In praise of DEI

Photo by Christina Morillo

Fall, 1986.

Your humble bloglord, then all of seventeen, was sussing out his university options.

My intention had always been to hightail it out of Los Angeles and back to New York City for school. But, the universe told me no. Actually, my mom and dad told me no. I may have been about to be an adult, but I was still their youngest, and they were frightened of me on my own—even though I probably would have lived with my aunt and uncle in the Heights.

My SAT's were rather good. But so were everyone else's. So, my high school counselor had this advice: Apply for affirmative action.

This was before Californians voted to ban affirmative action in state universities. (Yes, California was a much different place then.) So, I did. And I was so confident that I applied to only one school: University of California, Los Angeles. My grades were good, my SAT scores were great, and my application essay knocked it out of the park. That affirmative action was an addition, not the whole of my strategy. It was the sazón in a complete meal. But it was, I'm convinced, what got me over the hump.

And now? I'm a librarian, making six-figures, helping my community. And it all stemmed from that decision. From UCLA taking a look at me and taking a chance on me. From the school seeing something of value in me and giving me that chance.

I look at the workforce for Los Angeles County. I look at my colleagues. We are the most diverse workforce in the most diverse county in the United States. We reflect those whom we serve. We are Latin and Black, Asian and white. We are men and women. We are straight and LGBTQ+. I know within our system we have three deaf librarians. We are the poster children for diversity, equity, and inclusion. And unlike the federal government under this regime, we are not giving up those qualities. E pluribus unum, out of many, one. The opponents of DEI focus on the "one". But the "one" is meaningless without the "many". The DEI-haters posit that we should all be the same. But, of course, that is a misreading not only of DEI, but of this country's history.

Affirmative action was and is necessary because of that history. Because this country was built on valorizing an in-group, and keeping down multiple out-groups. And the ironic thing is that former out-groups are now against affirmative action. "No Irish or dogs allowed." But now that the Irish are considered "white", many of the descendents of those papist outcasts now see those of us of different ethnicities as threats.

Sadly, it isn't only those inducted into the White Hall of Fame who feel that way. Many who are white-adjacent behave similarly. They do so only to quickly discover that they are not, in fact, white. Imagine their furor! 

They not like us. Those of us not in the white majority must keep this close to our hearts. We're not like them. We are the Other. We are the Other whom the fascists hold up as boogeymen to keep white people voting out of fear. The general election of 2024 wasn't about eggs. It wasn't even about Gaza. It was about white people, yet again, voting desperately to keep their unearned privileges. Trans women were the camel's nose under the tent. It was the hook that Donald Trump used to galvanize enough people to vote for him. Even then it was out of bounds to use racial and ethnic epithets. But, "look at men trying to be women and harm women" worked. And that was the gateway drug to those other epithets.

What I've found in my career is that a diverse workforce is a positive, not a negative. People bringing their own varied experiences add to the richness of any workplace. Having only one point of view, one experience of life, detracts from any social milieu. This country's greatness is in its diversity. Those who view that diversity as a weakness are those who are not fit for a global civilization. They see their unearned dominance at stake, and react accordingly. 

But I truly believe they are yesterday's people. They will either learn and adapt, or will perish. No one will miss them. Others will take their place, of all races and genders. 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are needed now even more. Because we have a not-insignificant portion of our electorate which see these things as threats. They're threats only to the mediocre. DEI actually brings in the best people. These are the strivers working to make their lives better, the lives of their families better, and the lives of their communities better. And by "communities", I mean our larger commonwealth. A Black employee serves not only her Black community, but the larger community with which she interacts. Being from a disadvantaged community tends to imbue one with empathy. This is not a bad thing.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just nice words; they are a way out of our culture war morass. May we soon expel this regime and return to something which worked. This regime has certainly made it clear that the problems with this country were not centered around DEI.