I was recently asked to share my thoughts on the use of different acronyms for equality work – I am an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, and EDI is often the term used in Ireland and the UK. Whereas, in the US, the term DEI, or Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is often used with the word Belonging occasionally adding a B to form DEIB. In this research interview, the example of JEDI was also shared – Justice, Equality (or Equity), Diversity & Inclusion.
If I had been asked my thoughts on these letters four months ago, I would have defaulted to EDI, but with a desire to include B for Belonging. This coincidentally aligns with the new approach taken by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to transversal framework reporting by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland (Source: HEA) This seems appropriate for the inclusive environment desired by staff and students in higher education.
However, despite having a thriving EDI Learning Community at MTU, given the context of the last three months or so, I felt called to create a new Global Justice Learning Community, to specifically focus on informing, educating and raising awareness of all injustice, inequality, occupation and oppression around the world, with the current emphasis on freeing Palestine.
I believe that EDI work begins with the most marginalised, most oppressed, and most disadvantaged. My understanding of intersectional feminism (coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw) is that if we are not beginning those most affected by inequality, then we risk not only maintaining the difference but exacerbating it by only improving the situation of those most advantaged in the first instance. This is evidenced by the many articles on white women benefitting most from affirmative action or other initiatives designed to redress the balance for all minorities (Source: USA Today).
I believe that EDI requires us to take a social justice lens to our work. As outlined so clearly by the group, DEI Against Occupation:
We can’t talk about creating diverse, inclusive, and equitable spaces without using a social justice lens. Cultivating and practicing this lens is an ongoing process that requires individual and collective reflection and accountability. Without it, the DEI acronym will continue to be overused and lose its meaning.
DEI Against Occupation
So yes, Belonging is important for inclusion, but it cannot be achieved without Justice, even if it is not immediately obvious, even to those of us working in the sector. Hence EDI has a silent J, which feels appropriate given the oft misquoted Jedi Master Yoda:
Do or do not, there is no try.
Master Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
If we care about EDI, we must take action towards true equality, rather than make half-hearted attempts that risk causing us, our work, and our communities, a continued injustice.
Siobhán Kangataran 