Advocating for Education on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: A Personal Take

Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA

Preface (Updated 7/29): Since posting this article this AM, we'd like to acknowledge that having more representation in a company is a critical, yet one aspect of many to achieve and work towards real systemic change. We recognize that to advocate for real systemic change, institutions ranging from government to corporations, must have a diverse and inclusive set of leaders at the top who can radically transform not only the way a company is run from its hiring practices but also how it actively works to retain, validate, and value the experiences of its employees of color with intersectional and marginalized identities. We also want to acknowledge the standards and values the company upholds for itself also extends to its political donations, technology it produces, and does not end beyond the culture it fosters in its corporate offices.

Growing up, I was often told “you’re the nicest person I know.” I always wondered how much of that had to do with my appearance as a half Chinese/half Filipino girl. Because on the other end of the spectrum, the thought of me crying or getting angry would be “unimaginable.” Given those comments and perceptions, I put up with people calling me a chink, asking if I was adopted to be able to afford certain things, and with playing Mojo Jojo (an evil, black haired monkey with a green face) from The Powerpuff Girls at recess because I “looked the most like him.”

I felt uncomfortable standing up for myself because it felt like people didn’t regard me as a human being with emotions. I didn’t think of myself as a leading lady in my own life. Through K-12th grade, I was pretty much the only obvious Chinese looking girl from an Asian American family. In school, I didn’t learn about Asian American figures in history. It became a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy that I was soft-spoken.

According to Jennifer Lee, a professor at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), Asian Americans experience more difficulty attaining leadership positions “because they’re seen as diligent and thoughtful, rather than bold and creative.” Traditional thoughts of leaders are loud, white, and male, despite studies supporting the idea that women’s increasing representation enhances organizational effectiveness. However, only three of the Fortune 500 CEOs in 2020 are women of color, and that is considered to be a high. Although it is nice to be thought of as nice, so-called positive stereotypes have another side to them that limit someone like me.

At UCI, I minored in Asian American Studies. It was a freeing experience that revealed the history of how Asian Americans fought for civil liberties. Asian Americans are so much more than a model minority, a term instituted to pit people against one another. Additionally, seeing a lecture hall full of faces like mine was surreal. I appreciated hearing diverse perspectives. Once seemingly radical ideas were reasonable and right. In college, I became an environmental researcher, a Human Sexuality teaching assistant, and, overall, I tried to be as open-minded as possible.

Through acceptance of others’ perspectives, I built trust and created spaces where people felt comfortable expressing themselves without judgment. I am still a pretty quiet person, but I have learned that listening can be a strength within itself. In leading by example, I was given a campus wide leadership acknowledgment.

I wanted to learn more about leadership, which brought me to an organizational psychology graduate program. Since completing the program, I have learned that inclusive language and diversity in managerial positions bolster the bottom line through employee engagement. I am glad I had the opportunity to study a branch of positive psychology where I get to power career development and mentorship programs to empower people.

If we restructured education systems to include diversity, equity, and inclusion studies and implemented training in the workplace, we could spark conversation on ways in which we can all shine. It is not just a nice to have. It leads to a more creative culture, changing hearts and minds especially for those who have a negative attitude towards it. Seeing potential in people can make anyone a leader.

To me, leadership is putting people in a position to succeed. Not to say, it means that we prevent people from making mistakes and learning, but that we prevent systems from failing people.