True diversity is complex. It’s not just about skin color, gender, and sexual orientation. It’s about thought and worldview. It involves a person’s faith, education, occupation, income level, geography, political affiliation, life experience, and more.
You can have 20 people at a table with mixed skin color, gender, and sexual orientation with the same thoughts and worldview – and have very little diversity to speak of. You would have an echo chamber of people unwilling to listen to different viewpoints.
If the goal is to foster true diversity in our communities, we need to come to the table for LIVE CONVERSATIONS, RESPECTFUL, READY TO LISTEN and ponder. We need to take our key findings from those conversations and translate them into productive actions with accountability.
It’s hard work, but it’s worth it. We need to step away from armchair activism and black and white extremist ideologies and be willing to do the deeply human, loving work for the long haul for true social change.
Sindy Hankins 