Tell HN: DEI initiatives undermine the self esteem of PoC within a company
588 by qzx_pierri | 324 comments on Hacker News.
As a black man, I have some issues with the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) trend. As it exists within some (most?) companies, it seems to perpetuate imposter syndrome significantly. For example, I know I'm talented - I've got the projects, certs, and experience to back it up. However, when I have to join a cheesy townhall once a month to discuss diversity hires, it makes me feel like I have no right to feel proud of any accomplishments I've made within the company. "Why should I feel proud of my accomplishments, when the accomplishments were spoon-fed to me by the company because of my skin color? If I were a white man with the same experience, I might not even be here?" In my opinion, it would be beneficial if DEI initiatives were confidential and kept "hush hush" within a company. Diversity is able to be seen. If you're actually a diverse company, then people will notice. I could understand publishing a quarterly report, but creating townhall meetings and parading your black/brown employees around like show ponies is nothing short of corporate virtue signaling. I realize this isn't the type of content posted to HN usually, and I realize it is in 'rant' territory, but I know a lot of managers in a lot of influential companies hangout here, so I figured posting this could spark some meaningful discussion.