Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity
Diversity is the presence of difference within a given setting. You probably have for example a diversity of clothing brands in your closet, or another example would be a diversity of opinion or experiences.
Diversity is about a group or a collective and can only exist in relationship to others. An applicant for a teaching position or a student applicant is not "diverse"—they'rea unique, individual being. They may bring diversity to our student body, or to our hiring pool for new faculty, but they in themselves are not diverse. They're a person of color; part of the LGBTQ plus community; they have red hair, etc.
Equity
Equity is an approach that ensures everyone access to the same opportunities. Equity recognizes that advantages and barriers exist, and that, as a result, we don't all start from the same place. Equity is a process that needs to acknowledge that unequal starting place and continues to correct and address the imbalance. Some people have a really hard time with the idea of advantages and barriers and therefore have a hard time understanding equity.
Diversity is an outcome. Inclusion is an outcome. Equity is not an outcome. Equity refers to the processes we consistently engage in to ensure that people with marginalized identities have the opportunity to grow, contribute, and develop— regardless of their identity.
Inclusion
Inclusion is about folks with different identities feeling and/or being valued, leveraged, and welcomed within a giving setting (like our school). You can have a diverse faculty for instance, but that doesn't mean that everyone (particutarly those with marginalized identities—women, LGBTQ plus, and people of color, etc.)feels welcome,or is valued, or given opportunities to grow.
Inclusion is not a natural consequence of diversity. We can for instance spend thousands and thousands of dollars bringing a collection of students and adults to FASRI and never change the environment they walk into. When you truly focus on inclusion you might want to know things like: What is the experience for teachers who are the minority within FASRI? Or, what don't we realize we are doing that is negatively impacting our new gay parents?
An effort to increase diversity might mean a question like, why aren't teachers of different identities applying for our openings?
