Don’t forget the Equity!

By Courtney Sutton

DEIA work is about the human experience. The work of DEIA IS ABOUT THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE. As a person of color, who is often the intended recipient of an organization's DEIA efforts, I want the decision makers, and contributors to remember at the end of the new initiatives are human lives. It’s my experience at work, or as a consumer of goods and services. It’s my son, my niece and nephew’s educational journey, and subsequently their careers. It’s my brother’s LIFE….literally. And if I’m being truly frank here, it’s all of our lives. Our daily human existence is shaped by the work that comes out of this current push for diversity, equity and inclusion. 

As DEIA practitioners, we are often assigned with the enormous task of addressing the multifaceted challenges of improving or revamping the culture of an organization. The scope of work that could be included in an agencies DEIA efforts is wide and far reaching. However, diversity, representation or acknowledgment of difference, is often at the forefront of efforts and because of this we forget to see the core as the lived experience of people.

Perhaps it is time to move beyond DEIA work that centers identity and instead focus on people. What could DEIA work look like if it became more about letting people be…human? Embracing that thinking along the way of figuring it out, there will be as many moments of joy and energizing wins, as there will be mis-steps, differences in opinion, and hurt feelings.  There will be staff who blossom and grow rapidly, while there will also be those who chose not to participate and leave. That is all a part of the process.

To truly change the culture of a work environment takes time. It will not happen overnight, or over a six month period, or even in a fiscal year or two. The work will ebb and flow; there will be times when it seems like it is going nowhere and when it seems like things are moving faster than anyone can keep up with. All of these are signs of the human experience evolving. And so, while your organization is grappling with how to improve diversity, equity and inclusion at an institutional level, Trust You Consulting wants to offer this thought:

How are your DEIA plans and decisions creating the human experience you want for yourself and loved ones?