DEI is not a contest between. It’s a contest for.
The C word (no, not that one — the 5-letter one that’s not just for Chinese people anymore).
The E word (if you want to get abandoned in a snowdrift in Yellowknife, just use this slur).
The F word (no, not that one — the 6-letter one).
The G word (not just for Koreans anymore).
The I word (unless the subject is actually from India).
The J word (maybe out of favor since a nuclear bomb in 1945; or maybe not).
The L word (so much so that there was a TV show about it).
The N word (and so many more that there aren’t enough alphabets).
The P word (ask a Brit about this one).
The R word (a 7-letter term insulting any person wearing a turban, Muslim or not)
The S word; also, the 6-letter B word and the 7-letter W word (same group, different border walls).
The Y word; also, the K word (same group, different slurs, different countries).
As a nonprofit arts organization, your company does not have the ability to change the systemic racism that plagues the country. And neither do you, at least not without several lifetimes of work. Systemic racism will continue as long as capitalism continues to be the coin of the realm.
Your company does have the ability to raise and lower the temperature of systemic racism as it sees fit. And in doing so, remember that the impact on its community rests on your company’s actions. That happened when you or your predecessors chose to be a charity in the first place.
One thing you can discuss — and, with any luck, put into your work for the community — is the idea that all racism is evil. This is not to dilute the injustices that have been done to each of several communities, as listed in the bigot’s slur alphabet above. Each community has been wronged and continues to be discriminated against.
The one thing that racists count on — and they’re really good at it — is fomenting hate among the groups they perceive to be the enemy of their way of life. When they can pit one group they hate against another group they hate, they can just sit back and watch the fireworks, knowing that, no matter what, they win.
It is a trap that continues to snap on many of my colleagues.
One recently told me, in no uncertain terms, that Black people have endured the most serious effronteries of any group of people in America. She may be right.
Black lives matter. To too many, they never have. To some, they never will. Regardless, they do and we as a people need to do everything we can to, at the very least, level the playing field.
After all, Black people continue to feel the heel of society on their heads. Their young men die at the hands of the police. Their young women live well below the financial level of any other group of people. They’ve been systematically excluded from any kind of generational advantage. They’ve been hanged, tortured, beaten, enslaved, raped, and shot just for being Black.
They’re the only ones who have to have “the talk” with their children. Watch this video from The New York Times if you don’t know what that means.
She then said that because of that, DEI programs should revolve solely around the Black experience. She may be wrong.
I’ve seen members of the LGBT community beaten and killed for being LGBT. I’ve seen Latino people separated from their children, thrown into non-air-conditioned buildings in 100 ℉ heat, and told to stay there for months.
I’ve seen Asian Americans spat upon because, in some insane blame game, COVID likely started in a wet market in China. Indigenous people were nearly wiped out by white “settlers” (it’s hard to imagine land that belongs to someone else being settled, but I digress), signed treaties that were broken by the US on a regular basis, and tossed into barren and ever-shrinking reservations that, when oil was found on them, were taken away.
Muslims in America that decried the September 11, 2001 attacks as being against the Quran are still mistrusted and have their lives threatened on a daily basis. I’ve seen Jewish people shot en masse for the crime of being Jewish, and antisemitic behavior is still considered acceptable by most people because, evidently, Jews have money, power, and control the banking systems of the world, and don’t forget the embarrassment that is Marjorie Taylor Greene and her insane and very serious proclamation of Jewish Space Lasers.
[NOTE: please don’t conflate “Jewish” and “Israel.” They are not synonymous, no matter what you’ve heard — even from Jews or Israelis. Israel has only been a country since 1948. Antisemitism predates it by two thousand years or more. Most American Jews, especially those under the age of 50, do not see Israel as anything but a country that often does unspeakably horrible things. Most antisemitism comes from a different place altogether: the mistaken perception in the Christ story that the Jewish people killed Jesus; according to the doctrine of most Christians, the Romans did that. But hey, don’t forget Martin Luther. And Henry Ford. And Coco Chanel. And Charles Lindbergh. And Roald Dahl. But I digress, yet again.]
When my colleague tries to use the race issues of the Black people in America as some sort of race hierarchy, she doesn’t do it out of malice. She’s in pain. And she is not alone in thinking that Black stories should be the only equity stories that are told. She’s been told to sit down and shut up.
In the arts, especially the nonprofit arts, the cause of equity has engendered a crazy-quilt of rules (some positive, some negative, and some TBD). The difference in the audience response to such art is wildly different based on one small prepositional choice: “with” or “for.”
In the theater, for example, plays with Black, LGBT, Jewish, Asian, Latino, and Indigenous characters are acceptable to most white audiences, as long as they’re secondary to the main plot or theme. Even better if they’re comedic sidekicks or they sing.
On the other hand, plays about Black, LGBT, Jewish, Asian, Latino, and Indigenous characters are seen as culturally foreign, and therefore, too political for most white audiences. Especially if that same white audience is meant to care about the plight of the main characters. (There are a few exceptions, of course. But not all that many.)
There is no real end to the work that needs to be done. Just do not fall into the trap of believing that any one racist element can be ignored. Those that want to destroy lives based on race, religion, orientation, or gender (both non-binary and binary) love it when their perceived enemies attack each other. It saves them the trouble.
Based in Kirkland, Washington, Alan Harrison is a writer and speaker specializing in nonprofit organizations, strategy, the arts, and life politics. His columns appear regularly in major publications. Contact him directly at alan@501c3.guru.
If you’re feeling generous or inspired, just click on the coffee cup above. You don’t have to, of course, but if you can afford it and find some value here, please provide the desperate need for caffeine.
Alan is always looking for good opportunities to write and consult for nonprofits that need a hand. And, of course, that elusive Perfect Opportunity™.
BIG NEWS: Alan’s new book, “Scene Change: Why Today’s Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact” will be published in January. CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER IN THE UNITED STATES. If you live in the UK, CLICK HERE.
Alan will be speaking on May 19 at the Washington State Nonprofit Conference at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Tacoma, WA. The publisher has pre-printed a LIMITED NUMBER of books so that attendees can purchased a signed copy right there at the event.
A few more copies may be made available for those booking conferences, reading engagements, and speaking engagements. Recruit your local bookstore, conference panel, or boardroom to get a visit from Alan. Let Alan know if you want bulk copies for your board!
Leave a Reply