Whitewashing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion — It’s a Thing

Katelyn Harris Lange
4 min readApr 14, 2019
Photo by Ian Keefe on Unsplash

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) — three words commonly used to tiptoe around the fact that our country’s racist hiring, housing, and lending practices are entangled into our corporate DNA and we have to mutate before we can move forward in an authentic and productive way.

Our past and present state of discrimination leads organizations to build and scale with only a homogenous segment of the population in mind (read: white and male), thus rewarding that segment with economic opportunity, decision-making power, and a false sense of merit. The meritocracy myth is currently on full display after the exposure of the college admissions scandal.

Creating the more diverse, equitable, and inclusive economy that we all deserve requires acknowledgment of past discrimination and an examination of how current policies and practices could be perpetuating exclusion across all business functions.

The term “greenwashing” describes companies that adopt an eco-friendly/sustainability-minded external image that is not supported by actual sustainable business practices.

What is the word for companies that hop on the diversity bandwagon like they’re down for the cause when a closer look exposes a lack of thought, understanding, and intention?

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Katelyn Harris Lange
Katelyn Harris Lange

Written by Katelyn Harris Lange

Here for economic justice and community. Philanthropist and power shifter writing about work, social impact & relationships.

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