What the heck does ‘diversity’ really mean?
Diversity is among the most beautiful qualities of humankind. Yes, I’m talking difference in race and religion, but I’m mostly referring to the existence of differences in general. So often we confuse diversity with culture or ethnicity, but diversity is so much larger than that.
What is diversity?
Understanding that each individual is unique. Embracing each of the qualities that makes us unique and accepting, respecting and understanding those differences. Diversity means difference as much as it means inclusion.
In 2015, Anna Holmes of New York Times Magazine did something pretty cool. She wrote an article acknowledging the problem with the term “diversity”, and how muddled it has become. Her article titled, Has ‘Diversity’ Lost Its Meaning? addresses the word itself, its connotation and its actual definition.
This article discusses issues surrounding the term and how it’s used. Holmes writes, “It has become both a euphemism and a cliché, a convenient shorthand that gestures at inclusivity and representation without actually taking them seriously.” BRA-VO, I could not have said it better myself.
Why is there such disparity between saying and doing? Why don’t people in power actually make the changes in diversity that they’re gesturing towards? Holmes totally gets it, “Part of the problem is that it doesn’t seem that anyone has settled on what diversity actually means.” OMG, she’s so right. Right?
We’re doing this funky modern dance where everyone is more or less accepted. What’s the deal with that? In every industry there are opportunities to diversify. In our everyday lives there are opportunities to diversify. Diversity is all around us, maybe we just need to take the time to recognize it, to understand it and to accept it.
I absolutely must share a sentence from Wonder, a novel by R. J. Palacio. “The only reason I’m not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way.” In other words, you all see me as a weirdo, and so I am. This story is about a child overcoming struggles associated with a physical deformity. If you read between the lines this is story is also about diversity of humankind and inclusion. This book will absolutely change you and strengthen you. It serves as a reminder of the impact that our words and actions have on others. Many children are assigned to read this book, but I think it is a must-read for people of all ages.
Check it out:
Diversity is all around us. And yeah, sometimes it makes us uncomfortable because we don’t understand it. But when we take the time to understand diversity we are more accepting of it. So let’s do that!