The Poetry of Diversity and Inclusion

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by Luke Lara, Ed.D.

Poetry is one of the many ways I lose myself, reconnect, and feed my creative side. Few people know that I write poetry or that I compose music. These creative outlets allow me to tap into my emotions, spirituality, and ancestral guides.

Lately, I have written several blogs on equity, diversity, and inclusion. These concepts in action (or inaction) cause folks to feel stuck, energized, exhausted, and confused. Our institutions can be advancing forward or backwards.

Below are two poems I have written that convey my own personal emotional journey with these terms and how they operate in higher education and beyond. Enjoy and contemplate.

 Diversity in a Checkbox Nation
  
 Check
  
                        Check
  
                                                   Check
  
                                                                             Check
  
 Black               White              Hispanic          Ecuadorian
                       And everything in between
  
 Nobody dares ask me “Who are you?” or “¿Quíen eres?”
             only anonymous and optional forms 
                          care to ask
                                         in multiple languages too
  
 Potential employers do not greet me in mi idioma natal and
            they cannot ask about my race, 
                   sexual orientation, 
                                     religion,
                         national origin,
                                     gender,
                         political affiliation . . .
                                     but their intake surveys can
  
 I want the job because of WHO I am
             yet
                         they
                                     cannot
                                                 hire
                                                             me 
                                                                     because of who THEY think I am 
  
 The census is no better
 The government doesn’t care about ME
            Los sin vergüenzas only want my data
 My male Latinx Black and White cishet mishmash ass 
              is just 
                            another point 
                                                       among all the data
  
 What would it cost someone to ASK me “Who are you?”
             What would it mean for someone to LISTEN?
                         At what point will we stop seeing each other as data?
                                     When will the system care about ME?
  
 What connects us is not data
                                                             What brings us closer is our stories
             
 Sin miedo – without fear
             share your story
                         and ask others to compartir - share
             listen without interruption
                         with full respeto
  
  
  
                         Accept their story
                                     for their story is theirs and theirs alone
                                                 we could never know it
                                                             except if we listen
                                                                         and we find the rhythm 
                                                             of
                                                 humanity
                                     that                             que
                         runs                                                     corre
             deep                                                                            profúndamente 
 within                                                                                                  por dentro
  
 So, now you are ready to listen to my story
             Who I am
                         What my purpose is in life
                                     And why I am here
                                                 Sharing mi historia with you 

  One & the Same
  
 I have been searching 
 for the elusive one we call
 DIVERSITY
  
 Have you seen them?
  
 Yes, Diversity is plural,
             a cosmic and radiant group
 They are hard to miss
 look at any college website
             or company brochure
 Everyone seems to love Diversity,
             embrace Diversity
  
 Yet, when I visit that college campus or business
 I ask, “Where did diversity go?”
  
 They tell me, 
             “Oh, there she is”
             or, “That’s him right there”
  
 Diversity is no longer plural,
 no longer cosmic 
 or radiant
  
 Diversity looks dull,
             demoralized,
                         burned out,
                                     tired of being singular
 
              tired of being alone
             tired of the world of isms
  
 I still have hope that I’ll see them again, 
 somewhere
  
 Now, I search for Inclusion
 They are certainly plural
             And related to Diversity by blood
  
 You may have seen Inclusion
 They tend to be in positions of power,
 or at least they are valued stakeholders
 I ask, 
  
 
                     “Where might I find Inclusion in this organization?”
  
 They point to her
  
 I blink my eyes, 
 adjust my glasses, 
 and I see a familiar face
 It is singular Diversity again
  
 I ask, 
 “But, where is Inclusion?”
  
             No response
  
 Head hung low
 I walk away
  
 When will we know true Diversity?
  
 When will we honor true Inclusion?