Moving Beyond Politics: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect

• Kamillah Kassam ^[1]
  1. [1] Duke University

     Duke University

     Township of Durham, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 99, Nº 8, 2022, págs. 2773-2774
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Too often, the words diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect are reduced to buzzwords, talking points which are parroted by those in power. The asks that are made to further these principles ultimately, unfortunately, become politicized. A line is drawn in the sand. The Woke Left. The Entrenched Right. But issues of equity are not political, they’re humanistic. As scientists, we understand that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causative agent of this years-long-crisis, is not a political actor─it is a microbe that has been politicized and turned into a source of strife where we should have united against it. The issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect are the same. They’re used as talking points to further our political differences. They turn into fights, and they divide us. People become angry that they must undergo trainings to learn about how to foster an environment that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and respectful of all people.

    But who among us wants to work against communities that are welcoming to individuals of different backgrounds, where people are seen and treated fairly regardless of their identity, and are given opportunities without discrimination? After all, that is what we are striving for when we say we want to improve equity in the sciences. If we could all collectively push past the political lens, it would be clear that the only things needed for everyone to realize the importance of and strive to foster the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect is education, and maybe a bit of empathy. Education increases understanding of obstacles being faced by people other than ourselves, of the struggles they faced to get where they are, and how we can advocate so others may struggle less. After all, what scientist is against education? Should not we in fact be striving to learn, to widen our perspective and let new knowledge shift our paradigms? The words in the center of the cover are true─diversity is our strength. Without diversity, ideas stagnate and become stale. Rooms full of people who are all the same, with the same lens through which they view the world, become echo chambers. Even genetically, diversity is needed─its importance simply cannot be understated.

    We must also keep in mind that diversity can never be boiled down to solely issues of black and white. The diversity of diversity itself has to be recognized. It is not just race or gender, but sexuality and gender identity, disabilities that are visible and those that are not, religion, class, country of origin, neurodivergences; even parental background plays a role, where first generation students find themselves lacking the insider knowledge that can be needed to navigate the complexities of academia. There are people with intersectional identities, who are in the minority in more ways than one and must stand up for every part of themselves. There are people who, on sight, might appear to fit in the majority in every category but in fact do not. There’s even a diversity of subjects, a diversity of important jobs in the field of chemistry. Let no one fool you, becoming a tenure track faculty member is not the only career path, nor is it the most important one out there. This is the idea represented in my art piece, and it is a truth everyone must learn for the benefit of the field and for scientific endeavor: There is no one type of person, type of chemistry, or type of job that is better than any other. We all must work together for the advancement of scientific knowledge.

    This year, I’m fortunate to serve the graduate and professional student body at my university as Director of Diversity and Inclusion in the executive committee of our student government. I often say that the goal of my position and the committee I work with is to create a place where our work is not needed, because everyone considers the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and respect at every turn. Hopefully, this editorial will be one step toward creating a community of that nature.