DAY 19: Give up thinking that “diversity program” means that BIPOC candidates are not qualified or not the best candidate

The whole point of selection programs is to find a suitable candidate. The idea that this goes out the window when a person of colour is being considered is not only racist, but absurd. And yet it persists.

From the beginning of diversity, equity, inclusion programs being integrated into organisations, it has been usual to hear people equate a lack of qualifications with BIPOC candidates. It is part of the current conversation coming from white supremist commentators and their allies around the selection of the Supreme Court Justice in the United States. 

President Joe Biden has named a nominee that is an African American woman. Despite her qualifications, including education and work history, and that she will be entering a very public qualification process, there have been calls, namely by Tucker Carlson, for her LSAT scores.

It is nonsensical and patently racist criticism, since LSAT scores are one of many qualifiers for admittance into law school. It is clear that the candidate in question has not only entered, but graduated from the most revered law school in the United States.

TIP: If you find yourself questioning if a person is qualified, ask yourself if that same question has come up for you when it comes to white-identified candidates. Can you apply any logic as to why an organisation would drop its need for qualification to hire a person? Also, check your awareness about the impact of biased media reports, which often have a more severe and critical lens on people of colour.  We cannot stop misinformation, but we can develop a critical lens to identify it when it is present.