Diverse Customer : Applause : Authentic Diversity, Celebrating Intersectionality and, The DiversityInc Top 50 2019

#DIHALLOFFAME2019

The DiversityInc Top 50 list, issued yearly since 2001 is one list that we are always excited about. There are many Diversity awards/ indices out there but this one, in particular, is one very special that encompasses possibly all dimensions of diversity and even the extended ecosystem in which it operates, notably, philanthropy and corporate citizenship. The DiversityInc Top 50 list recognizes the top companies for diversity and inclusion management. These companies excel in such areas as hiring, retaining and promoting women, minorities, people with disabilities, LGBT and veterans, for creating inclusive environments at the workplace, and local communities, for creating work environments where diversity and inclusion are the core element to the organizations' culture. There are thousands of companies who apply to demonstrate their commitment to this work and their achievements in building inclusive cultures.

The reason for this post is more than just applause actually. Its also celebrating the intersectionality because many companies operate in silos. They give more precedence to one or two dimensions while ignoring the fact that authentic diversity is about thinking and acting intersectionally, how social identities intersect individually than in groups. For us, this quote from Kimberle Crenshaw is so apt in what we are trying to convey here: 

"If you don't have a lens that's been trained to look at how various forms of discrimination come together, you're unlikely to develop a set of policies that will be as inclusive as they need to be."