My Apology Letter to DEI 📜
I've actively tried to distance myself from DEI for years now. Today I want to apologize for that.
I first want to apologize for the possibility of my work ever being weaponized by those who cause harm. I see the way people are actively attacking DEI and fear my work may lead them to believe I align with their harmful beliefs. I do not.
White DEI and DEI IS Dead
I thought DEI was to my work as the phrase Colored People is to Black and I still kind of think that. While I’d prefer to be called Black, people who don’t care about what I want, are going to call me Colored. DEI is being weaponized as a slur for Black people, our work and anything we do. Notice how White people in related fields are never lumped in with DEI. They are invited to distance themselves from DEI because their Whiteness allows their work to be considered so much different than ours.
The antiBlackness people display in accepting this distancing invitation is the same I have shown in trying to pretend that just because I call my work something else that I won't be called slurs and harmed relentlessly for doing this work. I now realize that even if I am ever offered this "invitation", it would be with the promise of centering Whiteness in my work and to actively practice antiBlackness. To my fellow Black practitioners who saw me beg for this distance, I'm so sorry. As always am actively examining, extracting and implementing to better assess my path and work to ensure I don't cause further harm to myself or others.
Here go a banger with my message so y'all know it's real. Thank y'all for space and grace. 💜
K Mataōtama Strohl (They/Them)
K is an award-winning consultant, coach, writer and speaker. K is also the curator of a content space that shares “refreshingly genuine and educational bite sized yet profound insights and experiences,” as well as the host of two popular podcasts.
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