Why I Always Put the ‘E’ First In ‘Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’

This work is more often referred to as DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). But while diversity is a crucial piece of the puzzle, here’s why the term ‘EDI’ is gaining traction, and why I’m personally committed to putting the “E” first.

In 2020, I woke up to my life. I became a lot clearer on who I was, what my unique gifts were, and how I wanted to use those in the service of what matters to me. All of that inner work led me to pursue a career in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. And when the time came to label myself (a scary time for someone who has struggled to step into her power) I had to decide the order of the letters in my label. DEI consultant or EDI consultant.

I thought about the racial reckoning in 2020, and specifically how companies responded in the aftermath. They posted black squares on Instagram. They proclaimed “Black Lives Matter”, hastily compiled anti-racism statements, and made promises to make their organizations more colorful. There was an uptick in the work I’m doing now. But it was clear to me that one message was ringing out louder than others — the message that “we need more BIPOC representation.” “We need more diversity.”

I’m going to focus on theater companies, because that’s where my heart is. I am focused on the arts as a consultant, performer, choreographer and enthusiast. But the events of 2020 lit a fire under companies across the board, and it created an urgency for work that was visible from the outside. Many companies, in turn, hustled to engage in DEI work. But there was a problem I saw happening in theater, a very visual medium — a problem I’d felt the effects of before but didn’t have the language for at the time. Many organizations stopped reading the acronym after the ‘D’.

I’m a writer, so I’m a firm believer that words matter. But I also believe that the order of words matters. It matters because of the way words land. Their order can dictate the weight that they hold, the attention and care they receive. So when it came time to label what kind of consultant I was, I chose to put the ‘E’ first. Here’s why.

When the Work Stops at the ‘D’

Diversity is undeniably crucial (I don’t think I have to say that — I’ve been shouting about it for a while now. But I’m going to say it anyway.) And for BIPOC artists who have been struggling to get a foot in the door, who have been aching to be seen and represented, a lack of visible diversity in any setting is disappointing. Some artists are unsettled by what they see (or don’t see). Others are irate. Some continue to do their work quietly, keeping their opinions to themselves. Some start a firestorm on social media. The variety of reactions makes perfect sense to me.

But on the company side, answering the cries for representation by adding more diversity is actually the easy part of this work. Diversity is the most obvious checkmark of the trifecta of DEI. Why? Because it is the only term that can be seen from the outside. And while calls for public accountability are ringing loudly, quick public-facing solutions are the most appealing.

For theaters, outreach to BIPOC artists may require a fair amount of work. But it’s straightforward, and the “rewards” are immediate. It’s change that you can see reflected in a photo on Facebook or Instagram. It’s visible change that will bring about more likes and less shade on social media.

The problem is that diversity on its own is the easiest of the terms to perform with the least amount of critical thinking and strategy. You can’t look at a picture of employees at any given company and know for sure that work is being done in the realms of equity and inclusion. You can’t look at a picture of a musical’s cast and know that theater did anything other than hire BIPOC artists.

But many companies, many theaters do this — add BIPOC artists and stir. I’m here to say it doesn’t work in the long run.

Putting diversity first means putting out casting notices that call for BIPOC artists without examining the preexisting system those artists will be coming into. It means a theater company adding shows that don’t center white people in their seasons without getting clear on why they’re doing it. It means hiring a diverse group of people, clapping your hands together and calling it a day. Looks great from the outside. Feels like shaky, unstable, and sometimes dangerous ground on the inside.

I wrote about this feeling in my article ‘Hi, We Need a Black Actor’: What It’s Like to Be on ‘The List’ before I dug more deeply into this work. My BIPOC colleagues and I can tell stories for hours about our experiences in theaters that made the mistake of stopping their work after the ‘D’. The diversity was apparent, and garnered praise, from the outside. But from the inside, it felt like same old, same old.

Identifying the “Why”

I know exactly what brought me to EDI work. My “why” is the center of my vision board, and all of my goals are extensions of that “why.” You don’t have to publicly announce your “why” for it to be powerful and meaningful — you just have to know it, deep down at a soul level. Once you do, all of your decisions, and your way forward, become much clearer.

Identifying the “why” is important for companies too. And I think it’s crucial to identify that “why” when it comes to EDI efforts.

If fear drives a company’s “why” — fear of criticism, online attacks, finger pointing or accountability — then they’re doing the wrong work for the wrong reasons. These companies want to appear to be doing what everyone else is doing. They don’t want to be called out or cancelled. Sure, they care about diversity, but they have no further “why” for engaging in this work. These are the companies whom I fear are forgetting about the ‘E’ and the ‘I’.

I’m going to let these companies in on a (not-so-secret) secret. There will always be critics. There will always be people who don’t believe you are doing enough. If you are doing your work to get your critics off your back, you may succeed in the short term, but you will never succeed at this work in the long run. It only takes one incident to expose the lack of equity and inclusion efforts on the inside — only one incident to land you with an EDI or DEI consultant for the wrong reasons.

On the flip side, if a company’s ‘why’ involves doing the work because they care about people, they want to correct injustices, to tackle and dismantle the systems that benefit some and exclude many, they are on a clearer track. Companies like these understand that their current system has cracks and flaws. They understand that there is always more to learn, and learning more in the area of EDI connects with their overall “why.” These companies are willing to walk through the fear of not always getting things right — to put aside “what has always worked” and do some real, internal reexamination. This kind of ‘why’ leads to genuine, sustainable change — not just highly visible, but mostly hollow, attempts to satisfy social media critics. Companies with a real “why” are poised to put the ‘E’ first.

How Social Media Gets In the Way

Let’s talk about that visible diversity in theater for a minute.

We’ve all seen these two scenarios. In the first one, a cast photo goes up that showcases diversity of race, gender, identity, ability, size, etc., and we (I’m putting myself in this “we”) celebrate and applaud. We see change, we see progress, and that is important. Representation matters. In the second scenario, a cast photo goes up and we see a sea of white faces. This is where the criticism rolls in. This is where the company gets called out on social media for their lack of attention to and care regarding diversity.

It’s important to understand that this feedback comes from people from marginalized communities (and their allies/accomplices) celebrating representation, or condemning the lack thereof. These affirmations or criticisms come from people who are watching from the outside. To them, they want change they can see. They will fight for it however they can, and rightfully so.

But Equity, Diversity and Inclusion work, as an entity, is the work of a company, not the work of the company’s critics. And it’s work that has to come from the inside. Simply satisfying the cries for transparency and visual representation is “Diversity” work, but it is not EDI work. I think that’s a major misconception that gets in the way of meaningful change. It logically follows that companies who come to the work to stop social media criticism and quiet the calls for representation get hung up on the “Diversity.”

Why I Put ‘Equity’ First

Equality and equity often get confused and conflated. But the difference is crucial in this work.

When people from marginalized communities are invited into preexisting systems, what kinds of environments are they entering? If predominantly white theaters just throw in diversity, that’s a step toward equality. Equality gives people the same opportunities across the board, but it doesn’t recognize that people come from different backgrounds, abilities and levels of privilege. It doesn’t recognize who has most benefitted from the existing system. And it certainly doesn’t take into account the hurdles that marginalized people have to overcome once they enter those systems.

Equity goes deeper. It recognizes and acknowledges that people don’t begin in the same place in society. It allocates the resources and opportunities needed on an individual basis to reach an equal outcome.

Equity first means there’s a real effort to reexamine and change the system from the inside. It means that there’s real care and thought going into what happens to the ‘diversity’ before and after the photo goes up on social media. It means a focus on a safer environment in which people feel that they belong and matter. In short, equity first means caring about the real value of diversity. And only in that order can we achieve the goal of inclusion.

Accountability As Fuel (and Shaking Off Shame)

As a company, social media criticism is no fun to endure. There’s no denying that. But I think understanding the difference between shaming and accountability (Brene Brown literally wrote the book on it) is crucial in moving forward from superficial and fear-based “whys.”

There are people who will shame companies online. This looks like personal attacks, name-calling, etc. But then there are people whose goal is simply to hold the company accountable. It’s the difference between, “you suck” and “how is your company supporting Black artists?”

I’m going to speak directly to theater professionals on the company side here. It’s important to attend to and combat the feelings that arise from the shaming on a personal level (I plan on writing much more about this!) The effect of being shamed is real, and it shouldn’t be ignored. But tending to yourself can help keep you open to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion work when shame threatens to shut you completely down.

But when it comes to accountability, it’s important to understand that it is not shame. It is a call for your company to succeed — to do better and be better. It should be fuel, not brakes.

Criticism may continue to roll in. As long as it presents as accountability, and not shame, take it to heart and don’t let it cripple your efforts. It may take time — your work may not move quickly enough to satisfy calls to action on social media. But if your “why” is clear, your work will speak itself once you start digging in.

I never want to claim to speak for all Black people or for all BIPOC artists. We are not a monolith. But I don’t think I’m alone when I say the following from the perspective of an advocate:

Keep hearing us when we cry for more diversity — for more representation. Don’t discount us, don’t try to “get us off your backs” — but understand that answering those cries is not where the work begins or ends.

Advocates, allies and accomplices are going to keep fighting until they see change on the outside. And consultants like me will keep fighting to inspire and create the change on the inside. Don’t respond from a place of fear. Listen to the fight with an open heart, and don’t fold to the easy answers. Don’t let pride or shame get in the way of your “why.” Stay focused on why it matters. Don’t just open the doors — dive deeper into the system inside.

If you commit to this work, then commit to doing the real, long-term, lasting work. All 3 letters of the acronym — it’s important whether it’s EDI or DEI. If you’re doing all of the work, either order is great. But I chose equity first.