Why diversity is about much more than hollow representation
A few weeks ago, the UK government was in freefall. Following months of scandals and the largest series of ministerial resignations in modern history, Boris Johnson resigned as Tory Party leader, triggering a series of MPs to begin their own bids to replace him as leader (and, by extension, as Prime Minister). As of this writing, two candidates remain in the race: Liz Truss & Rishi Sunak. If Truss wins, she will become the UK’s third female Prime Minister. If Sunak wins, he will become our first ever Prime Minister from an ethnic minority background. There has been a flurry of discussion over the past few weeks about not only Truss & Sunak, but the wider candidate list of now-eliminated contenders - in which a Black woman, a woman of Indian origin, and an Iraqi-born man were all represented.
Does this finally signal more equitable representation at the highest levels of government? Is this a watershed moment to be proud of?
This won’t make twitter happy BUT can you think of any party - let alone Conservative from N America thru Japan to Europe today that wd have such a diverse leadership list? Even if you don’t like the individuals/Tories doesn’t it say something good about Britain? @RestIsPolitics https://t.co/75RnXOj5w7
— Rory Stewart (@RoryStewartUK) July 12, 2022
Without question, representation is hugely important. Children from ethnic minority backgrounds growing up today see more influential people with ethnic backgrounds similar to their own, than those of us who grew up in the 1990s. After all, the Vice President of the United States is a bi-racial Asian American & African American woman. For the first time ever, we have children’s books celebrating Black leaders throughout history stocked in mainstream bookshops. Blockbuster films starring Black protagonists are being led by Black creators. From Ms Marvel to Miles Morales - even our superheroes are starting to represent the multiculturalism of modern society. This kind of progress is not only heartwarming, but necessary. A generation of children will now grow up with big dreams that feel attainable by virtue of the fact that they can see faces like their own in positions of power and influence. As Viola Davis has said “there is something about seeing someone who looks like you that makes it more tangible...You need to see a physical manifestation of your dream.”
But is all representation created equal? What does it say when the most racially diverse leadership race for a major party in UK political history has also been a who’s who of some of the most fervent proponents of extremist right-wing policies (policies that hurt, rather than help others from ethnic minority backgrounds)?
There’s a stark difference between the meaningful representation of, say, the Black Panther films, and the hollow representation that the Tory leadership race embodies. The former represents a bold, creative, boundary-pushing addition to its canon. It tells a new story of Black empowerment & self-determination, placing Black people at the centre of their own story in a way few mainstream films have done before. The latter represents a doubling-down of the current status quo, a reinforcement of existing power structures in ways that harm, rather than uplift.
From Kemi Badenoch making transphobic comments, questioning gay marriage, and aligning herself with the widely debunked government-commissioned report which denied the existence of institutional racism in Britain (all during her tenure as Equalities Minister, no less). To Priti Patel, a child of refugees making her name by adopting a hard-line immigration stance that would have excluded her own parents from entering the country. To Suella Braverman, who voted against gay marriage, and has described the British Empire as a force for good. To Nadhim Zahawi (an Iraqi-born immigrant, who fled to the UK with his parents as a child) describing migrants crossing the channel as “choosing to be putting their lives at risk.” Truss and Sunak, the two leadership contenders left in the race - have also both engaged in the ‘culture wars’ whilst simultaneously misrepresenting themselves as rags-to-riches stories of rugged individualism & social mobility. It’s worth noting that both studied PPE at Oxford University, with Sunak also attending Winchester College, one of the most expensive prep schools in the country. The pattern is clear; if you are an ethnic minority or a woman (or both) seeking to make a splash in today’s Tory party, manipulating the story of your rise to power, and pulling up the ladder for others from historically marginalised communities is a strong strategy. The more ‘anti-woke’ your stance, the greater the reward.
Why is this important? Well, it begs the question of what diversity really means, what it is about, who it serves. And it demonstrates how the concept can be cynically manipulated to serve the interests of the already powerful and the privileged.
Real diversity is about something else entirely. It pushes boundaries; it’s about bringing together people from different walks of life, who have had different opportunities and challenges; who have different perspectives and approaches. It’s about making our institutions better, bolder, more creative and more inclusive. And ultimately it’s about reshaping society to be more equitable, less divided, and more abundant. Applied to government, as Nesrine Malik puts it, “its purpose should be to expand and enhance perspectives so that policymaking is more compassionate, more observant of the plight of marginalised people who were never represented in the places that impact their lives the most.”
The Tory leadership contest is a pertinent example of the nuance and complexity of diversity, and its function beyond shallow optics. As leaders, it is incumbent upon us to think deeply about diversity in our organisations, not simply from the perspective of tokenism (how many women or people of colour are represented). DEI work is about reshaping systems & institutions to allow all people to flourish. It’s not about further entrenching our current systems of power. It’s not about using women and people of colour as tools for reinforcing the status quo, to the detriment of others who look like them. If we reward loyalty over integrity, compliance over dissent, and continue to create policies and procedures that create scarcity, rather than abundance, then frankly we are doing it wrong. The last thing we need is prominent women fronting anti-feminist policies, or prominent people of colour fronting racist, xenophobic ones. This type of hollow representation is less than meaningless. In fact, it does more harm than good.
The time is past due for those with power and privilege to join the fight to make society a more equitable place. We need to stop wasting time playing games, and propping up antiquated systems whilst patronisingly slapping a person of colour on the prospectus. What we need is a radical shift in perspective from individualism to collectivism. After all - from the climate crisis, to the fight for racial justice - the big existential issues facing modern society connect us all in myriad ways. We cannot save ourselves without also saving each other.
