Decompiling Oppression #132
Sam McVeety
With the recent announcements about cutting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs in the corporate world (with some notable exceptions), I find myself sitting with a sense of loss. While these decisions will have many consequences for many people, I wanted to take some time to reflect on what programs like these have meant to me. I do that, not from a desire to center my own experiences, but to disrupt the idea that these retrenchments are somehow a victory for white men; they are a loss for us all.
When I think back on my own journey, a major personal milestone for me was participating in Sojourn, an internal multi-day program at Google led by Dr. Myosha McAfee. It wasn't an easy experience. It involved sitting with uncomfortable realities large and small, from pervasive anti-Black violence in the United States to the everyday wear of microaggressions in the workplace. And yet, when I think back to Sojourn, the first word that comes to mind is curiosity.
Curiosity, because more than anything, I find that doing work in the DEI space has expanded my view of the world, rather than narrowed it. Much of this work stems from the very simple exercise of trying to imagine what the experience of someone else, someone not like you, might be like. When people are open to it, this is such a rich, infinitely layered question. You realize that there are the things you can know about these other experiences, and the things that are unknowable, and that there is beauty in that mystery.
While it's probably best not to dwell on the hypocrisies of the present administration, it feels important to at least name them. Foremost among them would be the fact that these anti-DEI policies (and their corresponding book bannings, silencing of teachers, etc.) are propounded by a movement that fancies itself a standard-bearer of free speech absolutism.
Then there's the matter of risk. DEI topics are challenging, no doubt, and having brave conversations in this space carries with it a substantial amount of emotional risk-taking. And yet, in a corporate world that loves to lionize risk in so many ways, the idea that the "move fast and break things" cohort would revert to playing it safe is... telling. What's more, for all of the (gendered) talk of how these programs are attempting to coddle people, there is a fascinating amount of discomfort and fragility on display from those who protest loudest against DEI.
Back to curiosity, though, where we can see the seeds of the present moment's undoing. It may take years or even decades, but saying no to curiosity about the experiences of others comes with consequences of its own. When you start to actively ignore the experiences of whole groups of people (or flatten them into stereotypes), you create gaps in your own ability to understand the world. History tells us that this is not a wise strategy. The unknowable experiences of others have a way of creating unpleasant surprises for those who would pretend they don't exist.
Somewhat uncomfortably, this lack of curiosity can cut across the political spectrum, heightened by the fatigue that many of us are feeling. Looking back at November's election, when messaging that might seem obvious to some (preserving democracy, say) failed to provoke a universal response, it is still an invitation to curiosity. Yes, it's frustrating, hugely frustrating, when this disconnect is coupled with a mobilization of white supremacy (with its history of preventing working class organizing). Everyone seems to be voting against their interests, and, curiosity about why they are doing so is still important. All of these things can be true at once.
Ultimately, though, where curiosity helps us most is in embracing change. The problem with trying to keep things as they are, or trying to make them great again, is that it denies the inevitable: things will change, no matter how tightly we try to hold them. Octavia and adrienne know this. I'm grateful to have teachers like them in my universe, and I'm grateful to the many people who have helped cultivate the curiosity that led me to seek them out.
Here are this week's invitations:
Personal: What inspires you to be curious? When do you find it hard to be curious?
Communal: How can we use curiosity to create organizing spaces that are welcoming and supportive?
Solidarity: Support The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond and their work to intentionally and systematically develop anti-racist leadership within local communities and organizations.
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