So What?

I was recently describing why I attend Torah Study every week. It is not for the ancient history or rules the Torah reveals, but because it encourages me to think about the moral choices I must make now. In response, the minister with whom I was talking told me about the Jewish scholar, Jacob Neusner, who suggested interpreting texts by asking three questions:

What does it say?

What does it mean?

So what?

These questions seemed particularly relevant to me as I think about the “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) statements that have become ubiquitous on social media and in annual reports.

Diversity equity and inclusion has become a big business for human resources and organizational consultants. I found One blog post that even offers a suggested number of words and words per sentence, the ideal reading level ( a depressing 8th. grade or lower), and advice on how to use a headline to stand out. One from column A, one from column B, and you too can have the perfect Diversity Equity and Inclusion statement. While I realize the imperative for corporations and non-profits to offer this statement to their constituents, they often appear to have been written in just this fashion, saying little about the character of the organization they represent.

According to this blog, one of the “best” DEI statements is from Google, which, according to its May 2020 diversity report, had made little progress in diversifying it mostly white, male, and Asian workforce.  If each organization with a model statement had to answer the question, “so what,” what evidence of positive change could they offer? And how will DEI be embedded so that the change endures?

In the late 1980’s I had a W.K Kellogg Foundation National Leadership Fellowship. Whenever I would talk about one of my powerful learning experiences, such as attending the International Women’s Conference in Ireland or a weeklong workshop on mediation at Harvard, the Director’s response was always “so what?” It wasn’t enough that I had learned something. I had to be prepared to do something with that learning that would make a difference in the lives of others.

Now, when I read a book or see a film about racism, I can hear her words. It may start with learning, but “so what?” How will I make difference?