Diversity without dogma: a collaborative approach to leading DEI education and action

Table of Contents
Section One – Building a Foundation

Chapter 1 - A Framework for DEI Education and Action

Chapter 2 – Lewinian Social Science

Chapter 3 – The Interpersonal Gap, Microaggressions & Defensiveness

Section Two – Racism and Other Isms Are Real

Chapter 4 – Institutional and Individual "isms" are all too often Real

Chapter 5 – Accuracy about History: Denial is Poison

Chapter 6 – Accuracy about Privilege & The Playing Field

Chapter 7 – Any Prejudice begets more Prejudice

Chapter 8 – Social Justice is Spiritual

Section Three – It’s NOT Always About Racism

Chapter 9 – All are Affected, All must be Invited

Chapter 10 – Family Systems Theory, Self-Differentiation & EQ

Chapter 11 – Conflict Beliefs and Behaviors

Chapter 12 – Power, Authority, and Leadership

Section Four – Leading DEI Education & Action

Chapter 13 – Leading DEI Education

Chapter 14 – Leading DEI Action

Appendix A – Action Research and Minority Relations

Appendix B – Four Key Skills

Appendix C - DEI Behavior Description Quiz

Appendix D – T-Groups Adapted for the Workplace

Social Scientist Kurt Lewin said, "No research without action, and no action without research." Too much of the current DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) approach is insight-based instead of action-based. Even though institutional racism is identified as the root problem, the change effort is focused on looking inward for bias instead of taking action to eliminate institutional racism and other isms. A Lewinian approach, in contrast, is balanced. What people think is important, but no more important than what people do. If you bring people together to change things, this will change what people think! We don’t need therapy nearly as much as we need action based on dialogue! Instead of spending your energy soul-searching for evidence in your thoughts and behaviors that you have unconscious biases, this book helps put your energy into doing something practical about racism.

To get there, this book uses Lewin’s social science to build a framework for sorting through the many approaches to and positions held on race, racism, diversity, and related topics. While the framework is and must be applicable to any prejudice, systemic or individual, the bulk of this exploration is focused on racism, which to a large degree has become the primary social justice focus of our times. Painfully aware that conversations about race can easily deteriorate into polarization, the author lays a path toward finding common ground.