Other voices
DEI and our kids
When I looked up DEI to understand what it was and why our country should be against it, I was really shocked. It sounds like a good thing to me.
AI says, “Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are essential to fostering a positive work culture. Through exposure to diverse perspectives, you can improve morale, promote business ethics, and drive creative problem solving.
Growing up in Bradford, as a child in my church, I sang “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
Though AI’s DEI description is now mandated at many companies, severely restricting diversity, equity and inclusivity for our businesses can make it easier for individuals, in our normal lives, to be less welcoming of people who are in any way different.
During my same growing up years, I watched “South Pacific.” Even as a child, I understood the song, “You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear. You’ve got to be taught from year to year. It’s got to be drummed into your dear little ear. You’ve got to be carefully taught … You’ve got to be taught to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made and people whose skin is a different shade. You’ve got to be carefully taught.”
What are the current DEI restrictions actually teaching our children today?
I hope and pray that the rollback on inclusivity, equality and diversity will not continue to be accepted in our workplaces, and that it will not begin to seep into the rest of our lives to allow us and our children to give ourselves permission to exclude and to hate any others who differ from ourselves.
Nancy Grow Dryden, Bradford
Before you write your letter…
Other Voices is a forum for readers to express their opinions on issues of the day.
This column is not intended for thank-you letters, letters of appreciation or letters of a strictly personal nature.
Be brief and to the point, no more than 350 words. Longer letters will be returned for editing or shortened by the editor.
Each letter must be signed with the correct full name, address and phone number of the writer. The writer’s name will appear in print with the letter.
Frequent letter writers will be limited to one submission per month. Letters of a controversial nature are reviewed by an attorney for libel. Letters should be addressed to Other Voices, not a third party.
The Era reserves the right to edit letters to meet these guidelines.