DEI programs are under fire. Here's how we work on equity anyhow.

?? Denise Hamilton says we can build community across differences

There was a moment back in 2020 when it felt like companies were finally taking on the real work of equity. The murder of George Floyd introduced a national racial reckoning. Businesses stepped up their DEI efforts. That’s diversity, equity and inclusion. New roles were created! Executives pledged to hire more diverse employees, and then scrambled to find candidates!

Even as it was happening, it seemed unsustainable. What would happen when the money dried up and public attention moved on?

That time is right now. More recently, as the economy has been so unpredictable, companies have laid off many of those new hires, including lots of people they brought in to help with all of those DEI efforts. And as the political winds shift in the US, the entire field of DEI is under pressure. Last year, the Supreme Court rejected the use of race-conscious admissions in higher education, raising the real possibility that corporate policies around diversity will meet the same fate.

At Hello Monday, we believe that when we train our attention on equity, we expand opportunity for everyone. Business grows. it's the right thing to do. So the question becomes: how do we remain fiercely committed to doing this work, even if our DEI programs dry up??

Today’s guest is Denise Hamilton. Denise is a Diversity & Inclusion leader who specializes in Ally training. Her new book is Indivisible: How to Forge Differences into a Stronger Future. Denise has spent nearly three decades working within large companies to help people have difficult conversations.?

She grounds us in the history that allows us to understand what’s happening with DEI right now—and where it’s going. She offers practical guidance for how we can think about the real work of creating community across differences. And she infuses us with her own belief that yes, this work is harder than anyone might imagine, but it’s absolutely possible. You can listen right here, or in the sound file below:

"You cannot allow the disappointments of yesterday to limit the possibility of tomorrow." — Denise Hamilton

? Office Hours: Let's talk about equity

Join us for Office Hours this week on Wednesday at 3pm EST. Producer Sarah Storm and I will pour ourselves some coffee and go live from the LinkedIn News Page. You can RSVP below to send a calendar invite to yourself. This is not a show or program. It is, in fact, a hangout. We connect with each other and with the regulars, and every week we get a host of new listeners who stop in to say hello or just to hang in the company of others. It's our gathering around the water cooler, and it'll be more interesting if you're there.

?? Denise came in to our studio!

?? ? Transcripts available upon request.