Here you will find information about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as well as information about how to actively push back against structural racism, to be Anti-Racist.
WHAT IS DEI?
DEI is an acronym for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Here is a link to the Southern Tier Library System’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice page, a thorough and comprehensive list of resources for many issues and communities, including:
Ableism | Accessibility | Civic Engagement | Deafness and Hearing Loss | Drug Addicition | Indigenous Peoples | Mental Health | Print Disabilities | Poverty & Homelessness | Racism and Ethnic Dicrimination | Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity | Technology and Virtual Accessibility | and more.
Key diversity and inclusion terms include:
D&I: Diversity & Inclusion
DEI: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
DIB: Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
DEB: Diversity, Equity & Belonging
These may seem identical, but there are significant differences. Let’s unpack them a bit more.
Diversity: Acknowledges all the ways people differ: race, sex, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, religious beliefs, and more.
Inclusion: Is about diversity in practice. It’s the act of welcoming, supporting, respecting, and valuing all individuals and groups.
Equity: Is often used interchangeably with equality, but there’s a core difference: Where equality is a system in which each individual is offered the same opportunities regardless of circumstance, equity distributes resources based on needs. We live in a disproportionate society, and equity tries to correct its imbalance by creating more opportunities for people who have historically had less access.
Belonging: Infers that an equitable structure is in place and functioning to make all people, no matter their differences, feel welcome. When you reach for equity, you’re striving for a system that benefits everyone, no matter their circumstance. Belonging is when this not only works, but no one feels as if their inclusion is questioned.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion all mean different things, but interact with and rely on one another. Equity is the goal of diversity and inclusion.
Justice: Is the mission of equity, in which an equitable system works so well it eventually eliminates the systemic problems driving the need for the latter. In other words, everything is fairly and evenly distributed to people no matter their race, gender, physical ability, or other personal circumstances.
Where D&I focuses on making all groups feel welcome, DEI also addresses the systemic ways access to things—such as education, food, the web, and more—are unequally distributed.
Here is a useful article that explains why Diversity is very important in Libraries.
ANTI-RACISM
“Race does not biologically exist, yet how we identify with race is so powerful, it influences our experiences and shapes our lives.” *
In recent years, violence against Black and Asian Americans has re-opened an often painful examination of the issues surrounding concepts of race in America, with an urgency unfelt since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. You may have heard the term, “anti-racist” and thought, “I’m not racist, that doesn’t apply to me.”
However, it may not be enough to not be racist; we may need to be actively anti-racist to make the ideal of equality real to all people in our society.
“Being anti-racist is fighting against racism. Racism takes several forms and works most often in tandem with at least one other form to reinforce racist ideas, behavior, and policy.” *
You can read the Library’s statement in the aftermath of the killing of Floyd George and in support of Black Lives Matter and the millions of Americans who marched across the country in 2020 in seeking equity and justice.
The resources on this page can help us learn about racism, and how to practice anti-racism. They can help us to understand the harm racism does to everyone, regardless of skin color or ethnicity. They can show us how to become more actively involved with making our communities better places to live for everyone.