Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Today

Despite these restrictions, the African Burial Ground served as an important focus for African community identity. Archaeological excavations have shown that the dead were buried individually, most in wooden coffins, arms folded or placed at their sides and oriented with heads to the west. Bodies were buried in shrouds, fastened with brass straight pins, and were sometimes buried with items such as coins, shells, and beads. Overtime, the Burial ground became densely crowded with burials stacked three and four deep in some places. Some archaeologists estimate that 20,000 men, women, and children were buried at the cemetery.

In 1795, the land of the African Burial ground was subdivided and sold for house lots. Because it lay in a ravine, the land was leveled with as much as twenty-five feet of fill, ensuring the survival of many graves under the basements of later buildings.

In the twentieth century, the area where the African Burial ground is located developed as New York's government center. During these years the existence of the. African Burial ground, though recorded on old maps, was effectively forgotten. In 1991-1992 archaeological excavation of the northern portion of the burial ground occurred as the site was being prepared for construction of a federal office building. The remains of 419 men, women, and children were excavated: nearly half of whom were children under twelve years of age. In 1999, nine intact burials (full or nearly complete human skeletons) were found on the southern edge of the historic ground during construction of the new sidewalk in front of the Tweed Building on Chambers Street. Unmarked beneath the bluestone sidewalk, thousands walk by or over the burials daily, unaware that much of the cemetery still exists under the neighborhood's sidewalks, roadbeds, and buildings.

The African Burial Ground was designated a New York City Historic District and a National Landmark in 1993. Between 1991 and 2003, an analysis of the human remains was conducted at Howard University. On October 4, 2003, some ten thousand participants in the "Rites of Ancestral Return" helped re-inter the ancestral remains (each in a hand-carved wooden coffin made in Ghana) on the preserved portion of the site. Nearly 8,000 personal handwritten messages from the living to the African ancestors were also buried with the remains. In February 2006, by order of Pres. George W. Bush, the African Burial ground was proclaimed a national monument.

On October 5, 2007, the African Burial ground National Monument became the first National Monument dedicated

to Africans of early New York and Americans of African descent. It is the newest National Monument in New York

City, joining the Statue of Liberty, Governors Island, and Castle Clinton.

Assembly member Charles Barron organized Reparation Rally and Press Conference at NYC African Burial Ground Memorial.

Article provide by the National Park Service.

Diversity&

Inclusion

IN THE WORKPLACE TODAY

Diversity education has been a part of American since the end of segregation. First, as a response to the Civil Rights Movement with a goal of becoming a country that can coexist. Unity was a dream, but diversity

training tried to give us the tools to work and live side by side. As civil rights increased throughout the years and marginalized communities grew louder voices and took more firm and legal stances against injustice, diversity training continued in the '80s and '90s as a legal defense of those newly passed civil rights laws. Though diversity and inclusion work always seems to stem from a struggle, we’re in a moment in time where marginalized communities can go beyond the fight but carve an environment where they thrive and reach their maximum potential.

Much like before, the current wave of support for Diversity Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives was birthed from an ocean of Black pain and trauma. The terror that would come to define the year 2020 came early – beginning in March with the death of Breonna Taylor by the hands of the police serving a no-knock warrant. Then, two months later, with the video

release of the murder of Ahmaud Arbrey (he was murdered in February) by essentially white vigilantes. Concluding with the public lynching that was the murder of George Floyd by a police officer kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes, g2020 was a succession of roaring protests.

Protests demanding accountability and justice took the streets by storm, but what differentiated these protests from the countless others from years past was the stillness, time, and undivided attention that the Covid-19 pandemic allowed. Covid-19 wreaked havoc throughout the country, leaving death and destruction in its wake. The onset of the pandemic led to a national quarantine, with most large cities issuing stay-at-home orders, so for the first several months, everyone was at home. Along with the trauma and protests that consumed the news feeds, Covid-19 brought with it a new disparity, the Black community was the most affected through infection rates, lack of adequate access to healthcare service, death toll, risk of infection, and unemployment.

The nation sat cramped on a couch together, watching the continuous news of Black trauma and disparity. It was bearing such witness that national corporations and organizations began making public statements against injustice, racism, sexism, and homophobia and shared commitments to combat injustice and contribute to systemic change. The concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) had grown in awareness over the last several years, but the events and revelations of 2020 kicked those efforts into hyperdrive. With the country forced to pay attention, there was no way to escape the reality that a drastic change was needed, and it was needed right now.

WHAT IS DEI, WHAT DOES IT MEAN

Across the airwaves and social media timelines, the words Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Equality were gradually added to our lexicon. These terms became graffiti throughout every company newsletter, boardroom agenda, and public statement. Some of the largest companies have pledged billions to support racial justice, equity, and improving diversity. But to utterly understand the gravity of this undertaking and what its success would look like, we should have a strong understanding of the terms.

As many well-intended people were showing their support to social justice matters, it became apparent that not everyone fully grasps the breadth of these ideas. But this isn't a game of semantics; if we don't have a clear understanding of these definitions, not only will we risk inefficiency and inconsistency, but we may be counterproductive.

The ancient philosopher Socrates said, "the beginning of knowledge is a definition of terms," so to deep dive into the topics of DEI, what it is, and how to improve it, we'll need to break down some of the most common terms individually. g

DIVERSITY

All the ways in which we are different. This includes race, gender identity and sexual expression, religion, ethnicity, nationality, ability, age, and socioeconomic background. As simple as this seems, there are still misunderstandings. The most common misinterpretation of diversity is referring to people as "diverse" because it still enforces an "otherness" or outside of what is "normal." People are people; diversity depends on the setting.

INCLUSION

Inclusion is when all those from different backgrounds have a sense of belonging, have an equal voice and are heard, and contribute to the group. A standard description of inclusion is "having a seat at the table." The best way to illustrate that is the Peanuts comic. Franklin was the only Black character, but during the Thanksgiving special, he sat alone, across from everyone eating together like a family. Franklin was a person who "added diversity," but it was evident that dinner wasn't inclusive.

EQUALITY

A core tenant of democracy, equality evenly shares resources, opportunities, and treatment. Sometimes this is conflated with equity, but the difference lies in the fact that although equality gives an equal allocation of resources, equity considers the different situations and conditions that create barriers to success.

A common metaphor for these concepts is the dance party. "Diversity is being at the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance." But we can take this further.

Diversity is different people being at the party, dancing and having fun.

EQUITY

An environment of equal access to opportunities and fair treatment. The defining concept inherent to "equity" is access. Social and economic disparities are perpetuated and exacerbated by systems, laws, and policies, so equal and adequate access is required to remedy these disparities and bring forth justice and fairness.

Inclusion is dancing with everyone else and being able to make music requests and suggestions for future parties.

Equity is the ability to be a part of the party planning committee.

Equality is everyone having the directions, time, location, and access to the party (transportation and distance) with an equal ticket price.

STRUGGLES IN DIVERSITY

Peering through the windows of any large company, you'll find one thing in common; everyone tends to look the same. Most industries struggle with workforce diversity, but the industry that suffers the most from a lack of diversity is the tech industry. As innovative and groundbreaking as it is, and though its technological advancements and products have defined our lives and woven themselves into our personalities, it still lacks in creating an environment representative of the diverse world it serves.

Consider the companies and products we use daily – Facebook, Google, Salesforce, Apple, and Twitter – Black and Latinx employees only constitute around five percent of their workforce, with the percentage being closer to two percent once they enter the boardrooms of leadership. Unfortunately, gender has a similar disparity, with women only accounting for twenty percent in the top companies. There have been some incredible strides to improve diversity in these companies, but an apparent disconnect remains as numbers struggle to break the single digits.

Leadership is another area reflecting almost criminal racial and gender disparity. Across all industries, the boardroom, c-suite leaders, and major companies' heads remain an allwhite boys club. Out of all fortune 500 companies, only 1% is Black and 4% women (only 3.2% release their race and gender data), and out of the 23% of women that occupy c-suite positions, only 4% are women of color.

If you want to evaluate if an organization is sincerely dedicated to its diversity initiatives, look at the leadership. Here is where we see the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion exhibited in real-time. If there is no diversity in leadership, there is no system of equity, thus authentic diversity, and inclusion. Diversity without inclusion is tokenism, and diversity and inclusion without equity is merely moral theater – it's a spectacular performance that gets applauded, but everything goes back to normal once the curtains close.

WHAT DOES A LACK OF DIVERSITY LOOK AND FEEL LIKE

Looking at stats and numbers is one thing, but once you experience the daily existential crisis that is being "one of the only ones" in the workplace, you understand the deep, long-lasting psychological toll homogenous work environments have. Apart from what occurs within the workspace, the battles waged internally have equal impact. Some of the everyday struggles are:

TOKENISM

The feeling, or treatment, like you were hired to fill a quota, to be the "diversity hire." This occurs when employees are hired but cannot express themselves, aren't heard, and can't contribute in a meaningful way.

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Marked by intense self-doubt and feeling like a fraud.

WEARING THE MASK

An elevated form of "code-switching," it's not just switching how you talk, but how you act and present yourself to the world. W.E.B. DuBois discussed this as the “double consciousness” in his book The Souls of Black Folk in 1903.

Fortune.com conducted a survey entitled "Working While Black: Stories from black corporate America," where they asked Black employees what they wanted their non-Black coworkers to know. Below

are quotes from that survey used to give a first-hand account of the struggles in work environments that lack diversity. The most significant complaints are:

Macro and Microagressions

Sometimes you experience egregious offensive comments, but what encompasses the "death by 1,000 cuts" is the subtle comments - the microaggressions. g