Why is There So Much Racism in DEI Work?

Isn’t it funny how some of the same organisations that claim to be “champions of diversity, equity and inclusion”, are headed by some of the most racist individuals who I’ve ever come into contact with?

When I decided to launch Melanie Jacob Consulting in 2020, I did so out of pure frustration since I had spent months upon months applying to DEI agencies in France.

Clearly, my lived experiences, as well as my Master’s degree research (which focused on a number of the social, economic and political issues faced by Black and Brown people living in developing nation-states) weren’t good enough to even land me an interview.

It wasn’t until the murder of George Floyd that I realised that I couldn’t sit around and wait any longer for white people to decide my fate within the DEI space since that seemed counterproductive.

So, I took a leap of faith after witnessing how every company under the sun was taking the time to release statements which focused on how serious they were about “righting their wrongs” and “wholeheartedly supporting Black people”.

I swear that everywhere I turned, there was some version of:

“Our eyes are finally open.”

“We had no idea that our country had a racism problem.”

“It’s so sad to see that this is the reality of Black people living in this country.”

“Blah blah blah. Yadda yadda yadda.”

Naively, I believed that change was finally coming due to that “racial awakening” that everyone was talking about.

However, as we already know, truly being open to supporting Black people means doing more than just posting bold statements on your company page, it actually means fully committing to divesting from whiteness.

Something, which I guess that the majority of these company leaders didn’t bargain for since when it finally came time for them to follow through on their promises and commitments, specifically attending a series of anti-racism workshops, they were all shocked to see Black people expertly leading the conversations.

Who could have ever predicted that after years of living in a world that centres whiteness, white leaders would have found it challenging to take a back seat when Black people were handed the mic?

Many couldn’t bear to listen to the mounting evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the main reason that they held so much power and influence was not thanks to meritocracy, but actually due to the racist systems that were designed, built and implemented by their forefathers.

To be honest, I believe that many of them underestimated just how educated and knowledgeable Black people are about social injustice.

Undoubtedly, this wasn’t the version of the "racial awakening" that they were expecting.

“Why can’t we do something a little bit more demure, like donate to a charity, share a Shaun King post, publish a Black square on the company’s Instagram page or maybe even just buy a coffee from that Black-owned coffee shop around the corner?”

Unfortunately for them, the conversations that they were having with Black DEI practitioners were proving to be a little bit less straightforward than that.

We were talking about long-term change that focused on pay equity, accountability, recruiting, hiring and retaining Black talent, promoting qualified Black people to the C-suite, as well as investing money, time and energy into historically marginalised communities.

You know? Actual structural change!

Sadly, like a kid who’s just got candy yanked out of their hands, white leaders started to have a colossal meltdown, which ultimately led to DEI practitioners being asked left, right and centre to steer clear of discussing “controversial” topics like racism, anti-Blackness, and colonisation during workshops, keynotes and pretty much every major DEI-focused presentation.

This is why the more that I do this work, the more that I get why Black people, from all walks of life, believe that DEI is all just a scam.

I mean, how could I blame them?

The fact that this work — which has its roots in the Civil Rights Movement (Dong, 2021) — was reported to be an $8 billion industry in 2019 alone (Newkirk, 2019) is quite sus!

Furthermore, why is it that every time I come across a LinkedIn post from an in-house DEI practitioner talking about how they were recently let go due to mass layoffs, it always “happens to be” written by a Black person?

I guess the phrase, “last in, first out”, is true given that the majority of these companies only started hiring for DEI roles (that focus on anti-Black racism) throughout the past 2 to 3 years.

Where do we go from here?

I really hope that we’re all starting to realise that in order to do this work effectively, Black DEI practitioners can’t be expected to take a "Kumbaya" approach.

Because, that’s how you end up with Black men, like Emmanuel Acho, stating that white people watch his show and listen when he speaks because his delivery is less abrasive than that of African Americans (Higher Learning, 2023).

Or, worst yet, white people, like Harry, going on television (presumably after attending a few unconscious bias workshops) and boldly stating that his family — the actual British monarchy that colonised, and continues to have economic, political and sociocultural control over their “former” colonies — has unconscious bias, and is not inherently racist.

These are the kinds of real-world consequences that centring whiteness has on DEI work.

This is why it’s important for all DEI practitioners to be in community with Black people in order to ensure that their actions, words and work are not causing harm to the very same people who they claim to be fighting for.

Lastly, as difficult as it may be to accept, senior leaders have to fully commit to hiring, paying, listening to and supporting Black women — who do not centre the white gaze — leading this work, both internally and externally, since this is the only way to ensure that their organisations truly start undergoing that anti-racism journey which they were so proud to sign up for in 2020.

Sources

Dong, S. (2021, October 22). The history and growth of the diversity, equity, and Inclusion Profession. Global Research and Consulting Group Insights. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://insights.grcglobalgroup.com/the-history-and-growth-of-the-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-profession/

Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay. (2023). Uncomfortably Conversing With Emmanuel Acho. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://youtu.be/w9O3wwl2j3g.

Newkirk, P. (2019, October 10). The diversity business is booming, but what are the results?Time. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://time.com/5696943/diversity-business/