How We Talk About Diversity Matters

Illustration by Bobboz via Getty Images

Inclusivity over exclusivity. When someone asks me anything related to diversity or social justice, that is my basic answer. I hold the unwavering belief that the more diverse a group is, the stronger it is—and diversity requires inclusion and open-mindedness. For our annual Diversity Issue, I’ve chosen to highlight three books that provide instructive, convincing encouragement on how to effectively embrace diversity—be it ethnicity, gender, race, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status—and thrive.

The first is by Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow, founders of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the NYU School of Law. Say the Right Thing: How To Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice (Atria, Feb. 7) is a must-read for anyone seeking guidance on how to foster positive communication about identity. As our starred review noted, “the authors skillfully explore seven key areas: how to avoid so-called ‘conversational traps,’ build resilience in dealing with differing points of view, cultivate curiosity about how others perceive the world, disagree respectfully when necessary, apologize authentically when wrongs are committed, apply the platinum rule (help others as they would prefer to be helped), and be generous to those who act in noninclusive ways. The authors’ advice has been extensively field-tested, and they are admirably nuanced in their identification of specific challenges to the promotion of constructive dialogue.” The authors are unafraid to examine how their personal lives have influenced their work: “We are both gay men who spent our formative years in the closet,” they write. “During that time, we were desperate to talk about our own identities, but the words felt unspeakable, even to the people who mattered most in our lives. That suffocating silence led us to search for a more powerful way of communicating.” (Listen to the Yoshino and Glasgow on a recent episode of the Fully Booked podcast.)

Effective communication is paramount in any discussion of diversity and identity, and Letters to a Writer of Color (Random House, March 7), edited by Deepa Anappara and Taymour Soomro, tackles the many unique challenges that writers of color face. The contributors include Tiphanie Yanique, Kiese Laymon, Myriam Gurba, Mohammed Hanif, and a host of others, all of whom address not just craft, but also broader concerns of identity, authenticity, and self-acceptance. In a starred review, our critic noted that while the book is geared toward writers of color, “artists of all races will benefit from the honesty, profundity, and munificence radiating from each of these letters.” The essayists also demonstrate an “astounding” generosity in sharing elements of their private lives, resulting in “a stunningly personal and practical compilation of literary and life advice.”

Simple-to-follow life advice is at the heart of David Moinina Sengeh’s Radical Inclusion: Seven Steps To Help You Create a More Just Workplace, Home, and World (Moment of Life Books/Flatiron, May 2). Despite significant obstacles to his mission of “radical inclusion,” our reviewer writes, “Sengeh dismisses roadblocks like hesitancy, appeasement, or behavioral ‘code-switching’ and offers comprehensive solutions and tactics to achieve inclusiveness.” The author’s personal experiences as the chief innovation officer for Sierra Leone inform his work, whether in his own country or in other nations such as Uganda. “As a father of two daughters,” our reviewer writes, “he is attuned to how females experience a host of exclusionary inequities, including lower pay differentials and social status as well as susceptibility to sexual violence.” The author lays out an accessible vision for creating a more just world, regardless of external circumstances, and his book is “inspirational, motivating, and intellectually sound,” successfully showing how to achieve “radical inclusivity across social divides.”