Revisiting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – In Conversation with Dr. Akilah Cadet

It’s been a year since the murder of American George Floyd, a crime that galvanised widespread protests and political organising in the USA. The world took notice and conversations, protests and other actions against racism spread internationally. Twelve months later, we meet Dr. Akilah Cadet, founder of Change Cadet, a US-based change management and organizational development consulting firm supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace. We take a moment to look back, measure the progress and ask what the next steps could be. What would true diversity mean for Fine Wine?

In conversation with Dr. Akilah Cadet, recorded on June 8th 2021

This transcript has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. It is only a section of a wide-ranging, fascinating conversation that is well worth a listen.

ARENI:

We’re going to talk about diversity today. And, as you know, diversity is one of our four key pillars—along with sustainability, agility and purpose—that we believe have the power to future-proof our industry. I’ve been very lucky to work with you on this for the last two years now. When met in 2019, neither of us could have foreseen what has happened over the last 15 months.

It’s been a year since the death of George Floyd and 15 months since the beginning of the pandemic. How did you cope with all of this?

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

It’s been a very interesting time in the US where I’m located, but also worldwide as a result of the murder of George Floyd. Where we are right now is a lot of people, brands, companies, and businesses are in a place of reflection of what they’ve done, since they realized that more needed to be done for people of colour around the world. And they are either feeling good about what they did, or they’re realizing they didn’t do enough and they want to do more. As a Founder and CEO of an organisational development consulting firm, where we do a lot of work in diversity and anti-racism, we have been very, very busy.

I’m still very tired and exhausted, but that’s rooted in a lot of hope for what is to come and what has happened. It’s a mix of feeling, being really appreciative that people want to have these discussions, but then also a little annoyed that we could have had the discussion spaced out a little bit more.

And then as far as the change of administration in the US, that also has been an interesting part too. There were people who were like, as long as we get someone who’s the first woman of colour and person of colour in that role, then everything would kind of be fixed. And then we had the insurrection.

ARENI:

Sitting outside of the US, it would seem that the situation in the US is improving. Is it really the case?

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

There are improvements because we had the Chauvin trial. That was a huge move, but that’s just like the tip of the iceberg of the continual work that needs to be done to dismantle white supremacy, to look at systemic injustices and inequality. Since the murder of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020, and getting to the anniversary of May 25th, 2021, there have been over a thousand police murders. So even in the time when people are more aware of what’s going on, we still have a lot of problems.

ARENI:

I would like to take a moment to revisit some definitions, so that we are crystal clear about not only what we are talking about here, but what is at stake too. Could you tell us about the meaning of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging?

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

So the words that we typically hear: diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, anti-racism, allyship, accomplice.

Diversity is really looking at who is at the table. Does everyone look the same or are there differences with lived experiences with different identities? And we’re talking about identities. Gender. Age. We’re really talking about ethnicity, nationality, religions, identities, sexual preferences. Your socioeconomic status, educational levels.

There are so many things we were talking about with diversity. There are so many companies that are just a whole bunch of white guys who had a very certain education, or their family owns X, Y and Z, and that’s why they’re in it.

What does your company look like when you have the LGBTQ+ Black woman who’s in that role? Because there’s a different perspective, there’s a different way of thinking about your consumer, the environment.

Dr. Akilah Cadet, founder and CEO, Change Cadet

We’re talking about equity. How many people can be part of that discussion? Is it always just the white guys at the table who are making those decisions?

And it also goes to policies and practices too. If you have a policy that says we are working on diversity and this is how we have to operate and we need to go to this workshop or training and we need to do and say these words. It could be something as simple as a looking at parental leave policies.

Belonging essentially means that as soon as someone is entering in the workplace, they feel they belong. They can come in with the identities and religion, the ethnicity, the nationality that they have and not feel othered. Belonging means you can see yourself there and everyone’s held to the same regard.

Dr. Akilah Cadet, founder and CEO, Change Cadet

ARENI:

What could the world look like with true diversity and belonging?

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

That’s a great question. Essentially that vision is a place of belonging where people can be themselves. So, in the US, it would mean that Black people could drive without being pulled over without a threat to their life. We wouldn’t have policing. We’d have community programming. We have mental health services for the large amount of mental health crises that happen around the world. Medical teams could come out and respond to things and we wouldn’t have prisons. We’d have different, true programs that could rehabilitate people. The reason why the majority of people are in prison is because they aren’t part of a system that is advocating for them in the first place. So we would have a built environment where everyone would have everything they need. We wouldn’t have neighbourhoods and communities that didn’t have grocery stores that were food deserts or food swamps.

We’d see men and women. We’d see Black people, we’d see Asian people, we would have true diversity so that when new people are going into the workforce, they can see themselves. They could have the opportunity that many people have where they’re at the company for a few years or their entire career and grow and not feel like they always have to move someone else somewhere else to receive the value that they deserve.

But truly it would just be an anti-racist world. People would be mindful of their bias and their privilege.

ARENI:

You’ve been advocating about dismantling white supremacy. What is white supremacy and how does dismantling it contributes to a fairer world?

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

White supremacy originated in Europe and is now worldwide, it it not just in the US. White supremacy is really a system that provides comfort for people who are white, who are part of a white culture. It’s primarily for white people.

ARENI:

That’s a very interesting point that you make because I think in Europe, and surely in the US as well, when people hear about white supremacy, they get scared. But recognizing white supremacy means understanding that the system that you live in has been favouring you, without you being conscious of that.

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

In the 80s and 90s, we had the bean bag chair trend. It was all the rage.

I think of white supremacy as a bean bag chair. It’s comfortable because it conforms to your body. It literally suits your body. But it’s also hard to get out of because you’re sunken in it.

Dr. Akilah Cadet, founder and CEO, Change Cadet

Do you roll to the floor? Are you going to ask someone to help you out? And so imagine white supremacy as the bean bag chair. A white person’s in it. They have popcorn, they’re watching their favourite movie, having their best time, living their best life. It’s great. Everything’s perfect.

But next to that white person in the white supremacy bean bag chair is me, a Black woman. Who’s sitting on the floor because as soon as I entered in the room, I was told I was not good enough for a bean bag chair. All right. So fine. I’m sitting on the floor. I asked for popcorn, but then I have to pay for the popcorn. And then I asked for a movie that has representation of me and it, so I can also see myself and I’m being told, I’m challenging, I’m hostile, I’m problematic. I am an angry Black woman.

Some of those white people would say, well, she could come in to the cinema…what’s the problem? They don’t understand the system that made that whole thing unfair.

When we’re saying dismantle white supremacy, it’s not like “end all white people”. It just means we should have the same opportunity in the workplace. Why am I not deserving of the same humanity equality? That’s what it comes down to.

Dr. Akilah Cadet, founder and CEO, Change Cadet

ARENI:

One of the things that I’ve heard a lot as well is that this conversation about diversity is really interesting, but mostly it’s for US-based people and it’s about Americans.

Dr.. Akilah Cadet:

White supremacy doesn’t start in the US. It didn’t start here. America just happens to be the poster child of it because of the tragic history. White supremacy is also rooted in the Holocaust. White supremacy is rooted in any type of debate around religion, any type of debate around money and access and power. White supremacy is rooted in colonialism. That is worldwide. I mean, you’re in the UK. The UK still has lots of colonies that exist, right? So there’s white supremacy rooted in colourism and caste systems that happen all around the world.

Wealth is synonymous with white people.

I think it’s really important to note that race is a social construct that’s maintained to uphold the values of white supremacy. So we have our nationality, we have our ethnicity and that’s really it. And there’s lots of other countries that do a better job of celebrating and acknowledging nationality and ethnicity.

ARENI:

Are you encouraged by all the initiatives that flourished everywhere? Are we collectively going on the right direction?

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

We have good days and bad days with clients where we’re like making strides and progress. And then all of a sudden it’s like, you know what? We actually can’t do this right now. But overall, I think we’re making small, incremental changes, even if they’re steps backward in the right direction.

ARENI:

One of the discussions we have is around representation. It’s easy to understand that everybody need people who look like them. As a consumer, you want to see yourself in branding. But I have had loads of questions. For example, an Italian producer. If they put Black people on the marketing material, it doesn’t feel genuine to them unless it’s for the US market.

We have to communicate globally, yet the reality of each country is different. So how do we tackle representation?

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

So I would pose a question: Why is it a problem that an Asian person wouldn’t be on an ad, or a Black person would be in the ad? If you’re thinking Italy, there’s less diversity, but why does it matter?

ARENI:

When is representation cultural appropriation?

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

The white Italian person should not braid their hair, but the Black Italian person can braid their hair. Just as an example. But we’re talking about intent versus impact. If an Italy-based company feels it’s better to have more diversity on the American side, because of what’s happening in America, I understand that. But if there’s a way to even put more representation on a product where you don’t see a lot of representation, that also is powerful.

ARENI:

So let’s say you operate in France, you have to represent the French population in its diversity.

Dr. Akilah Cadet:

The French population is diverse. As a first generation, second or third or fourth family.

Your white consumer is also now in a position where they are learning and unlearning things and they’re looking to see more representation. And so if they don’t see that from that client, they can go to another company to purchase their product and their wine.

Dr. Akilah Cadet, founder and CEO, Change Cadet

A lot of people forget that white people, white cultures and ethnicities and nationalities are also like, what can I do, where can I spend my money? Who can I support? Brands have to take that into account.

For additional insights on the topic of diversity and inclusion in the world of Fine Wine, please also read and/or listen to:

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