A Framework for a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

At the dawn of “the great racial awakening of 2020”, many organizations released statements announcing their commitments to racial equity and social justice reforms — deploring racism and the system that perpetuates it. This was a first for many companies as they called on their Black staff (and other staff of color) for assistance with word-choice, phrasing, and tone to issue statements and make bold commitments to transforming their companies to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive with a much stronger emphasis on racial equity and anti-racism than has been seen in recent memory.

Now, many companies are looking for guidance and support with implementing these bold commitments. With that, companies are looking to draft diversity, equity, and inclusion position statements that illustrate their commitment to DEI. While a statement is an important step, it can be construed as a weak attempt at reconciling long-embedded issues of bias and race within an organization if actual long-term, systemic strategies do not accompany or quickly follow the statement.

I offer that as a caveat to this list of strategies below. After you have made a commitment as an organization to a long-term DEI strategic plan, here are some things to keep in mind when drafting your DEI statement. A robust and intentional DEI statement should include, at a minimum, the five following components.

1. It should be authentic and align with your organizational values. Your position statement should not be so far-fetched that when people read it, they don’t believe it. As an organization if you have not established, adopted, and incorporated values that guide your internal and external business practices — you want to start describing your values before you draft a position statement. Your values, which are your core ethics as a company, are your organizational blueprint and they should guide your vision on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

2. It should be explicit. People should not wonder where you stand on DEI. Be clear with your words and descriptions and point to direct outcomes. Avoid vague phrasing like, “We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and strive to uphold these values in our organization.” That is admirable, but how exactly do you plan to uphold them? Are you committed to the full diaspora of diversity? If so, name it: race, nationality, religion, age, political affiliation, gender, etc. And how will you demonstrate your commitment? Will you ensure there is greater diversity on your leadership teams that goes beyond gender? Then say so. Be explicit with your DEI commitments.

3. It should be inclusive. This should go without saying for a DEI statement, but be sure to involve your staff in the development of your position statement and ensure this expands beyond the senior leadership team. Staff participation is critical for the success of any DEI effort and getting staff buy-in early on will pay dividends later.

4. It should be visionary. DEI statements are similar to vision statements in that most organizations have not arrived at their DEI statements — it is something they are striving toward. Don’t be afraid to dream a bit and describe the organization you want to have through an intentional, strategic, and long-term approach to DEI.

5. It should be actionable. Your DEI statement must be actionable. You are wasting company time and resources to develop a position statement you have no intention of implementing. More, it reflects poorly on your organization. With an explicit statement in place (see number 2 above), it provides you an opportunity to act on the specifics you’ve included in your statement. For example, a statement like, “We are committed to increasing the diversity of our leadership pipeline,” should align with immediate efforts to create a strategy for recruiting and retaining staff of color that historically have not had leadership roles within your organization. The Hewlett Foundation provides a good example of how an entity can practically and implement their DEI commitment.

DEI Statements can be key to any DEI effort, but like any other position statement, mission statement, or statement of intent, they are only words on a page unless they are endorsed by staff, adopted, and implemented into the culture and fabric of your organization. Don’t allow your statement to simply be words on a page — activate it and implement it with fidelity and urgency.