Diversity vs Anti-Racism: Why inclusion is not enough

When brands and organisations focus on things like boosting their workforce by hiring a variety of different kinds of people or running a social media campaign which highlights the achievement of their Black colleagues during Black History Month in October without mentioning them during the other 11 months of the year, it shows that brands and organisation they are simply doing diversity work, without going further and getting stuck into anti-racism work.

Diversity and anti-racism are often mixed up, but they’re not the same thing. Diversity is about having different kinds of people represented – whether it’s race, gender, age, or other identities. Diversity is focused on bringing variety into spaces, but it doesn’t necessarily tackle the deeper issues of inequality. You can have a diverse group of people without addressing how they’re treated or the systemic barriers they face. That’s where the confusion comes in. A lot of brands and organisations think that just by hiring a mix of people, they’re solving the problem, but that’s only scratching the surface.

Anti-racism, on the other hand, is about actively challenging and dismantling racism in all its forms. It’s not just about representation but also about making sure that policies, practices, and behaviours are designed to address and undo the harm caused by racism.

The two ideas get conflated because organisations sometimes believe that achieving diversity means they’ve done enough. In reality, you can have a diverse space and still have racist systems in place. Being anti-racist requires more than just diversity – it takes intentional, ongoing work to create real, lasting change.

Our Founder and Director, Collette Philip spends a lot of her time talking about about how we need to put the spotlight on anti-racism and pointing out that just focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) isn’t enough to tackle the deep-rooted issues of systemic racism.

She was recently on Third Sector podcast hosted by Lucinda Rouse and Emily Burt talking about everything from anti-racism and the charity sector to the key insights from Brand by Me’s DISMANTLE report.

They discussed how racism keeps sneaking into charity comms, why so many brands ditched their 2020 anti-racism promises, and what it actually takes to be a truly anti-racist brand.

The Brand By Me DISMANTLE report found that many brands and organisations that made commitments to anti-racism in the aftermath of the summer of 2020 Black Lives Matter resurgence, have actually been diluted and morphed into some vague ticking of boxes around diversity and maybe representation.

If there is a focus only on diversity and representation, racism continues to persist and show up within the brand or organisation – and here we are not just talking about overt racism such as racial slurs or discriminatory hiring practices, we mean things like tokenism and saviourism.

As Collette said on the podcast, diversity is often used as a feel-good distraction, making it seem like progress is happening when the real systems of oppression remain untouched. By making bold statements on social media platforms without changing the rules or structures, organisations claim they’re being inclusive, while the power dynamics that favour the status quo stay intact. It’s a way to look progressive without actually challenging the deep-rooted racism and inequality that keep the system running as it always has. Essentially, diversity becomes a surface fix that distracts from the need for real, structural change.

However, there are some brands and organisations that seem to be further on the journey with their anti-racism work. Those are the ones who are partnering with, collaborating with and engaging with global majority communities. There’s a visible power shift in terms of the way that they are tackling systemic issues – they aren’t trying to do the work alone. Collaboration is key!

Listen to the podcast episode in full here.

Here at Brand By Me, we titled our report DISMANTLE to reference the powerful Audre Lorde’s quote,

“The master’s tools will not dismantle the master’s house”. 

This analogy means that we cannot tackle racism by using the same approaches that built them in the first place. When we talk about diversity, sometimes it’s just about adding different faces to the room, but without changing the system that controls that room, we’re still playing by the same rules. White supremacy thrives on keeping the structure intact, even if it appears more inclusive. True change means going beyond surface-level diversity and challenging the deep-rooted systems of power – otherwise, we’re just reinforcing the same inequality we’re trying to dismantle.

Our DISMANTLE report shows how focusing on diversity alone actually fuels racism in a brand – through things like tokenism, instrumentalisation, race bending and the white gaze among others.

Collette also explained about the relationship between diversity and white supremacy referencing Audre Lorde’s quote, in this ‘Reclaiming Anti-Racism’  talk. She mentions how in 2020, the conversation started to shift more towards equity, especially as the pandemic laid bare many of the existing inequalities, alongside the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. She again, calls DEI efforts a short-term fix, saying they often prioritise making white leaders comfortable instead of driving real change. Collette encourages us to refocus on anti-racism by breaking down white supremacy, embracing intersectionality, putting equity first, steering clear of gatekeeping, and using our collective power to push for liberation and justice.

We Can Help

Brands and organisations often choose diversity over anti-racism because diversity is easier and less uncomfortable to tackle. It’s a more palatable, surface-level approach that allows them to look inclusive without having to confront or change the deeper issues of systemic racism. Focusing on diversity lets them check a box, for example, hiring more people from different backgrounds – without addressing the power structures, biases, and policies that perpetuate inequality. 

The support we offer brands and organisations through Brand By Me is truly anti-racist. We show you how ongoing work and a willingness to call out racism wherever it shows up, can dismantle the status quo. You can download our DISMANTLE report here.