Resources

The business case for diversity is a sinking ship

This article offers a strong critique of the “business case” for diversity and inclusion, where increased profit is the main motivator for diversity efforts. The author details how companies are lauded for cosmetic changes, such as more diverse marketing strategies, while they fail to focus on more substantive, long-term changes to company practices, leadership and culture. They also address how DEI work primarily focused on profit fails to address the needs of the marginalized communities they seek to profit from. For more read here.

What’s Wrong With This Diorama? You Can Read All About It

This article details how the American Museum of Natural History modified a problematic diorama that depicted a fictional meeting between Dutch settlers and the Lenape people. The diorama contained a number of historical inaccuracies that perpetuated stereotypes about indigenous people and reinforced cultural hierarchies. Rather than cover or change the diorama, the museum chose to put up signs that addressed those inaccuracies. For more read here.

Why Companies Should Add Class to Their Diversity Discussions

This article makes the case for why class diversity should be a point of emphasis within efforts to make workplaces more diverse. The authors provide examples of how people from working class backgrounds face barriers in entering white-collar workplaces due to referral-based hiring practices, prioritizing “culture fit” in hiring and different relationships to work and family. For more read here.

Diversifying Boards Means Ceding Control—Are White Nonprofit Leaders Ready?

This article discusses the lack of diverse representation on the boards of nonprofits and how nonprofits do work “for” marginalized communities rather than “with” them. They suggest that those in leadership in nonprofits are not willing to genuinely engage in equity work because it would mean radically changing their structures. For more read here.

Beyond XX and XY: The Extraordinary Complexity of Sex Determination

We often talk about gender being complex, but rarely discuss how biological sex is equally complex. In this short article and great infographic, you can learn about the complexities of how biological sex gets determined. Access the article and infographic here.

Don’t Talk about Implicit Bias Without Talking about Structural Racism

This article describes how implicit bias functions within the unconscious brain, while also providing an important critique of implicit bias training that does not address systemic inequity. They draw on examples in the American education system to show how implicit bias and structural racism are interconnected and, therefore, how both must be addressed in order to create effective change. For more read here.

Transforming a Movement: How foundations can support effective Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion capacity building efforts in environmental organizations

This report, compiled by the consulting group J.E.D.I. Heart, explores how funders and organizations can contribute to and more effectively engage in DEI efforts within the environmental movement. The report draws on research conducted with funders, DEI point people and staff of color at environmental organizations to analyze the limitations of ongoing DEI work and provide concrete suggestions for how to improve. Their findings suggest that environmental organizations view the act of beginning DEI efforts as a success in itself, rather than critically exploring the effectiveness of the work. For more read here.

The Best Voices and Brands in Plus Size Outdoor Clothing

This article discusses the difficulty that many people with larger body sizes face in finding outdoor apparel and gear in their size. The article discusses voices who are leading efforts to create and market more inclusive outdoor gear and provides a list of the most inclusive outdoor clothing brands. For more read here.

On a Plate

This is a comic that illustrates the differences between growing up in a higher-income family and a lower-income family. It depicts well how socio-economic background can shape life opportunities and exposes the flaws in arguments about pulling oneself up by their bootstraps. For more read here.

A Cree Artist Redraws History

This article describes an installation in the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Cree Artist Kent Monkman. His installation features two paintings that flip historical narratives about Indigenous victimhood on its head. For more read here.

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