As a diversity and inclusion professional, I have been often confronted with questions on how I feel about the recent increase of threats towards the values of diversity, equity and inclusion all over the world, including the rise of hate speech and discriminatory policies that target the marginalized communities. It’s heartbreaking to witness skepticism towards these essential values that humanity needs to embrace, on top of the current political landscapes worldwide that seem determined to undermine them.
However, I strongly believe that social movements have evolved in ways that even if we take two steps back, we will take an even bigger step forward. And deep down, I know that we are going to come out of this stronger. My main concern is though, that marginalized communities will suffer the most during this challenging time, and it will take another significant amount of time for society to acknowledge and address the injustices especially facing these communities.
Often, people have been nurtured to be scared of the unknown. For example, when we encounter people that do not look like us, sound like us or act like us, the unknown factors may cause suspicion and fear. But it is this very fear that we have, which has helped us survive as species on this earth for all these years. Thus, these animalistic instincts are part of our evolutionary structure.
So in order for us to not default to this fear but be kind and compassionate towards all of the unknown, we have to keep on reminding our brains to pivot and take new perspectives through consistent education and social interactions. Which is why, achieving the values of diversity and inclusion may appear easy but is indeed quite challenging. It requires a tremendous amount of ongoing self-awareness, reflection and collective efforts.
This world is for everyone and every species to live harmoniously, yet we have been overlooking this important truth. Under the values of being competitive, thriving and winning, it is hard to open our eyes to other important values such as compassion, empathy and kindness. And under the current system we live in, having compassion and kindness for others have been often looked up as a sign of weakness, when it really should be a basic quality for any human being to carry as part of our society.
As we navigate this journey of equity, diversity and inclusion, it is important to remind ourselves the journey is not going to be a straight path, nor will it be easy. We are going to face many challenges and obstacles along the way, which is why it’s crucial to celebrate and validate the small victories, while making sure we are listening to and including those whose voices have been silenced.
Here at Greenpeace East Asia, we passionately believe that a greener and more sustainable world can only be achieved with the values of Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Safety, a world where differences are celebrated and truly accepted. This is a shared responsibility amongst all of us. We might sometimes have to get engaged in uncomfortable conversations, confront our biases, have self-reflections and be comfortable with those discomforts as a chance to grow.
Together, we can turn the current climate of fear and injustice into hopes and possibilities, and together, we can make the values of diversity and inclusion lead us to a better future for all of us.
Yaewon Hwang is Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Transformation Lead at Greenpeace East Asia.
