Reconstructing Inclusion S1E3: Wokeness, Cancel Culture, and DEI

Reconstructing Inclusion Podcast

In this episode of the ‘Reconstructing Inclusion’ podcast, Amri argues that while some individuals are engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and anti-racism work with a generative spirit that deconstructs and reconstructs, many others are becoming entrenched and egoistic, resulting in a breakdown in relatedness.

Key highlights

• The DEI space is becoming brittle and entrenched rather than anti-fragile


• Companies are pulling back on some of the anti-racism and DEI commitments made, which can only be surmised because they don't openly say why


• Lived experience alone does not equate to proficiency or skill in DEI or anything for that matter, and it can be weaponized


• The motte-and-bailey fallacy is an example of how a lack of good faith within our approaches can hinder long-term sustainable advancement of DEI


• Some people have taken a rhetorical stance against anything directly related to or adjacent to social justice, such as anti-racism, critical race theory in intersectionality and DEI


• Intersectionality is a container to look at organizational life with a multi-dimensional lens, characterized by two fundamental elements of an Inclusion system: interdependence and mindful reflection.

About the Host

As CEO/Founder of Inclusion Wins, Amri B. Johnson and a virtual collective of partners converge organizational purpose to create global impact with a lens of inclusion.

His theory of change is focused on building ‘Inclusion Systems.’ Inclusion systems provide direction and momentum in the complexity of organizations that allow them to be antifragile—leaning into and engaging with resistance, stressors, disruptions, and disequilibrium and being stronger as a result of such engagement.

His book, Reconstructing Inclusion: Making DEI Accessible, Actionable, and Sustainable outlines how organizations can create inclusion-normative cultures and build approaches to DEI that are designed for and with everyone, unambiguously prioritized, and purpose aligned.

Born in Topeka, Kansas (USA), Amri has worked and lived in the U.S., Brazil, and currently lives in Basel, Switzerland, with his wife Martina and their three kids.

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