A number of years ago I lost an opportunity to conduct training on unconscious bias because of an executive order by Donald Trump. I was upset and disappointed but the client could not do anything about the executive order discouraging training that the president deemed “divisive concepts.”
I have never forgotten that incident and I now feel even more disappointed that he has expanded on that idea and scared people from being involved in anything related to DEI. The attacks on DEI are coming fast and furious and they have led me to renounce the whole anti-DEI rhetoric as being against the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
I will not be bullied into ignoring all that I have learned and have been teaching people about for most of the last twenty years of my life, traveling to over 50 communities around Wisconsin as well as working in other cities around the country.
I was trained as a griot (oral historian) under the tutelage of my mentor, Dr. James Cameron, a lynching survivor and founder of America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee. One of the things he taught me was to never be afraid to tell the truth. I feel like these attacks on DEI are attempts to stifle the truth, bury the truth, or simply erase it.
No one will silence my voice, or outlaw the things in my head that I have learned by studying American history. To outlaw this teaching is an inhumane act in my opinion. I will not be bullied. Bullies are by their very nature, insecure, scared, and weak people.
The anti-DEI bullies will not deter me from my work, which acknowledges the stories of my ancestors. I am proud of their resilience and constant efforts to make America a better country. When I co-founded Nurturing Diversity Partners with my dear friend Dr. Fran Kaplan, we intentionally used the word diversity in the name of the company.
My area of expertise as a trainer is providing a historical perspective based on the years I have spent carefully studying American history. That includes the good we celebrate as well as the bad that make the anti-DEI bullies uncomfortable.
Over the past ten years, Americans have been told that any history not aligned with the propaganda stories we learned about this country in grade school was unpatriotic and un-American. I disagree with that assertion.
To not learn the valuable lessons embedded in DEI training is to remain blind to the diverse world around us where traditionally marginalized groups have demanded respect, the removal of barriers to their success – the definition of equity, and the inclusion of more voices and perspectives.
America is not a monolith and neither are its people. Many of those complaining about DEI have no idea what it really is. They have heard political lies that it demonizes White men and disparages the country. Noting could be further from the truth.
It is past the time that those afraid of DEI educate themselves on the concept by seeking the voices of those who develop and conduct this specific type of training. In the meantime, these attacks are driving more people to seek a deeper comprehension of what they are being told they should be afraid of.
At its core, DEI is not about division or exclusion. It is a framework designed to create fair opportunities, foster understanding, and ensure that workplaces, schools, and communities reflect the diverse world we live in.
© Photo
Lee Matz and John Hanna (AP)
