Why DEI?
My passion for DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) work started at Boston University. As a member of the Admissions Student Diversity Board, I simply thought I was paying it forward to ensure students who looked like me had college tours and programming catered to their unique needs. However, as the mission of the group was to actively recruit from multicultural communities, increase enrollment and enrich the multicultural experience- this extracurricular activity was actually my first experience in inclusion centered consulting for the university.
Fast forward and I’ve been working as a management consultant specializing in change management. It began to dawn on me that DEI work is change management. Change management guides how we prepare, equip, and support individuals to successfully adopt change. Part of this is the ability to collect and interpret data to create impactful training, communications, and stakeholder engagement strategies.
THERE ARE TWO THINGS WE KNOW ABOUT CHANGE: THAT IT IS INEVITABLE AND THAT IT IS SCARY. BUT, WE ALSO KNOW NOTHING CAN BE IMPROVED WITHOUT CHANGE. SO THEORETICALLY, IF PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD THERE ARE SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION EVERYWHERE AND THAT WHILE CHANGING THEIR VIEW OF SOCIETY WILL BE HARD, THE OTHER END OF THAT CHANGE RAINBOW PROMISES HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, MORE INNOVATIVE PEOPLE.
I am a cisgender, able-bodied black woman. I could choose DEI work as I have been afforded the privilege of how our current society views physical abilities and gender expression. I can use my privilege to advocate for others. I could also choose DEI work because as a black woman in a white supremacist, patriarchal society, I have a duty to fight for my freedom and win. And while both of those reasons are key factors in my advocacy, I choose DEI work because my passion is routed in my empathy and the desire to see people live to their fullest dreams and potential free of oppression. I regularly wonder who my friends and family would be if their passions weren’t aligned with fighting systems of oppression. Who would my best friend be if he weren’t becoming a doctor to combat racial health inequalities? Who could someone be if they didn’t have to spend their time advocating for people with disabilities’ right to meaningful work? Who could someone be if they didn’t have to teach about the harmful impacts of Islamophobia?
Everyone has a lane in the revolution. My passion is the people. My lane is holding corporate America accountable for creating an equitable culture and pushing beyond diverse hiring initiatives. And if I occupy my lane well, others will be able to focus on their own passions rather than being the diversity. And that’s what’s brought me here.
graciously,
Jonea
