In Brazil, the myth of racial democracy has for years prevented the real confrontation that the issue demands in the country. The understanding that there is no racism here, even every day, nationally and internationally, living with this reality in their own skin or through press reports, delayed for many years the adoption of measures that are punitive or that make racial equality possible. I compare this strategy of perpetuating white privilege, defended by whiteness, to something similar to what is happening and which I call the “myth of inclusion”.
The strategy is similar: we pretend not to see what is in plain sight and go about our lives with a clear conscience regarding the diversity and inclusion agenda.
Now, if we know that the myth of racial democracy is a fallacy, when we look at the color of those who occupy the spaces of power, when we see – astonished – the treatment given to black men and women who suffer (and die) from police violence every day. days, everywhere in the world, it is also undeniable that in companies the myth of inclusion has already been established when we see the numbers of black people in leadership.
Go to a corporate award, especially in crowded, glamorized areas, such as the advertising industry, and take the famous “neck test”. Look around you and count how many black people there are around you. It is not worth counting those who are serving at this event, as I am referring – again – to spaces of power.
Who are you kidding? In front of data there are no arguments. According to a survey by Vagas.com, a recruitment and selection technology solutions company, released in September last year, on the board, blacks are 0.4%, the same proportion of indigenous people, while whites appear with 1.1%, and yellow with 0.9%. Blacks only lead in operational (33.2%) and technical (6.3%) positions. There is no black CEO among the 423 companies on the Exchange.
Still on data, a clear proof of the myth of inclusion are the violence suffered by black people in the workplace. Research carried out by the community Black Powers® and the Shopper Experiencein 2022, com 812 black women (over 18 years old, classes A, B, C, D and E)reveals that 62% of these women said they had suffered discrimination during the selection process (once) and approximately 40% of respondents reported that they suffered prejudice more than twice.
When researching the meaning of the word inclusion, I found: “inclusion is the act of including and adding, that is, adding things or people in groups and nuclei that were not part of it before”. Socially, inclusion represents an act of equality between the different individuals who inhabit a given society. Which leads me to state that black people, people with disabilities, women (especially black women) and the LGBTQIAP+ population experience systematic exclusion, which is structural, institutional, and as Muniz Sodré said, intersubjective.
So, talking about inclusion, so that it is not just a myth, requires action and punishment. Punishments, to correct errors and set an example so that they do not happen again. And actions, in a daily practice, with follow-up, measurement of results and expansion of goals.
Start including by hiring trans, pretes, etc. interns. it can even be part of the strategy, but at no time can it be limited to that. I already commented in our conversations about the broken step syndrome. This is the myth of inclusion. It doesn’t help us at all and prevents our evolution as a nation.
Including is not just hiring people in internship positions, not promoting or providing a welcoming environment. Literacy, training, conversation circles are part of the process (I am repeating myself here, because I recurrently talk about this), but adopting and disclosing what will be the conducts for the non-adoption of goals also needs to be part of the so-called “diversity plan” ”.
For example: the goal is to increase the number of black employees at different hierarchical levels in the company. Step one: leaders have to know about this goal and respect it. Step two: monitor vacancies and understand how they are being filled. Step three: establish periodicity to gather leaders and present these numbers. Demand those who do not follow the guideline and make decisions, already foreseen and documented, in the face of non-compliance. As with any other delivery in the corporate environment. Why so much softness when it comes to diversity and inclusion goals?
Anyway, these are some reflections about those who fear the harmful power of myths, in terms of false inclusion, which, if not observed, will delay lives and society as a whole.
Rejane Romano is a journalist, with a postgraduate degree in Media, Information and Culture from the University of São Paulo (USP), and is currently director of communication at Agência DPZ.
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