How Do We Lead In Diversity?

Trump’s rise to power in 2016 signalled a backlash to diversity that all of us around the world still need to reckon with. His presidency was in part a reaction to his predecessor and the public perception that so-called ‘minorities’ have gained too much power in the United States.

Trump’s rallying cries from “build the wall” to “lock her up” emboldened the racist and misogynistic hatred that had been lurking beneath a veneer of political correctness.

The resistance against diversity could also be seen in the workplace. The contempt that some workers feel towards a diversifying labor force. Typically (though not always), the backlash comes from cis-gender straight able-bodied white men who believe they have been left behind in a changing world.

They accuse corporate diversity as upending the right order of things when in reality, diversity initiatives have served to help the marginalized.