Today I keep thinking about that part of @SaraNAhmed’s Living a Feminist Life where she writes about diversity work as the production of documents.

Leadership realizes the org has a diversity problem, so they appoint a committee to study the problem and propose solutions. +

The study results in a document. Everyone is very proud of the document, and they compare it to the documents produced by other committees at other orgs. Clearly, the orgs with the best documents are doing the best diversity work.

If anyone criticizes their efforts at diversity, they can point to these very fine documents. The documents demonstrate commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Those who might hear rumors of discontent can find comfort in the documents and the commitments they represent.

Do the documents have teeth? Are proposals being implemented? Are diversity metrics improving? Do previously excluded people feel safer and more welcome? Are barriers to participation being dismantled?

Well, we have documents.