The business case for diversity has already superseded traditional civil rights and social justice arguments as the great animating force behind the modern diversity movement. It has become the “lingua franca” of organizations of all kinds, and not just in the precincts of business. Much of the fire and moral ammunition that ignited the civil rights movement seems to have been snuffed right out of public discourse on the matter.
Economic arguments alone should not dictate the value of diversity. Diversity must be about more than its contribution to the bottom line. As educators and as citizens, we should not miss the opportunity to cultivate humanity, compassion and a more sympathetic imagination in a new generation of young Americans who will most assuredly grow up with the firmly entrenched notion that diversity matters because it’s good for business, good for national security or good for the other practical purposes detailed in so many amicus briefs.
The business case is quite compelling and even elegant in its own way, but we who care about the diversity agenda for other than profit-motivated reasons should be wary of what this rationale will do to our capacity for idealism. Will there be room — and appetite — for pursuing diversity because it is still the right thing to do?
— Dr. Siegel is associate professor in the department of educational leadership at East Carolina University.
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
