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Writer's pictureJennifer Beech

Another Side of DEI Training, Part 1

DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) training is a hot topic these days. And it should be. It’s about time everyone’s experiences are acknowledged and efforts made to increase equality and equity in the workplace and in society as a whole. However, I’m conflicted when it comes to doing DEI training.


I have been writing for many years. I went to college and studied creative writing. In those days, I fancied myself a novelist. Still do. Sometimes. I loved to read. All those classic novels you get assigned in high school. I loved creative writing because creative writers read contemporary novels, meaning novels written by people who were still alive. As much as I liked the classics, how many times can you really read Moby Dick?


I was drawn first to postcolonial literature for many of the same reasons. Postcolonial literature is the study of literature of former colonized countries, mostly former British colonies because unless your second and third language skills are on point, you are reading literature written in English. I loved reading literature from authors who were navigating the political and socioeconomic climate of living in a formerly colonized country. I later moved into African American and Caribbean literature. A little closer to home. (You could argue that the United States is a formerly colonized country. You’re right, but it’s complicated. Whether the U.S. is a postcolonial nation or not is hotly debated.).


I say all that to say that when I left academia, DEI training was a natural fit for me. I knew all about African American history. I had taught it for 5 years. You can’t study literature without history or psychology even. I liked doing that kind of training. It was my dissertation come to life.


So why the conflict?


I taught my last college course in fall 2016, right after the election of President Trump. DEI topics have always had resistance, but it was markedly higher during the Trump presidency. As I’ve said before, the academy, especially the humanities, tend to lean left on the political spectrum (at least that’s the perception). So all the resistance gets routinely dismissed without a second thought. Because in the academy, everyone is or should be intersectional, at least third wave, feminist who holds their copy of The Communist Manifesto close, and is pro-choice. At least that’s the perception.


However, I was having second thoughts. Is that the only way to advocate for DEI issues or train in the DEI space?




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