The Invisibility of EDI During Uncertain Times

When news of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the airwaves in January, little did we know how much it would change our lives two months later.  For those of us who are on the frontlines, advocating for greater equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in our organizations, policies, practices and actions, during “good” times there are persistent challenges to make sure EDI is front and center.  In light of our current global situation, some would contend that EDI advocacy and work has been marginalized further, making EDI invisible in the rush to get things done and confront this pandemic as it threatens to change our way of life, forever. However, all is not lost as I perceive ways in which EDI is showing up in the COVID-19 narrative.   In this video post, I speak to three ways EDI is present, and below I provide three resources you can use to further punctuate the need to keep EDI central to what we do as we combat pandemic to keep people safe and well: https://youtu.be/phLxMf8e94g

1. This March 18, 2020 letter from NADOHE (National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education) prescribes 9 action steps of best practices for Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) in response to COVID-19.
2. This Wharton Schools’ Knowledge@Wharton article written by CFO Lloyd W. Howell, Jr. shares ways to think about leadership possessing a diversity of core skills sets and experiences which influence inclusion and decision-making to handle crises such as COVID-19.
3. Alissa Carpenter’s article in Entrepreneur Magazine describes 5 inclusive strategies that can be leveraged to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace during uncertain times.

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