David Everett outlines AIR — Accountability, Infrastructure, Resources — as a framework for embedding and sustaining diversity, equity, and inclusion in institutions, explaining each element and how it supports systemic DEI work.
David Everett: Like air, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts need air to survive. He says they need accountability, infrastructure and resources. Everett: How do you embed DeI efforts into everything that you do as an institution?
Good morning. This is David Everett. I am your diversity, equity and inclusion accessible guru. Hello. Today is Thursday, July 14. It is a sunny, beautiful day in the Twin Cities area, and I thought it was a great opportunity to talk about the weather as well as talk about today's topic, how to bring DEi to life. Well, just as many of us as human beings, many of us as plants, animals, we need air to survive. Similarly, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts need air. Not air as an element in and of itself, but air as multiple components.
So think of air as an acronym. If we think of air as an acronym, we can then understand what DeI needs to survive, what DEI needs to sustain itself, and how Dei can be supported. The first component is accountability. You cannot support DEI without holding yourself as an individual or as an institution accountable. And what that looks like first is an acknowledgement of where you are and the acceptance of where you need to go. And so there needs to be accountability. The second thing is infrastructure.
How do you embed your DeI efforts into everything that you do as an institution? What does it look like to systematize the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts? And what does it look like to practice them and promote them from a systemic level? And then finally, what we need are resources. Resources, resources. Resources are not just monetary or financial. Resources are also non monetary. So what does it look like to promote DEI efforts? What does it look like to practice DEI efforts? And more importantly, what does it look like comprehensively, to put your organization's reputation and goals around Dei, embedded into what you are as a larger, broader institution?
So when you think about how to sustain, how to support, even how to start Dei efforts, think of air as an acronym. Accountability, infrastructure and resources. I'm David Everett, your Dei guru, and I will see you next time it.
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