When I was about 10, I had my first experience with the work known as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (or DEIB). I was in 5th grade sitting in our school’s theater listening to the middle school LGBTQIA+ alliance do a presentation about the difference between pride flags. At the time I really just found the colors of the flags pretty, but now, at the old and wise age of 13, I realize their importance. I always came out of those assemblies feeling like I had learned something about the world and how everyone fit into it.  

So why are people resisting DEIB work in schools? Resistance to DEIB is difficult to understand, making the answer to this question quite complicated. Why would anyone be opposed to people learning about diversity? Diversity education shows how unique everyone is and how identities can shape us, a positive thing. Nevertheless, some people are opposing it. According to WKYC Studios in Rocky River, Ohio, after the school district started teaching about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, about a dozen parents protested the school’s work. They argued against the inclusion of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in their education. Critical Race Theory argues that racism is a systemic problem, and should be addressed in the systems of our government that allow racism to continue, as opposed to the actions of individual racist people. The theory says that this systematic approach would be the only effective one because the systems our society thrives on are the ones creating the racism of ordinary people by promoting certain ideas.  

The parent protests came from a misunderstanding of the school’s curriculum and CRT. Regardless, what’s the big problem with CRT? According to Education Week, the most common argument seems to be that CRT is racist against white people. Now I am by far not an expert on CRT, but as far as I can tell, the theory isn’t attacking white people. It does say that, without realizing it, white people are benefiting from a racist system, but that argument isn’t racist towards white people. That is the reality of systemic racism. The Rocky River parents got so upset about CRT while misunderstanding what it was. This misconception showcases the need for DEIB education.

These parents are terrified because the world is changing so quickly. DEIB is something they have never experienced and because it is foreign, they think it is a bad thing. Of course, there are other things they have never experienced, like lots of modern technology, but the invention of new tech has never required them to examine their own biases and possible racism. Not only is DEIB a new thing, it requires us to humble ourselves and admit that we could have been wrong about something for most of our lives. DEIB forces people to address their personal biases, past actions, and own role in perpetuating racism. 

I hope that these parents can come across some of the resources that I did and realize that there is really nothing to panic about, nothing to be upset about, and that diversity is a wonderful thing. Some could argue that DEIB is even unnecessary because racism has ended. I would tell them that racism is in fact present in our society but less obvious, and the whole point of DEIB is to uncover implicit racism so it can be amended. DEIB presents an opportunity for every child to learn about other identities, and hopefully take away the powerful new understanding of the world, one their parents were never taught in school. 

This op-ed was originally an assignment for the 8th-grade course “Stories and Systems.”