Diversity: Being invited to the party.
Inclusivity: Being asked to dance
(My invented definitions based on the words of Verna Myers)
While reading-up on the topic of inclusivity, I came upon the words of two of my favorite people, Thich Nhat Hanh and Oprah. Here are some insights regarding the term inclusivity.
Thich Nhat Hanh described inclusivity with the verbs “accept and embrace.” This embrace idea connects with Verna Myers’ thought of dancing…close, personal, human…This made me think that inclusivity means not just letting someone in the door, but giving them a hug too. Also, these words suggest close, concrete actions and not just a “nice, far away idea.”
In a 2016 Time interview, Oprah revealed that she had dropped the word diversity from her vocabulary in favor of inclusion. She offered this reasoning, “the word that most articulates what we’re looking for is what we want to be: included. It’s to have a seat at the table where the decisions are being made.”
So, when you hear about the term inclusivity- think of asking someone to dance. Think about parties you’ve attended. The people on the dance floor usually seem to be having the most fun.
Inclusivity has been on my mind lately. I think that it is definitely the next step in diversity initiatives. I love how you describe it. I like using the dinner party metaphor. I think diversity is getting an invitation to a dinner party. And inclusion is getting a seat at the dinner table to eat and to engage with each other. There are cases where everyone gets an invitation, but everyone doesn’t have a seat at the table. Thank you for this!!!!