MLS Professional Services
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Justice.
In this workshop we revisit the origins of EDI which was popularised back in the 1960’s in the USA.
Aligned with the Civil Rights movement, it’s aim was to achieve the same employment rights for people with marginalised identities. EDI was revived in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing, global Black Lives Matter movement.
At the same time in the UK, EDI work followed what was happening in the USA. However, Black Lives Matter protests were swiftly shut down and the movement hijacked, along with the narrative, which diluted and ultimately extinguished the movement. As such, EDI work is now a stand-alone workplace initiative, with varying agendas and objectives depending on the organisation delivering the work (which is largely Higher Education Institutions).
Other than employment exercises inside organisations (specifically within HR), the impact of EDI isn’t being measured for it’s impact across the rest of society, and is being delivered under the same organisational hierarchies that perhaps created the conditions for the lack of equity, diversity and inclusion in some of those places of work to begin with. Many argue that the change that is needed can not take place under the same perpetuating structures, and if the Equalities Act (2010) can not tackle these injustices, then nor can EDI initiatives.
In this workshop we will discuss some of the issues around EDI, including the censorship and cancellation of this work across a number of American universities, and discuss decolonisation in relation to the effectiveness and integrity of true EDI work.
Aligned with the Civil Rights movement, it’s aim was to achieve the same employment rights for people with marginalised identities. EDI was revived in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing, global Black Lives Matter movement.
At the same time in the UK, EDI work followed what was happening in the USA. However, Black Lives Matter protests were swiftly shut down and the movement hijacked, along with the narrative, which diluted and ultimately extinguished the movement. As such, EDI work is now a stand-alone workplace initiative, with varying agendas and objectives depending on the organisation delivering the work (which is largely Higher Education Institutions).
Other than employment exercises inside organisations (specifically within HR), the impact of EDI isn’t being measured for it’s impact across the rest of society, and is being delivered under the same organisational hierarchies that perhaps created the conditions for the lack of equity, diversity and inclusion in some of those places of work to begin with. Many argue that the change that is needed can not take place under the same perpetuating structures, and if the Equalities Act (2010) can not tackle these injustices, then nor can EDI initiatives.
In this workshop we will discuss some of the issues around EDI, including the censorship and cancellation of this work across a number of American universities, and discuss decolonisation in relation to the effectiveness and integrity of true EDI work.
