Say Something
Last week I was inspired to write more about diversity and inclusion (D&I). Looking at my stories I realized that I write more about change and purpose in order to achieve the goal of D&I. In this story I am focusing again on HOW to achieve that goal instead of explaining WHAT the goal is.
Today we live in systems that discriminate and kill people who are different. My goal is a world where diversity is celebrated. And as the silent and slow process of change is getting louder and quicker, I want more speed and scale. I have to deliberately fight setbacks with success stories to continue with my optimistic mindset.
The Goal
Do you know how to celebrate diversity and become a more inclusive person?
- It’s your choice
- Put in the work
I can start your journey, I can direct you to very good resources for your research, we can have very interesting discussions and I am happy to support you along the way. But I can not do the work for you and please don’t expect me to do so. Thank you.
Don’t be afraid of mistakes. Make them, learn from them by asking how it’s done. It’s not that serious, nobody dies from being on an inclusivity-journey.
How Systems Work
Let’s think about systems and how they work. In systems we have people in power who run a community, business or nation. These leaders- sometimes elected, sometimes chosen- make decisions. They have followers who support them. We also have people who stand by these leaders without saying anything, and last in line are people (wether they are affected by the leader’s decision or not) who ask questions, stand up, raise their voice, discuss, act and protest.
Unfortunately the visualisation of a pyramid is not correct for the amount of activists, while it is very accurate when it comes to the amount of silent people. This group is actually very good at justifying their leader’s „bad“ decisions with their „good“ decisions- I’ll talk more about excuses later.
There are many examples on different levels around the world and you can apply this system to your marginalised group of choice.
How To Change The System
The good news is: Leaders are only successful when they have enough supporters AND silent people. This is the only way the system works.
If you think that your voice does not matter and that we are not able to achieve change, think about the recent life-changing events that proved that we can change drastically and fast (COVID, Black Lives Matter(BLM), Putin’s war in Ukraine).
If we get from resignation and detachment to inspiration and action, we can change a cemented status quo and move mountains in a very short amount of time.
The Time Is Now
What are you waiting for? What’s your excuse? Participate in discussions, stand up for yourself, your friends, your family and the people that simply do not deserve discrimination and violence. You might be surprised how your action can inspire others and has the power to give back to you.
Be Safe
I am not talking about putting yourself in danger. A little tip from a queer person: always consider your safety before coming out. Do NOT confuse safety with an excuse to stay in the closet forever.
Majorities Matter
I am talking about having conversations, being compassionate and inspiring. I am talking about speeding and scaling up the process that is already underway. Let’s grow a community of like-minded people until the majority breaks the system.
This is how we can change the status quo and change toward a world that I would like to live in.
Let me end with a quote from the BLM-movement and make it broader by deleting unnecessary words:
THE SYSTEM OF RACISM NEEDS WHITE PEOPLE TO NOT SAY ANYTHING WHEN BLACK PEOPLE GET SUPPRESSED
#silenceisviolence #silenceisconsent
