Liberal vs Illiberal Approaches to D&I
Last week, before Queen Elizabeth’s passing took over the airwaves worldwide, I had a conversation with Bion Bartning, the founder of FAIR, the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism. When asked to join their board of advisors, I gladly said yes, because of my alignment with their pro-human values. Bion and I agreed that one of the most crucial issues today is not left vs. right, Democrat vs. Republican, per se, but liberal values versus illiberal attitudes and behavior running rampant in social media and in far too many American institutions.
FAIR is one of the sponsors of a conference on Liberal Approaches to Diversity and Inclusion organized by the UK organization Counterweight, founded by writer and editor Helen Pluckrose. The event will take place from Sept. 22-25. I gave a pre-recorded keynote address that will air virtually on 9/23 at 11 am EDT.
Here’s a short summary:
The theoretical to practical problems of the DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] industry abound. Rather than using identity as just a way to start addressing the challenges and growth potential inherent in diverse and inclusive workplaces, DEI practitioners often limit their focus primarily to such identity markers as race and gender. DMI, Diversity Maturity & Inclusion, rather, begins with identity and affirmative action aspects but then layers stages of "diversity maturity" from: Valuing and Appreciating Difference; Managing Diversity Tension; ultimately resolving to a higher octave—Leveraging Diversity & Inclusion. A developmental model such as DMI integrates sameness and difference, relates the deeper and more lasting dimensions of equity, while taking inspiration from the creative principles and generative practices of jazz music. Intrigued? Then join us for the keynote, "Diversity Maturity & Inclusion: A Key Skill and Perspective."
Conference Background
How did this conference come about? Counterweight’s answer:
In the past few years, companies and employees have felt increasing pressure to engage with D&I initiatives. Some programs offer useful insights into how we can create more inclusive workplaces. Too often, though, the ways in which people approach D&I come from ideological foundations that are divisive and sectarian in nature. In addition to this, companies continue to spend large sums of money on D&I trainings that simply aren't effective. At Counterweight, we think that D&I is important, but we worry that these ideological and identarian approaches flatten us as individuals, stripping us of our complexity and nuance. So, we started asking a lot of questions…
What would a liberal approach to D&I look like? How can we tackle discrimination and racism through a unifying lens? Do these approaches already exist? Is there a more unifying way to tackle discrimination and racism than the divisive tactics of many mainstream D&I programs?
Throughout the conference, we'll hear from experts in the field of D&I who can answer some of these questions. We hope that you'll come away with an understanding of how important D&I is and how we can approach it in a way that values unity, critical thinking and liberalism.
We believe that D&I is for everyone: individuals, small businesses, community groups, NGOs or big companies alike. For this reason, we will be making the event available for free (for a limited period of time). All-access passes to the event are available for £50. Get your tickets here.
Here are all of the keynote presenters:
Several of my colleagues and associates are giving presentations also, including Amiel Handelsman, Mark Palmer, and Dr. Sheena Mason, the proponent of the “Theory of Racelessness.” Amiel and Mark are joining forces with Jewel and me to advocate for Diversity Maturity & Inclusion in the workplace, an initiative we discuss on a panel for the final day of the conference.
The presentations will be available for free for 24 hours after they air, so check out the roster and put on your calendar the talks that most interest you. If you’d like full access for a year, there’s a small fee.
And there’s still space available for the “Resolving the Race-ism Dilemma” conference, being held in person on September 24th in Lexington, MA. I’ve joined forces with Sheena Mason and Carlos Hoyt to share a powerful set of ideas and practical approaches to confronting race, racialization, and a racial worldview, the very foundations of racism. Join us.