AN OPEN LETTER CALLING FOR COMMITMENT TO CHANGE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN OUR WORKPLACES

Today I had my youngest son ask, are today's companies, really trying to change or act like they want to make a difference?

To all Presidents, CEO, Leaders, and Senior-Leadership;

The?underrepresent?wishes to clearly articulate our disappointment in today's attempt to support diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within our nation's corporate environments and government.?

While it's easy to find examples in history where the real world has fallen far short of promoting diversity, embracing equity, and modeling inclusion, in our nation, DISEP is now challenging every corporation and company in our nation to partner and pledge with us to make a change and be held responsible by society "The Way It Should Have Been." This critical statement is more poignant now than ever.?

We believe that celebrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion requires every workplace to approach new interactions with an open mind to awareness and commitment. It requires every workplace to take stock and root out any prejudices they may have brought with them to the table. It is mission-critical that the Society maintains inclusivity in official spaces of common discussion, in person or online. We ask that Corporations and leaders be mindful of the Paradox of Tolerance and remove those who have repeatedly shown no interest in actual tolerance. (The Paradox of Tolerance states that if a society is tolerant without limit, its ability to be tolerant is eventually seized or destroyed by the intolerant.) Put, if we accept bigotry as part of 'tolerance,' then we are targeted by bigoted behavior. We have to show that this behavior is not welcome and has no place in the workplace.?

We believe equity is a goal to be embraced by all. Leaders must work towards fairness regarding access, entry, participation, leadership roles, and activities. We must remove barriers to entry and participation based on gender, class, race, ability, or any other status or designation. All who seek to participate must be treated with equal dignity and respect. There are many actions our companies could take to remove these barriers. Our failure to embrace equity will only lead to a future where great people fall short of their true potential, and we deprive ourselves of Great Peers in our workplaces.?

DISEP believes that to properly model inclusion in all people starts at all levels of the workplace. We must start considering who is being excluded from participation in change. We must start asking ourselves the complicated question of "who doesn't show up?" rather than simply asking, "who's already coming out and what do they need?"

DISEP's firm belief is that more diverse, equitable, and inclusive corporations make a more robust and richer experience for all. We believe that equity is a virtue and should be championed by everyone, just as we should have championed freedom and equality since the beginning of time. To champion equity, we must ask ourselves what we can do to make the workplace more accessible and welcoming to everyone who would like to participate.

Finally, we ask all leaders to look within themselves, their corporations, the leadership, our guilds, our relationships, and our friendships, and evaluate how well we have lived up to the Ideals of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. To set a direction, create alignment, and generate a commitment to DEI in the workplace, top leaders should take the first steps: articulate their individual and collective perspective, identity, values, and culture; consider how experiences of power and privilege may affect their approach and effectiveness — and that of others; and evaluate how dynamics of DEI affect their marketplace and their business strategy - then to take concrete steps today towards positive change.?

With appreciation,

The underrepresent

https://www.disep.info/

(202)888-4807