In Defense of Dignity
After the 2016 presidential election in the United States, I remember wondering to myself, “what do we do now that our government does not seem interested in demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity?” I was basing this thought on the fact that I’d grown accustomed to hearing elected leaders advocate for diversity and inclusion in some very specific ways. I remember thinking that “It’s on us now.” I remember saying that we who are D&I practitioners in the private sector have to continue to focus on the business case for D&I, and prove that there are pragmatic and indisputable reasons that diversity matters, beyond it simply being a matter of personal and corporate values.
But what about the other side of the discussion?
Jonathan Capehart, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist from the Washington Post, hosts a weekly podcast, where he discusses current issues with guests from all sides of the U.S. political spectrum. In a recent discussion with Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute and author of The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fair, Happier, and More Prosperous America, the discussion turned to the topic of human dignity, and the things that demonstrate and undermine it.
Mr. Brooks talked about the ways in which President Trump (then candidate Trump) spoke to the dignity of those who, in many cases, may not have been the focus of our cultural and workplace conversations about diversity, or inclusion, in recent years. He said “Donald Trump was talking to people in the parts of America that have been truly forgotten and left behind now for generations in a way that was inherent…It helped people understand that he understood that they should have a sense of their dignity, too.”[1]
This is an idea that Barack Obama put forth in his recent farewell address, saying that “…if our democracy is to work the way it should in this increasingly diverse nation, then each one of us need to try to heed the advice of a great character in American fiction, Atticus Finch, who said ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’”
I recently had the amazing opportunity to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa. I spent my days meeting with members of our regional leadership team, and with HR counterparts. In my HR discussions, we talked about transformation programs and efforts in South Africa that came about in response to apartheid. These programs, regulated by the government, provide strong incentives for businesses to adopt hiring practices that seek to ensure that employment in local businesses is reflective of the diversity within the country’s population. I heard a lot in those discussions that meshes with my work as a D&I practitioner. I shared my point of view, and we left those conversations in happy agreement.
But my drive to and from the office each day confronted me with a different perspective. The gentleman who drove me from the hotel to the office each morning, and back again in the evening, wasa middle-aged white South African. He was a member of the military, then a firefighter, then a carpenter, and now drives for a hired car service while looking for other opportunities. He was vocal about his concerns and disagreements with the government programs designed to empower black South Africans. For me, his perspective wasn’t always easy to hear. I didn’t agree with everything he said, but I could empathize with the challenges he described. When we weren’t talking about government policies, he was telling me about the history of the places we passed, and listing things that I needed to see in his country. He is a man is full of pride for his nation, and yet concerned about change, and concerned about his own lot in life. In short, there are some things that he and I might never completely agree on. But he has a valid perspective, and to deny him that would be to deny his dignity.
“Dignity is to be worthy of respect. That’s what dignity really means. And people can be stripped of their dignity in a lot of ways,” said Brooks, “but the number one way that people are stripped of their sense of dignity is when they feel superfluous to society, when they feel that they are not needed.”[2]
When you describe the things that undermine dignity in that way, and consider what the opposite condition might look like, it seems an awful lot like our ideal of inclusion, doesn’t it? An inclusive, respectful workplace would be one where no one feels superfluous, and where everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute their perspectives.
That said, there is bound to be disagreement. Robert Jones Jr. famously wrote, “We can disagree and still love each other, unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.” It is essential that we remain vigilant, and wary of policies and actions which, at a structural or institutional level, seek to take away the dignity of our neighbors and colleagues. And we need to courageously stand up when individuals speak in ways that undermine the dignity of others.
In a panel discussion that I was part of last year, a question came up about authenticity. And the question centered on what happens when one person’s authentic views are disrespectful towards, or offensive to, others. If we strive to include all perspectives, and we say that we want people to feel free to express their authentic selves, then what happens when one or more people begin to speak in a way that denies others’ dignity?
I’ve come to believe that the answer is in the way that we hold one another accountable. Because accountability, too, is about respect. Holding another accountable to the values and behaviors that a group has agreed to hold dear helps to ensure the dignity of all. And there is room for disagreement. Disagreement is necessary, if we’re going to reap the benefits of bringing diverse perspectives together. Intellectual and philosophical friction can lead us to better ways of being, and more innovative ways of achieving common goals.
In a workplace, there are some tools that can help this along. I’m fortunate to work for an organization where Respect and Diversity are counted among our shared corporate values. These become expectations that we can point to when one or more members of the organization are behaving or speaking in ways that are disrespectful, or that seek to exclude. We also have a Diversity & Inclusion policy that states clearly what we expect from one another, and why Diversity matters at the company. These become important touchstones in creating an inclusive culture.
Importantly, they don’t create the culture in and of themselves. Culture is a by-product of countless repeated behaviors that reinforce our values, and that reaffirm our expectations of one another. Creating a culture of inclusive requires that inclusive leaders hold themselves and others accountable. It requires that leaders empower others, and have the humility to seek ongoing personal and professional growth.
That takes time, and consistency, and ongoing reinforcement. But, at some level, the goal of each inclusive interaction is to build a culture that not only claims to value the dignity of all, but that demonstrates that commitment every day.
So I guess that, in the end, I come back to the place where I found myself on November 9, 2016 – but with a key amendment. It is on us – all of us – to do the daily work of inclusion. And while it was comforting and affirming to hear elected leaders speak specifically about the importance of diversity and inclusion, I need to step back and assess those words honestly. Were those words, advocating for an inclusive society, really as inclusive as they seemed? Was this really a situation where one side had it right, and the other did not?
I think that, in the end, we come back to the fact that there are a lot of people on all sides of most issues, all trying their best to ensure the success of their families, their communities, their companies, their nations, and the world at large. We need to be patient with one another. We need to give one another the benefit of the doubt. We need to defend the dignity of all. And when we hear words and see behaviors that run counter to that (because we will), we need to hold one another accountable.
That’s what respect looks like, and it’s the only way that we move forward – all of us – together.
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I realize that all of this may seem entirely obvious to some. And a year ago, conceptually speaking, I would have agreed with all of it. But the last few months have led me to think about some of the things that I accepted and took for granted. It's led me to learn, and question and, hopefully, to be more open to the perspectives of those who don't come at the world in the same way that I do. All of this is growth. And I don't offer this as some sort of neatly packaged panacea. I realize that the things I've talked about on this blog for the last several months constitute hard work and daily vigilance. I appreciate your willingness to read this far, and to join me, in some way, on a journey that is both deeply personal and professionally rewarding. More to come...
[1] Cape Up with Jonathan Capehart, “Arthur Brooks explains how dignity links Trump and Obama”, podcast released January 24, 2017.
[2] Ibid
