Justice and Liberation in DEI

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I’ve been meaning to tweet about this article for awhile now... @DrJaniceGassam asks who determines justice and where do justice and liberation fit into #DEI at the workplace. A 🧵… forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2022/08/07/where-do-justice-and-liberation-fit-into-diversity-equity-and-inclusion/

I imagine that for many, the workplace isn’t the first image that comes to mind when we speak of justice and liberation.

However, if one thinks of liberation as a process towards equity and inclusion, and justice as their restoration, one can easily see how they fit into the workplace.

I think at their heart, #DEI initiatives are intended to prevent and repair the harms that uniformity, inequity and exclusion cause.

Achieving those goals involves examining the “why.” “As DEI practitioners, it is imperative to investigate and examine the ‘why’ behind the harms that occur in the workplace.”

One of the reasons why we struggle with the “why” is that we often examine things like equity, inclusion, justice and liberation through the same lenses that cause the problems in the first place. twitter.com/isabelgoldm/status/1565675586260897792?s=21&t=MlPCyF_19bdx79B9nrG3vQ

But “Equity and justice must be determined by those most impacted by systems of harm.” To do this, “we must frame our understanding based on the most marginalized within society.”

Otherwise, we risk propagating oppressive systems and thereby generating the same hierarchies within marginalized groups. This is true in both society at large and the workplace.

And so, @DrJaniceGassam writes, “DEI practitioners must center the most harmed communities to ascertain their needs.” By focusing on “the most marginalized, we move closer to equity and justice.”

With respect to liberation (or at least the reduction of oppression): “By liberating the most marginalized community, all other oppressed communities will benefit.”

Marginalization can refer to communities with a community. In my own community, for example, trans women of color deserve to determine what equity and justice for trans women look like. Theirs is a lens to look through. And all would benefit by their liberation.

Finally, there is the concept of healing as part of liberation and how we can facilitate it in the workplace. And this includes the necessary steps of healing ourselves:

This article helps to frame some of the questions we need to ask and answer to maximize the impact of our DEI work.