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6 Signs That You Are the Token Chief Diversity Hire
And how to avoid becoming one
You’ve got to admit it. You’ve been wondering whether it’s really you they hired. Did they even care about your skills and experience, or did they want a brown face to plaster all over social media announcing their new diversity hire? Some folks consider it an insult to be called a diversity hire. People want to be hired for their talent, not their demographic identities. As one internet troll recently asked, “Since when did race become a job qualification?” Do the same rules apply if the words diversity, equity, or inclusion are in your job title?
If this is you, you are in luck. Here are a few red flags and clues that you may be part of a quick fix, an optics strategy, or a diversity PR stunt.
1. Blatant tokenization
There are few to no other people of color at the company. If you feel like the business needed a Black, Indigenous, or person of color’s (BIPOC) face, they probably did. It’s not a crime to diversify, but you should have been warned and prepared during the interview process. If you were not given a transparent heads up so you could mentally and emotionally prepare for the nightmare that is being the only lonely, beware. Someone has to be the first, but if it has to be you — you need to know exactly…
