Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

LWV policy applies to all leagues

LWV Klamath County, as part of the state and national league organizations, has been introduced to the topic of DEL in a summer workshop, and we plan to include relevant language in our by-laws at an upcoming meeting. Below you will see the LWV national policy, definitions, and a list of further resources.

what can you do?

First you should watch this LWV US training webinar HERE.

Second you can learn about the LWV US policy and relevant definitions.

Then you can read up on this topic from articles and books listed below.

Finally you can JOIN US as we work to incorporate these concepts into our local LWV Klamath County and our work here. Attend an upcoming meeting to speak up on DEI.

LWV Policy

LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.

There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, native or indigenous origin, age, generation, sexual orientation, culture, religion, belief system, marital status, parental status, socioeconomic status, language, accent, ability status, mental health, educational level or background, geography, nationality, work style, work experience, job role function, thinking style, personality type, physical appearance, political perspective or affiliation and/or any other characteristic that can be identified as recognizing or illustrating diversity.

Defining DEI

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are mutually reinforcing. Increased inclusion is associated with increased equity; the majority of organizations with higher inclusion and equity also have greater demographic diversity.

DIVERSITY

Diversity includes all of the similarities and differences among people, not limited to: gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, native or indigenous origin, age, generation, sexual orientation, culture, religion, belief system, marital status, parental status, socioeconomic status, appearance, language, accent, ability status, mental health, education, geography, nationality, work style, work experience, job role function, thinking style, personality type, physical appearance, and political perspective or affiliation.

Diversity refers to population groups that have been historically underrepresented in socially, politically, or economically powerful institutions and organizations. These groups include but are not restricted to populations of color, such as African Americans and Blacks, Latinx, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. They may also include lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations, people with disabilities, women, and other groups.

A team can be diverse and so can an organization. A person is not diverse. Diversity is about a collective or a group and can only exist in relationship to others. A candidate is not diverse—they are a unique, individual unit. They may bring diversity to your team, but they in themselves are not diverse. They are a woman; they are a person of color; they are part of the LGBTQ community.

We commit to increase diversity in the recruitment, retention, and retainment at the national, state, and local level, and in the leadership and executive roles.

EQUITY

Equity is an approach based in fairness to ensuring everyone is given equal opportunity; this means that resources may be divided and shared unequally to make sure that each person has a fair chance to succeed. Equity takes into account that people have different access to resources because of system of oppression and privilege. Equity seeks to balance that disparity.

Improving equity involves increasing justice and fairness within the procedures and processes of institutions or systems, as well as in their distribution of resources, including professional growth opportunities. Tackling equity issues requires an understanding of the root causes of outcome disparities within our society.

Equity prioritizes efforts to ensure the most underserved and marginalized among us has as much of an opportunity to succeed as the most well-served and advantaged. By taking into account the various advantages and disadvantages that people face, we work to ensure every person has an equal opportunity to succeed.

We commit to prioritizing equity in the work of the LWV staff, board, and members.

INCLUSION

Inclusion is an ongoing process, not a static state of being.

Inclusion is the dynamic state of operating in which diversity is leveraged to create a healthy, high-performing organization and community.

Inclusion refers to the degree to which diverse individuals are able to participate fully in the decision-making processes within an organization or group.

An inclusive environment ensures equitable access to resources and opportunities for all. It also enables individuals and groups to feel safe, respected, engaged, motivated, and valued for who they are and for their contributions toward organizational and societal goals.

While an inclusive group is by definition diverse, a diverse group is not always inclusive. Being aware of unconscious or implicit bias can help organizations better address issues of inclusivity.

We commit to making deliberate efforts to ensure LWV is a place where differences are welcomed, different perspectives are respectfully heard, and every individual feels a sense of belonging and inclusion. We know that by creating a vibrant climate of inclusiveness, we can more effectively leverage our resources to advance our collective capabilities.

We commit to working actively to challenge and respond to bias, harassment, and discrimination.

Seeing our work through a DEI Lens

A DEI lens is a way of examining a program, a process, a product, etc. with regards to how it is perceived by a variety of communities, voices, and perspectives, and what, if any, barriers may exist that is preventing it from being equitable or inclusive of everyone.

What To Ask When Examining Your Work Through a DEI Lens

  • Who is involved in the process?
    • Are key stakeholders meaningfully included?
    • Is this work that impacts a group or community? If so, is their voice represented?
    • How diverse is the group of decision makers? Is it diverse enough?
  • Who will be impacted?
    • Who benefits from this?
    • Who is burdened by this?
    • Does this help us meet the needs of underserved voters?
    • Have we considered various, specific marginalized groups and how they might be impacted?
  • What are the intended and unintended outcomes?
    • What issue are we trying to solve?
    • What do we hope will happen?
    • What are the potential negative impacts? Who could be hurt by this?
    • What data or evidence supports this?
    • How might this be perceived by others?
  • Does this align with our vision for an equitable and inclusive organization?
    • How is equity addressed?
    • What barriers might this place in the way of achieving equity?
    • How does this impact the League’s culture?
  • What changes could be made to make this more equitable?
    • What are the short term goals?
    • What are the long term goals?
    • What, if any, policies or bylaws need to be added or amended?
    • What are the benefits for members?
    • What are the benefits for partners and/or members of the community?

Learn More

Articles

Books

  • Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, Mahzarin Banaji
  • Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell
  • Braving the Wilderness, Brené Brown
  • Everyday Bias, Howard Ross
  • The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
  • The Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance
  • Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions, Arielly, Daniel
  • Waking Up White, Debby Irving
  • The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson

Audio

TED Talks

The Danger of a Single Story: TED Talk by Chimamanda Adichie on the theme of how only knowing one story of a culture can enhance our implicit biases and create incomplete pictures of those different from us. 

Other Learning Resources

What is DEI?