DEI Celebrations should be about more than merely “awareness” Awareness doesn’t last. Change lasts, but change is hard. To celebrate DEI days authentically, you need to:
1) Have benchmarks on the DEI topic at hand to see if you are improving or not
2) Have people who authentically represent the DEI event being celebrated.
3) Follow up after the event. See if permanent improvements have been made and don’t go by instinct, repeat the benchmark.
If you don’t take at least these three steps, don’t be surprised if your DEI is labeled performative.
DEI is measured through action that results in change, not through words or recognizing holidays.
Alt: Seinfeld actors dancing and celebrating. Text says “Getting through a DEI celebration without changing anything significant”