Me Too: No More All-Male, All-White Panels. & That's Just the Beginning...

Communicating is my lifeblood. I thought I'd never say no to a conversation. I was wrong.

Far too often, and with significant consequences, conversations in the United States are shaped and dominated by white and male norms and voices. It has to end. At least I want to make it clear that I am aware of the problem, conscious of my own privilege and liabilities - and won't be participating where this remains the norm.

Prompted by conversation with people close to me and my own powers of observation - I will no longer participate on panels or agendas where there is not substantial representation of women & people of color.

This is not novel or bold, nor is it a sacrifice. But it has to be said. And done. I don't run an important institution or have a household name. But I do have enormous privilege and the power of my choices.

The term "manel" has emerged as a shorthand for the gender part of the problem, and is really only used by those decrying a ubiquitous, lazy, narrow, sexist and consequential pattern. The head of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., recently called for an end to the practice and wrote powerfully, "[i]t is not enough to give lip service to equality; leaders must demonstrate their commitment through their actions."

Count me in.

Dr. Collins continued, "[s]tarting now, when I consider speaking invitations, I will expect a level playing field, where scientists of all backgrounds are evaluated fairly for speaking opportunities. If that attention to inclusiveness is not evident in the agenda, I will decline to take part. I challenge other scientific leaders across the biomedical enterprise to do the same."

Me too. And I would like to see us go a few steps further.

First - the conversation about 'manels' has to be extended to other facets of diversity and inclusion. Notably, it needs to address (in the U.S. context) race.

As Dr. Collins of NIH noted, a recent study noted "cultural forces that tolerate gender harassment and limit the advancement of women" and that "[t]hese concerns also are highly relevant to other groups underrepresented in [the field]."

In other words - there is a link to be made between the exclusion and diminution of voices and the cultures of inequality, harassment and limited advancement for predictable groups.

So let's be clear: All-white panels have to go. No excuses. If you agree and want to make this a thing, contact me and let's go.

Last year, a high profile corporate diversity initiative in New York City was caught in all-white panel mode which the planner called "a glaring oversight" and "something we need to work on.” Not enough. Not even close.

The protest against all-white panels remains sharply less prevalent and barely emerging, as a quick google search reveals. I did find this 2018 post by an uber software engineer and a Tumblr site that tracks all-white panels and stamps them with a Mr. T sticker. But nothing like the refusal offered by Dr. Collins.

Again, let me be very clear: I won't be participating in panels or programs that do not include racial diversity either. I will say no to the all-white panel and the agenda that does not reflect significant inclusion of the actual voices of people of color.

Second - rather than seeing this as an issue of 'just say no" - consider what it is we are missing when we plan a conversation without robust representation of the market, field, topic, experience we are discussing? And if as a planner, your challenge is "we don't know anyone" then call somebody who does. Or consider whether without a co-convening partner you are even the right party to be hosting the conversation in the first place.

Those of us who get to decide things like who speaks and whether we will participate need to take that role seriously, starting yesterday.

Third - we need a commitment in program and panel planning to build more inclusive audiences. The old "we sent it to our whole list and posted it online" or even "we posted it on black/brown/gender-inclusive websites" is simply not good enough. This is not a compliance exercise. It is about equity, effectiveness and urgency.

If you're planning a program and want me to participate, I'm grateful and you can reach me anytime. I will ask you whether there is a strategy for reaching a diverse audience. If there is not, you can count me out.

If you want suggestions for how to make it happen? Now that is a conversation I love being a part of and I have lots of proven ideas. Reach me here anytime. But be prepared to tell me who else is going to be at the table.

Andy Tarsy is Principal and Founder of Emblem Strategic LLC.