DEI: Too Important to Let It Go DOA

How to commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion that lasts-and benefits everyone.

There's a long-overdue reckoning in boardrooms across America: companies being called upon by employees and stakeholders alike to be intentional about diversity, equity, and inclusion. But there's a right way and a wrong way to go about change. I know this firsthand.

Long before I co-founded my own Dallas-based DEI tech company, Kanarys, I was a partner at a law firm. It was 2017, years before the murder of George Floyd prompted multinational companies to revamp their diversity policies. Nonetheless, my firm launched a women's task force intended to improve conditions for female employees. The firm asked me to serve on the committee; co-workers would frequently come to me with questions regarding bias and discrimination. I loved giving back in this way, and it taught me the systemic nature of these issues-like how paid-leave benefits routinely apply only to full-time employees, excluding non-salaried or part-time workers.

But my experience was atypical. I had participated in activism efforts during college and law school, led police interaction training for Black students, and served on the boards of several groups focused on DEI work. I had a background in diversity education before I formally made it my career.