Keep Standing up for DEI. You’re Not Alone.?

Earlier this month, I attended the 德勤 Chief DEI Officer Forum, a conference that I found so inspiring. One hundred forty Chief DEI officers (many of whom are Catalyst Inc. Supporters) came together?for dialogue, networking, sharing best practices, and learning from leading experts and changemakers. The wonderful presenters shared some of the most important topics facing our workforce today. For example:?

- Using AI to advance equity instead of (inadvertently) perpetuating inequity;?

- Navigating the evolving?legal landscape around?DEI, including how to manage both?and real and perceived risks?

-?Maintaining the effectiveness?of this work when it feels we’re under attack.????

I left feeling really empowered by the conversation between journalist Ellen McGirt and Kimberlé Crenshaw, who?coined the term “intersectionality” that helps us understand how social identities overlap and create intersecting inequities, for example a black woman who identifies as gay. (Learn more about intersectionality here: Intersectionality: Ask Catalyst Express | Catalyst ).

Kimberlé talked about how important it is to stay the course on DEI, to continue to challenge our institutions, even if it’s uncomfortable. She put this time period in historical context and said: “Whenever there is a societal advance, an effort to dismantle the destructive nature of society, there is always a backlash.”?

Yes, we’ve experienced some backlash, but a recent Deloitte survey found that?94% of organizations who made public DEI commitments are standing behind them.?That’s an encouraging number. It?left me feeling that, despite loud voices to the contrary, there isn’t a mass exodus away from DEI.?

And make no mistake, the workforce expects us to stay the course. Employees around the world say having a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace is important to them and they want their leaders to be vocal about the steps they’re taking to get there. In fact, according to a recent?Catalyst report :?

• 93% surveyed in 11 countries are calling for organizations to candidly detail to their teams how they are creating more equitable workplaces; and?
• 76% of employees agree that organizations should be actively engaged in efforts to create a diverse and equitable workplace.?

However, 24% say their organizations never or rarely engage in discussions about diversity.?

?As I wrote in a recent post ,?Catalyst’s 80+ CEO?Champions for Change ?are?making huge strides in?advancing women across racial and ethnic groups.?We invite more CEOs to join them.??

This is the time to band together with other organizations fostering important DEI work, and Deloitte invited their nonprofit partners to join in the conversation around sustaining progress and change. I was so pleased to meet my peers from other critical organizations:?

John Rice , MLT

Anna Mok , Ascend?Leadership

Guylaine Saint Juste , NABA?

Damian Rivera , ALPFA National??

Jeff Wissel , Disability:IN?

Rocío Medina van Nierop , Latinas in Tech?

Ellen McClain , Year Up?

Samantha Tweedy , Black Economic Alliance?

Brandon Wolf , Human Rights Campaign??

?I can’t thank Deloitte enough for being such a strong and longtime advocate and partner for Catalyst, from Stacy Janiak serving on our board,?Kavitha Prabhakar ?on our advisory board, and?Heather McBride Leef ?and her exceptional colleagues at Deloitte’s DEI Institute.?

?Here’s how I see our path forward:?

?- Defend the work with a deeper and thicker narrative about why it is critical (see Catalyst’s latest research on HOW to have the DEI conversation with your employees: How to Talk About Diversity With Employees to Achieve Your Company's Objectives | Catalyst ).?

- Bring in CEOs to role model for others (thank you Catalyst CEO Champions for Change. You are leading the way).?

- Set a bigger table and invite all kinds of perspectives – (thank you Melonie Parker at Google and Kwasi Mitchell at Deloitte for including your nonprofit partners in important conversations so we can work together more seamlessly).?

?Keep standing up for DEI. This is important work…and you are not alone!?