Is Diversity Training Anti-American?
I read a news report this past weekend, stating that Trump has banned what he calls “anti-American” diversity training within government agencies. As someone who is dedicating my professional life to help make workplaces more diverse, fair, equitable and inclusive for women and other underrepresented minorities, this was very disappointing news.
People do this work for different reasons. Leaders commit time, energy, and money to DEI efforts (diversity, equity, and inclusion) for different reasons. It is not only about being a good human, although that is part of it. It is also about being a strategic business leader. There is a strong business case for diversity.
Clearly, Trump missed that memo.
Research shows that companies with a higher percentage of gender and racial diversity outperform their competition. However, this does not mean that working across differences is easy. It’s not. Which is why training that focuses on helping people better understand each other, leveraging individual strengths for business results, and working effectively across race, gender, culture, age, etcetera, is critical.
Trump has previously said he does not believe systemic racism is a problem in the USA, despite massive amounts of research to the contrary. At this point, you would’ve had to have your head buried underneath a large boulder for the past twenty five years or so to have missed the numerous articles and research studies confirming that racism, sexism, and other types of bias are alive and well across America.
When skin color is no longer a predictor of your lot in life, your socioeconomics, your likelihood of going to college, your likelihood of going to prison, or your chances of being promoted at work, then, and only then, will we be able to claim that there is no such thing as systemic racism. Until then, we have but one honest path forward: to come to terms with the fact that race and gender discrimination are happening under our noses, and we must fight like hell to combat and overcome them.
I am an Applied Behavioral Scientist (the study of human behavior inside of organizations), and as every scientist knows, ignoring facts doesn’t make them go away.
Deciding not to talk about (or conduct training on) issues of diversity, race, or gender discrimination, doesn’t make them go away. As one of my favorite
graduate school professors used to say: if you cannot get out of it, get into it. We are not going to get out of racism and sexism anytime soon, so let’s get into it. This is not a time to stop talking about diversity issues. It is a time to get better at it. And louder. And more committed.
I was recently in a conversation with a friend who believes that companies are, by and large, fair, and equitable places, where anti-discrimination laws protect people and provide equal opportunities. I wish that were true. Yes, laws make some difference, but they certainly do not eliminate the problem. Simply look at just about any org chart of any major (or minor) corporation to see one glaring theme: once you get past the mid-level ranks, even inside of companies that have a high level of overall diversity, there are few women and people of color that make it to the VP, President level or C-suite. I agree that there are many laws meant to safeguard against discrimination in hiring, pay, and promotion decisions. I also agree that most people have every intention of being fair and equitable — no argument there. We want to believe the world operates on a meritocracy. But clearly, something is going on. Does anyone have a better explanation for why the ranks of leadership at most companies in the USA are still so white and male? If it is not about inequity and discrimination, what IS it about?
Ever since George Floyd died, I’ve been especially invested in reading everything I can get my hands on about race and racism. A couple of these articles call out gaps in gender and race equality across corporate America, such as The State of Black Women in Corporate America, and another article that talks about CEO’s in the Fortune 500. According to this recent Forbes article, “women make up less than 8% of the leaders on the Fortune 500 list, and none of those women are Black or Latina.”
I am also in the process of conducting some of my own research, that includes interviews with thirty different professionals of color — asking them how (or if) race and racism has been a factor in their careers. So far, I have spoken to a dozen or so high achieving, highly accomplished black men and women in the fields of technology, biotech, law, sports and the military. Each one of them has had plenty of stories to share. Some made my jaw drop…
Like the gentleman who told me about his first job in college. He got hired over the phone after having a successful tele-interview with the owner of a furniture store. The owner offered him the job on the spot, but when he showed up the next day to report to work, the owner took one look at him, appeared flustered, and said, “There must be a misunderstanding. The job has already been filled.” Upon hearing this story, I asked how he felt and what he did next. He was shocked, surprised, and angry, but he said he just “got to work” pounding the pavement, looking for another job. “I had no time to waste. I needed a job and that one was no longer an option, so I moved on quickly”. His parents taught him not to complain and prepared him that he would have to work twice as hard to get as far as his white friends and classmates. He never shared the story of this race-based rejection with his parents. “What was the point?”, he said. He eventually got hired at a different store in the same mall, thankfully.
I wish this were the only story I have heard, but it is not. I’ve heard several black professionals who work at fortune 100 companies, who are 15–30 years into their careers, tell me some pretty horrific stories of losing out on promotions to people less qualified, being “A players who are put in C-level positions”, getting unfair feedback at review time, dealing with subtle to blatant racist comments, and more. It’s crazy. When you really dig in and start listening to people with different life & career experiences, you realize the world really isn’t as fair and equitable as we might like to believe. Hearing these stories has reminded me, once again, to acknowledge, rather than deny, the white privilege I wear.
I can think of nothing more PRO America than unleashing the melting pot that is America…for the benefit of increased innovation, competitive advantage, and strong financial results. Trump claims to be about a strong economy, right? Then he should also know the benefit of investing in, rather than banning, DEI training.
Mitch Shepard is a mother, wife, passionate world traveler, and executive leader. As the CEO & Chief Truth-Teller at HUMiN inc, Mitch has spent nearly 20 years coaching & training some of the worlds top leaders. Her specialties are leader/manager effectiveness and inclusion. Visit www.humininc.com to learn more and join our mailing list.
