Bigotry, Not Business: The Betrayal of DEI Commitments
Data indisputably supports gender, ethnic, and cultural diversity in corporate leadership.
In the summer of 2020, corporate America united in an unprecedented wave of support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Tech giants, financial powerhouses, and fast food chains alike promised to right systemic wrongs and build an equitable future, like posters on a travel agent’s window.
Meta, my former employer and the Facebook parent company once lauded for committing $200 million to Black-owned businesses, recently announced their plans to dismantle DEI programs alongside other mega-corps like Walmart and McDonalds.
The pictures don’t match reality, the turning tide reveals a trash-tattered beach when they’d said “stretches of sand!”
I’ll say the quiet part out loud. There’s no business reason; it’s bigotry.
When Zuckerberg calls for more 'masculine energy' while simultaneously dismantling DEI programs, he’s not just dog-whistling misogyny—he’s doubling down on the interconnected systems of racism and patriarchy that keep power firmly in place for people like him. It's the undertow of regression.
Data indisputably supports gender, ethnic, and cultural diversity in corporate leadership. Representation across these factors is proven to significantly increase the likelihood of financial outperformance.
“It’s high time we separate the performers from the transformers. The activists from the opportunists. Makes it real easy to see who's worth working with. And who's not.” -Neisha Tweed Bell on LinkedIn
I could not say it better than my former Facebook Creative Shop colleague, the brilliant Neisha Tweed Bell, who recently wrote, “Thank YOU. Because now we can finally see who was performing inclusion and who's actually practicing it. Who was checking boxes vs who was changing systems.”
As Neisha suggests, some companies are unwavering in driving systemic change. Costco's Board recently urged shareholders to reject proposals aimed at dismantling DEI efforts, emphasizing that such initiatives benefit the bottom line. Costco, Apple taking stands that demonstrate what it looks like to value human beings and durable business more than power or politics.
For business leaders committed to progress, consider:
Integration: Embed DEI metrics into core business objectives and executive compensation structures, as well as your recruiting and performance evaluation processes.
Measurement: Implement transparent reporting on diversity metrics across all organizational levels. Ellen Pao’s Project Include provides frameworks for companies to measure and improve their inclusion efforts.
Accountability: Establish clear consequences for failing to meet DEI commitments, similar to other business objectives.
For individuals holding corporations accountable, consider:
Preparation: Familiarize yourself with resources like Ifeoma Ozoma’s Tech Worker Handbook, which provides comprehensive guidance on advocating for workplace equity, whistleblowing, and navigating retaliation.
Support: Understand your rights if you’re speaking up, and consider resources like Whistleblower Aid (founded by John Tye and Mark Zaid, led by Libby Liu) for legal and financial protection.
For those experiencing despair and confusion, I also offer:
Have you ever been knee-deep in the ocean when the water recedes? If you're not paying attention, or if the current is strong enough, you’ll be knocked over. The more the tide pulls, the more we’ll plant our soles in wet sand, wiggle our toes deeper, tolerate the pull of the water until there are enough of us to link elbows - until no one's falling down.
The tide pulls back before it surges forward.
