D.O.A. (Dead On Arrival)

THE RISING AWARENESS JOURNEY: Healing The Human Race from racism and related social constructs one person and conversation at a time.

Nov 18, 2024

Hello Dear Fellow Human,

Since the dawn of time, there seems to have existed an “us against them” mentality. Historical literature points to many conflicts across human progression. In the last 150 years, though, the speed of information, increased populations, and the improvement of technology have yet to make it any easier for us to communicate with one another and work through challenges. Too often, influential forces and societal structures demand conformity, pressuring individuals to choose sides without regard for cultural evolution or the harm such division inflicts. These same forces stifle independent thought, discouraging open-mindedness and the ability to embrace differing perspectives. As a result, we struggle to create spaces where diverse voices can coexist, enabling us to work, live, grow, and thrive together despite our differences.

The world stage is set to see ‘them’ as the others who only want to tear down and destroy. Never finding a middle ground, never finding the spot to clear off a small space, stand together, and face the future with empathy, care, healing, understanding, and compassion for the community around us. Forces that seem only to push us further apart and lead us ultimately to apathy as we give up hope and decide that we can do nothing.

Taking Notice

Since early 2023, many companies, businesses, and institutions have been drifting away from their initial May 2020 enthusiasm for diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.). Roles like "Chief Diversity Officer,” similar roles, and entire departments are now outright being eliminated.

As of week two of January 2024, there has been a plethora of articles reporting the rise of D.E.I. “rollback.” A recent New York Times article entitled, Facing Backlash, Some Corporate Leaders Go ‘Under the Radar’ with D.E.I., highlighted one law firm that prepared briefs for an affirmative action case the Supreme Court ruled on in 2023 came to the realization that “If higher education institutions like Harvard were the first target of litigation about diversity, equity, and inclusion, America’s corporate boardrooms were probably next.”

As this law firm had predicted, many American businesses, industry groups, and employment professionals, as a result of the politicization and weaponization of D.E.I., are now quietly removing D.E.I. from public view, but they are not necessarily giving up on its practice. Rather than focusing solely on D.E.I. “Classic” which comprises of compliance, checking the box, and policing negative behavior, corporate leaders are rebranding programs and acronyms, reassessing decades-old anti-discrimination strategies, and rewriting policies to prioritize genuine inclusion, equity, and belonging for all rather than solely emphasizing race and gender.

Therefore, given the current and evolving state of D.E.I. in the corporate and business world, how can we develop, nurture, and sustain a fresh approach that promotes authentic inclusion and belonging for all individuals, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or culture? This challenge becomes even more complex when we are not all speaking the same language—whether literally or metaphorically.

What suggestions do you have? Please select the “Leave a Comment” button to share.

CODE BLUE – D.E.I. “Classic” In Distress:

It has been reported that many corporations and business leaders are now having reservations about giving priority to diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) efforts, as reported by a Fast Company article published on 06 June 2023. The article also highlighted that companies across the globe invested approximately $7.5 billion in D.E.I. initiatives in 2020.

This number has steadily increased each year and is projected by McKinsey to reach $15.4 billion by 2026. Despite this significant investment, many companies have made minimal or no progress toward fostering a more inclusive and diverse workplace with the experience of belonging.

It's disheartening to hear about the recent layoffs and terminations happening in various industries, as it suggests a step backward in our progress toward promoting genuine diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. In particular, there are reports that some information technology companies have let go of employees on their D.E.I. teams, and it seems that other companies have also downsized similar roles focused on this critical work.

The article goes on to say that the tragic killing of George Floyd in 2020 led to a significant increase in job postings related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fact, there was a surge of 123% in D.E.I. job postings during the summer of that year. However, the number of job listings for D.E.I. roles has decreased by 19% from the previous year. Those who still hold these positions are facing even more difficulty due to a shortage of resources and a lack of investment. Chief Diversity Officers, in particular, and like roles have one of the shortest tenures among all C-suite roles.

Add to this the disappointing impact companies are experiencing, and the failure of many programs geared towards diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Harvard Business Review’s August 2016 article, Why Diversity Programs Fail, includes a statement that is true today: “It’s not surprising to learn that most diversity programs are not effectively increasing diversity. Despite incorporating new technologies like big data, companies continue to rely on the same approaches used since the 1960s, which often do more harm than good. These approaches include diversity training to combat bias, hiring tests and performance ratings to limit discrimination in recruitment and promotions, and grievance systems to provide employees with a way to challenge managers. These tools are intended to prevent lawsuits by regulating managers' behaviors and thoughts. However, research has shown that these methods can actually activate or “trigger” biases rather than eliminate them.”

According to Wema Hoover, a global expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion, many organizations are not seeing the desired impact from their diversity training programs due to their approach. They treat training as a mere compliance exercise, aiming to include it in their reports and employee updates without specifying the outcomes they hope to achieve and how it aligns with their values as an organization.

Changing the “Dead On Arrival” Context of D.E.I. “Classic”

Inclusive Equality. Can this possibly exist? How can we, as a human race, achieve it? How do we, as a human race, create and sustain genuine diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging? How can we, as a human race, begin to address the root causes and source of dehumanization, devaluation, disrespect, and the denigration of one another while continually focusing on the symptoms? How can the healing process start so that transformational conversations may begin? How can we quite possibly change the “Dead On Arrival” context of D.E.I. Classic by initiating conversations that prioritize active, empathetic listening, critical thinking, and meaningful dialogue?

In her book Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results, the late Judith Glaser states that “To get to the next level of greatness depends on the quality of the culture, which depends on the quality of the relationships, which depends on the quality of the conversations. Everything happens through conversations.”

That’s exactly what The Rising Awareness Journey aims to accomplish. To actively educate, empower, and equip corporate, business, and institutional leaders with the skills, tools, and resources needed to navigate the “messy and uncomfortable conversations about racism and related social constructs” effectively.

Now more than ever is the time to actively heal and mend the fractures within the Human Race caused by racism and related social constructs—one person and one conversation at a time, just as a broken bone is carefully knitted back together.

What steps are you willing to actively take to move beyond reactions rooted in insecurity and start dismantling the walls that perpetuate the “us versus them” mentality?

Will you commit to having such a conversation?

“In short, make an effort. It’s not very hard to put some thought into the biases you might hold, become curious about the way your words and actions are perceived by others, listen when people explain why certain remarks offend them, and make it a habit to stop for a beat and think before you speak, especially when you’re weighing in on someone’s identity” (J.Desmond-Harris, 2015)

This article continues a series advocating that in all of our interactions, we pause and intentionally co-create relationships to connect first – Human to Human. We invite you to join The Rising Awareness Journey, engage in critical thinking, and participate in conversations that will align you with an international multiethnic community of like-minded, like-spirited individuals who genuinely care about actively making our world a better place for ourselves, our children, and future generations.

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