Striking at humanity

Readers will recall the tragedy that took place in the USA nine days after Donald Trump assumed office of the President for the second term. On 29 January of this year, a passenger jet and a military helicopter collided and plunged into the Potomac river near Washington D.C. leaving all 67 passengers and crew dead. The fallout of this deadly incident has been even more deadly. The President of the United States who is opposed to the principles and policies of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), immediately initiated a crusade against DEI.

During a White House briefing, Trump suggested that DEI initiatives at the Federal Aviation Administration (of the United States) might have played a role in the crash. Without any supporting evidence. When a reporter asked Trump how he could conclude that diversity had something to do with the crash, he said “It just could have been.” “Because I have common sense, OK, and, unfortunately, a lot of people don’t.” Shortly thereafter he stated to the World Economic Forum “My administration has taken action to abolish all discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion nonsense – and these are policies that were absolute nonsense – throughout the government and the private sector.”

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Readers will also remember another tragic event that took place about five years ago, on 25 May 2020. An African American, George Floyd, was accused by a cashier of a food store in Minneapolis of using a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill to pay for his purchase. The police were called. They handcuffed him. They pushed him to the ground. A white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes that killed Floyd. A passer-by filmed the entire episode and uploaded the video on Facebook. The video quickly went viral. Mass protests began in Minneapolis and spread like wildfire throughout the United States.

Supporters of the international activist movement “Black Lives Matter” held nationwide demonstrations against police brutalities and racial injustice. There was a nationwide reckoning of racial justice and these protests resulted in a dramatic diversity, equity and inclusion push globally. Harvard University created a university-wide Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer in August 2020, for example. Diversity recognises that our society comprises people with different characteristics, such as, age, sex, religion, ethnicity, disability, etc., that gives rise to a variety of principles and perspectives, and acknowledges the value of the differences. Certain personal characteristics based on which people are often discriminated against ~ such as, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, race, etc. ~ are called ‘protected characteristics.’

Equity is about providing support to groups with protected characteristics so that the opportunities are made fair for them. Equity differs from equality. Equality is achieved by treating everyone equally irrespective of their needs. Equity treats certain groups more favourably than other groups so that equality of opportunity can be achieved. Inclusion ensures respect to individuals for their skills, perspectives and experiences. The principle of inclusion propounds fostering an environment that allows persons with diverse backgrounds, characteristics and ways of thinking to work together effectively so that their potentials are fully realised. Therefore, inclusion means creating spaces where everyone feels welcome, respected and are able to contribute fully.

Incorporating diverse viewpoints is also more likely to address the needs of broader populations, ensuring equitable outcomes. While diversity is simpler to monitor, increasing diversity alone does not guarantee equity or inclusion. From a humanitarian point of view, it is absolutely essential to make a workplace safe, equitable and non-discriminatory for everyone. When there is diversity in a workplace, outcomes of activities in the workplace are maximised, thereby enriching perspectives and enabling equality. DEI is not just about fairness. It seeks to identify and address structural barriers, making better decisions, building stronger communities and driving innovation that works for everyone. Promoting DEI enhances excellence in outcomes of activities, aligns with human rights principles, and ensures equitable benefits for global populations.

The world has recognized the social benefits of non-discrimination, and of DEI. But suddenly, there seems to be a ‘realisation’ that DEI results in engaging persons who are “less fit” than many others who are engaged in the same activity. Even if persons from a homogeneous background are engaged in an activity, it is impossible to ensure that all of them will be “equally fit” for the job. On the other hand, homogeneity will throttle expansion of mind-sets, skills and viewpoints. DEI is a set of principles designed to make people of various backgrounds – including socio-economic class, race, gender and physical ability ~ feel supported, welcomed and safe. It is not about including people of diverse backgrounds in a workplace who are unqualified or less qualified to do a job.

DEI in the workplace can be a mix of training, resource networks and recruiting practices, so as to allow everyone to contribute well to the workplace. However, there are people who have criticized DEI like hell. William Ackman, an American billionaire hedge-fund manager, criticized DEI as “inherently a racist and illegal movement in its implementation even if it purports to work on behalf of the so-called oppressed.” Almost everybody in the world knows Elon Musk because they use his X. Musk hates DEI. He has written on X “DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it.” And later, “DEI, because it discriminates on the basis of race, gender and many other factors, is not merely immoral, it is also illegal.”

“Terminate DEI and restore merit-based opportunity” is now the mantra of the US government. DEI is upheld in our country by Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution of India. These articles guarantee equality before the law and equal protection for all individuals; prohibit discrimination based on religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth; and ensure equal opportunity in public employment for all citizens. Further, the Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill ensures that rights of individuals with disabilities are protected. The reservation system ensures equity to certain groups so that they can achieve equality of opportunity. In the private sector, many organisations are voluntarily taking actions in fulfilment of the principles of DEI.

Adoption of the principles of DEI maintains a healthy and respectful organisational culture. Members of an organisation stay engaged with each other when DEI principles are adopted. When members interact among themselves, a healthy culture of sharing and support develops. Commitment to DEI by the organisation helps maintain the healthy culture. It is sad that in the United States there is so much uproar against the humanitarian values of DEI. The entire framework has now been shattered, using various forms of force. Harvard University, which had appointed a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer only five years ago, has shut the doors of this DEI office, and has renamed it as the “Office of Community and Campus Life.”

Multiple graduate schools of Harvard have also renamed their diversity offices as “Community and Culture,” “Academic Culture and Community,” or “Community and Belonging.” All because of the huge pressure created by the U.S. government by cutting or withholding billions of dollars of grants for research and other activities. After an initial period of defiance, Harvard has caved in. Harvard is just one example. Nearly all organisations, including private business organisations, have dismantled their DEI offices and affirmative activities. Corporations from Meta and Google to Goldman Sachs and McDonald’s have all announced retreat from DEI programmes.

This in spite of the fact that companies show “a 39 per cent increased likelihood of outperformance for those in the top quartile of ethnic representation versus the bottom quartile,” as stated in the most recent McKinsey Diversity Matters report. The world is witnessing how the government of a country that functions within the framework of a constitutional federal democratic republic can erase humanitarian principles from the country even without wide discussion. We hope that the DEI backlash raging through the United States does not percolate to other nations, including our own.

(The writer is Distinguished Professor, John C. Martin Center for Liver Research & Innovations, and Emeritus Professor, Indian Statistical Institute. Views are personal)