Tired of the Empty Promises of “Diversity and Inclusion”? We Are Too.

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If you opened this, you might be one of us tired of listening to the same old story of companies boasting repeatedly blank sheet stories on diversity. Sounds familiar? Unless you are absolutely living in another planet, you probably remember the media crisis Starbucks faced when one of its employees called the police on a Black customer. The company swiftly ordered a full-day closing and training on racial-bias. Just as quickly, Starbucks responded to backlash to the one day training by promising a more comprehensive approach to stave off racial bias and discrimination. While certainly a welcome response, the measure is just a tiny step towards addressing comprehensively race issues and diversity. The jury is still out on whether any comprehensive response will follow and how effective it could be. Yet, one thing is for sure–it’s 2018. It’s time for companies like Starbucks to put their money and actions where their mouth is instead of simply paying lip-service to a diverse staff and an inclusive culture. In 2018, it should also not surprise anyone that more diverse teams lead to more innovation, better ideas and better business. Businesses recognize the need for diversity and talk about this, incessantly some may say.

Much talk. Little action.

Yet, year after year the numbers remain disheartening. Recent reports by companies like Intel, HSBC UK, Uber, Lyft and industries like Hollywood show slow–if not stagnant–progress when it comes to increasing, retaining and cultivating a diverse workforce.

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For example Twitter, a global platform where Spanish speaking users engage in millions and that has an actual cultural identity and space for the Black community (Black Twitter), in 2016 could only boast a 4 percent Latinx workforce and a 3 percent African-American workforce. This surprises exactly no one. This skepticism and pessimism runs particularly deep for historically underrepresented communities of color who continue to feel discriminated and/or tokenized as the “person of color” or “diversity hire.” Recent research by Atlassian offers a glimpse into why all the talk continues to fail. Diversity & Inclusion (DEI) programs focus on numbers, instead of on building spaces that make underrepresented groups feel like they belong, like they can thrive.

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Such findings are consistent with previous surveys about the experiences of Black and Latinx professionals. In a recent article on Harvard Business Review, Maura Cheeks conducted numerous interviews with women of color about their workplace experiences. One of the unifying themes from her conversations was that many of the women interviewed did not feel like they could be themselves at work. A 2016 report conducted by the Center for Talent Innovation uncovered a similar trend, whereby Latinos often felt like they had to repress part of who they were in order to thrive in a work environment.

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Underrepresented groups have solutions

If this all feels a little too Debbie Downer, there’s no reason to despair. We stand at an important moment in time, where organizations are facing a public reckoning that asks them to rethink their strategies and actions. Future-forward organizations truly committed to bringing about change must prioritize creating a culture of belonging. This means understanding and embracing the diversity of cultures from underrepresented groups, paying attention to their career storytelling, and honoring their community-building efforts. Put simply, listen to what we have to say to you and to each other. The kind of connection to community that evolves from the nuances and shared language of culture offer a powerful and solid pathway towards building a more inclusive workforce–and as a result increasing retention of satisfied workers. The first step towards building truly inclusive structures calls on businesses to set aside their dominant, oppressive cultures, listen and open themselves up to dip their toes in the experiences of underrepresented communities in a way they feel welcomed, included, empowered and respected.

A space to make solutions come to life

That’s why the networking platform BeVisible is creating an unprecedented conference––#BeWokeSF–where technology, art, music and professional worlds will collide; providing underrepresented communities a space to come together into a welcoming environment where leaders from those communities can discuss ways to better understand and elevate each other but also develop a truly inclusive organizational culture. At #BeWokeSF, companies get to join, immerse themselves and experience life on the terms of the new multicultural workforce that is the future and that should also be the present. More importantly, those who have to code-switch, who have to repress who they are to thrive get to be unapologetically themselves at BeWokeSF while also connecting with industry leaders who /want/ them to feel the same way in their work spaces. #BeWokeSF — will take place on May 17, 2018 at the Pearl in San Francisco. Join us! Or follow the conversation on social media.

#BeWokeSF | #BeVisibleLatinx