), really makes my blood boil 🤬.

Why? Well, I’m so glad you asked. There are several reasons, but I’ll try to keep things concise.

  1. “DEI” ≠ “bias.” The two are not synonymous. DEI trainings, or DEI workshops (as I prefer), may focus on individual biases (implicit or otherwise), sure, but they can also cover topics like psychological safety, inclusive leadership best practices, delivering & receiving feedback in an equitable and inclusive way, assessing your performance review processes for equity and inclusion, inclusive recruiting approaches, etc.— I could go on. A more fitting title would have been “Why Implicit Bias Training Doesn’t Work—and How to Fix It.” And, given that article focus specifically on racial bias, as if that’s the only bias that we deal with in the workplace, maybe they could’ve made that clear either in the title or the lede.

  2. Many folks don’t know what the words “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” even mean, and often have a limited understanding of what the work actually entails. As a society, it appears that we are not all on the same page, not only in terms of the definition of DEI but also in understanding its complexities. The comments in the article are very telling of that. And whenever I introduce my work to people who aren’t familiar with DEI, most have a very limited understanding, if any, of what the work covers. More recently, whenever I mention DEI to those unfamiliar, they bring up what they’ve heard in the news from politicians like Desantis, who likes to refers to DEI as “discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination.

  3. A lot of people don’t actually read articles. A 2016 study found that nearly 60% of articles shared on social media aren’t actually read by those who share them. There’s more content in 2023, by far, available to us—critical reasoning leads me to believe that the number of unread, shared articles is likely much higher than it was in 2016. So with that, a title and lede like: “Why DEI Training Doesn’t Work—and How to Fix It: There’s no question that bias exists. There’s also no question that the way organizations deal with it is more likely to hurt than help,” can be misleading and possibly even fuel even more anti-DEI sentiments and fear of legal consequences. In this economy, that’s dangerous for those of us working professionally in DEI, as practitioners, who have been seeing significant cuts in job openings.

What do you think? Connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know.

The Latest DEI News

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Research

Politics & Law

Education

  • Black Texas student given additional suspension for loc hairstyle [CNN]: “A Black Texas high school student who was suspended because his loc hairstyle violated the district’s dress code was suspended again upon his return to school Monday, an attorney for the family told CNN. Darryl George has been suspended for more than two weeks because his loc hairstyle violates the Barbers Hill Independent School District dress and grooming code, according to his family. The code states that “male students’ hair will not extend, at any time, below the eyebrows or below the ear lobes,” CNN previously reported.”

  • Colorado College to offer a safe HAVEN for students who transfer from anti-DEI states [Colorado College]: “In a swift response to anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion legislation, Colorado College has created a safe-haven initiative called the Healing and Affirming Village and Empowerment Network, or HAVEN, for any student wanting to leave institutions of higher education in those states. So far, five states have passed anti-DEI laws, including Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and North Dakota. Due to fears these actions could lead to a climate of uncertainty, fear, and violence, CC is offering HAVEN specifically for college students from these states for the next two academic years.”

Workplace, Professional Development, & Employee Wellbeing

  • Maybe Hold Off on Getting Rid of the DEI Leader [WSJ]: “Companies that had an executive devoted to diversity, equity and inclusion scored higher in the ranking of best-managed companies.”

  • Oops! I called my boss 'dude.' Career coaches weigh in on tricky workplace dilemmas [NPR]: “It can be hard to know how to act at work. I want to be my relaxed, authentic self — but sometimes that comes off as way too casual. For example, I once called my boss "dude." She's not that much older than I am, so I slipped into a more laid-back attitude that should probably be reserved for peers. I instantly felt like I had taken a step over that invisible line that divides the professional from the unprofessional. Since then, I've made a concerted effort to button up a little.”

Life, Society, & Environmental

  • 2 Massachusetts moms made adaptive clothing for kids with disabilities. They hope to bring it to the masses [CBS]: “Nikki Puzzo and Joanne DiCamillo founded befree, an adaptive clothing brand — inspired by Puzzo's daughter, Stella… Born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, Stella was 5 when she had double hip surgery that left her with casts on both legs and a bar between them — making it impossible for her to wear traditional pants.”

  • ‘I’ve been able to access pretty much everything’: Virgin Voyages brings fun accessibility [USA Today]: “The fully accessible cabins, and not only cabins but also our quarters – what we call our suites – allows a sailor who is a wheelchair user or a scooter user to really have full access (to the) experience,” Zeitz said. “We also have (assistive) listening devices available at various public spaces.”

  • Behind the Backlash Against Bud Light [NYT]: “The criticism of Bud Light, amid other complaints about brand partnerships with transgender people, comes as Republican state lawmakers are proposing legislation that seeks to regulate the lives of young transgender people, restrict drag shows in a way that could include performances by transgender people and require schools to out transgender students to their parents. Bud Light has become an unexpected symbol in these efforts.”

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That’s all for today!

Be well,

Adriele

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