Courageous Conversations on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Harrowing headlines of discrimination, systemic sexism, and blatant racism chill me to the core. Debates rage over what’s legal, moral, and socially acceptable. Emboldened marginalized groups openly speak hate while 24/7 news amplifies alternative facts, disinformation, and uncontested lies. These forces distort how we see the world and influence how we treat each other. To change this status quo, we must set aside our own unconscious biases and unlearn what we’ve learned about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
My re-education began last Fall at the Design of Business | Business of Design Conference at the Yale School of Management. Organized by Design Observer and AIGA, the conference brought together design and business leaders from leading brands, cultural institutions, and major media. I went in search of new design strategies but left with so much more.
What surprised me the most was seeing how advanced many companies were on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Some were even more progressive than organizations I’ve worked for in the social good sector. It was apparent that they invested a substantial amount of time and resources developing their DEI programs and we can learn so much from them.
Soul at Scale
Todd Waterbury, the Chief Creative Officer at Target, smashed my preconceived notions of what a values-driven creative leader can achieve at one of the largest, consumer-facing brands. In his presentation “Soul at Scale,” Todd defined a brand as the connection that exists between a company’s beliefs and its behaviors. He encourages companies to be clear on what they stand for, what they defend, and what they want to protect. Todd applies this clarity of purpose to his work and strives to leave a lasting impression in people’s heads and hearts.
“Success is making ourselves useful in the world, valuable to society, helping in lifting in the level of humanity, so conducting ourselves that when we go
the world will be somewhat better of our having lived the brief span of our lives.”
— George Draper Dayton
A Circle Big Enough for Us All
Todd’s talk was so inspiring that I went to his breakout session the following day called “A Circle Big Enough for Us All — by Design.” He assembled a panel of friends and collaborators who were equally driven by strong values in the organizations they led. They made the business case that equity and inclusion went beyond the right thing to do. For them, these values were a differentiator that bonded relationships with employees and customers that directly impacted their bottom lines.
Accessibility for All
The first panelist to present was Caroline Baumann, Director of the Cooper Hewitt |Smithsonian Design Museum. She shared her deep commitment to accessibility and worked hard to make the museum welcoming for all. She established hours for children on the Spectrum to have a calm and enjoyable visit and produced many exhibits like “Access + Ability” that showcased how design can empower people to overcome physical challenges.
Celebrating Culture
Elizabeth Diller, founding partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, shared her passion project, the Mile-Long Opera where she transformed New York’s High Line into a lyrical love letter to New York. Actors, singers, and performers representing the five boroughs immersed visitors in a sensory experience that celebrated the city’s diversity in words, movement, and song.
Giving Back
Chid Liberty, a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur launched a fair-trade clothing company with the courageous survivors from the Liberian women’s movement after their country’s bloody civil war. They run a social enterprise with a one-for-one model, like Tom Shoes, to provide a school uniform for every article of clothing sold. Everyone shares in the profits while their triple bottom line strengthens their community through good employment and education.
Moving beyond inclusion to mutuality
The most impactful speaker was Caroline Wanga, Chief Diversity Officer at Target. She was a towering figure with a quiet strength about her. Caroline’s presence commanded attention, and all eyes transfixed on her. She began her story by sharing her early challenges of being a young single mother putting herself through school. Her hard work and tenacity shaped who she is today. Caroline had never dreamt of speaking at Yale and thanked Todd for the opportunity. Holding back tears, feeling vulnerable and exposed, she paused to take in the gravity of the moment. She reflected on our country’s dark past where 150 years ago she would not have been treated as a human, let alone be allowed on Yale’s campus as a guest. The room fell completely silent.
Caroline summoned her strength and began a master class on diversity and inclusion that changed my perspective forever. At Target, Caroline advocates for a different approach. She outlined pitfalls in our current understanding and insisted that we must “unlearn what we’ve learned about diversity and inclusion.”
For many inclusion means inviting everyone to the table. Caroline cautioned that while the intention is good, we might be unknowingly keeping people apart and reinforcing the separation that we’re trying to overcome. To further explain, she asked us to imagine being invited into someone’s home. The invitation implies that you are welcome as a guest as long as you abide by the house rules. In this scenario, you remain an outsider, never feeling at home or that you truly belong. Caroline stressed that we need to move away from terms like inclusion and adopt new terms like mutuality. Mutuality means that we bring our true, authentic selves to every situation and that we accept the truth of who we are talking to. She then broke everything down into these practical tips.
“Mutuality means that we bring our true, authentic selves to every situation and that we accept the truth of who we are talking to.”
Model what you ask. If you want someone to accept your most authentic self, then you must be open to accepting theirs. That doesn’t mean being fearless or aggressive but being principled. It is having the courage to bring your vulnerability to every engagement which fosters empathy and opens up the other person to listen and share. She leads by example, and she doesn’t ask her colleagues to do or say anything that she’s not willing to do. She modeled her vulnerability for us at the start of her talk.
Do + Who + You. Caroline believes “Whatever you want your who’s to do depends on you.” If you want someone to treat you with respect, that starts with you and what you bring to the interaction. You should never fear engaging someone who seems different, and you should never feel that you are losing any part of who you are if you do. We should mutually agree that we will never impose our views on someone or attempt to change them in any way. The ideal we should strive for is coexisting with authenticity.
Have courageous conversations. What’s most important is that we create safe spaces for courageous conversations. We are all at different stages in our journey, and we need to accept people wherever they are in theirs. We should be patient and give each other the leeway to stumble and make mistakes. Overcoming biases is a long process, and every situation provides an opportunity to learn from each other while giving each other space to grow and evolve our perspectives.
Be a courageous listener. We often find ourselves fearful in situations that are uncomfortable and foreign. Caroline stressed that a critical element of a courageous conversation is courageous listening. No one should be debating, or one-upping each other. We need to listen, really listen. This will help us move beyond our assumptions and biases and be truly present with who we are with.
Tell stories that matter. Finally, organizations need to find opportunities to celebrate what people are doing within their walls to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Words matter and being conscious of the language we use is important. Sharing meaningful stories signals to internal and external audiences what an organization values and reinforces what it cares about.
I still have a lot to (re)learn, but I left the conference inspired, empowered, and hopeful. In our country’s current state of divisiveness, I know that real change must begin with me and what I bring to every situation.
Jessica Helfand beautifully captured the wisdom of Caroline’s lessons in her closing remarks. Her words will always stay with me, and I hope they help you on your journey.
“Courage comes from within. Courage to ask tough questions in the face of adversity. Courage as an individual in the face of insurmountable odds. Courage to change not only the conversation, but where we have the conversation, and who we have the conversation with.
Let’s be courageous listeners. Let’s all be design humanists. Let’s all be brave. Right here, right now. Starting today.”
