Diversity, equity, and inclusion for what?
-
Festus E. Obiakor
,
Innocent J. Aluka
Abstract
Human-beings are known to be caring, sensitive, soulful, good, and altruistic people; however, some of them have also been known to be wicked, unforgiving, soulless, ruthless, and hateful. In other words, human-beings are complex; and, such complexity can either exacerbate the perennial problems of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and hate or motivate us to investigate, understand, and value the broad perspectives of DIVERSITY, EQUITY, and INCLUSION (DEI). Based on these assertions, three DEI-related questions come to mind. Shouldn’t our human complexity motivate us to be more analytical and less simplistic about life situations? Shouldn’t we desist from making myopic and prejudicial assumptions and judgments about race, goodness, intelligence, Whiteness, Blackness, or other human constructs that matter? And, shouldn’t we focus on how our human race can educate, grow, develop, and value all people connected to it? This article answers these questions with particular attention to general and “special” education.
References
Allport, Gordon W. 1954. The nature of prejudice. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley.Search in Google Scholar
Campt, Tina M. 2023. A black gaze: Artists changing how we see. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.Search in Google Scholar
Carroll, Rebecca. 2021. Surviving the white gaze: A memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster.Search in Google Scholar
Chandler, Daniel. 1998. Notes on “the gaze.”. Available at: http://aber.ac.uk/media/documents/gaze//gaze.html.Search in Google Scholar
Dewey, John. 1958. Experience and nature. New York: Courier Corporation.Search in Google Scholar
Dewey, John. 1960. On experience, nature, and freedom. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill.Search in Google Scholar
Dukach, Dagny. 2022. DEI gets real. Harvard Business Review, pp. 1–6.Search in Google Scholar
Dunn, Lisa. 2020. What is diversity, equity, and inclusion? Retrieved from: http://inclusionhub.com.Search in Google Scholar
Frankl, Viktor E. 1984. Man’s search for new meaning: An introduction to logotherapy. New York: Touch Stone Book.Search in Google Scholar
Gould, Stephen J. 1981. The mismeasure of man. New York: W. W. Norton.Search in Google Scholar
Howell, Diamond, Aaminah Norris, & Krystal l. Williams. 2019. Towards the black gaze theory: How black female teachers make black students visible. Urban Education Policy and Research Annals, 6(1), 20–30.10.55370/uerpa.v6i1.915Search in Google Scholar
MacDonald, Heather. 2024. Disparate impact thinking is destroying our civilization. Imprimis, 53(2), 1–7.Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E. 2011. Beware of false prophets of multicultural education. Multicultural Learning and Teaching, 6(1), 1–6, https://doi.org/10.2202/2161-2412.1160.Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E. 2018. Powerful multicultural essays for educators and leaders: Optimizing “hearty” conversations. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.10.1108/978-1-64113-087-5Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E. 2021. Multiculturalism still matters in education and society: Responding to changing times. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.10.1108/978-1-64802-554-9Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E. 2022. Educating and hiring an “African” in America’s colleges/schools of education: My voice. Multicultural Learning and Teaching, 17(1), 91–110, https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-2024.Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E. 2023. Reducing hate through multicultural education and transformation. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.10.1108/979-8-88730-165-5Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E. 2025. No time to retreat: Why we must solidify multicultural education. Leeds, United Kingdom: Emerald.10.1108/978-1-83708-902-4Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E., & Michael O. Afolayan. 2007. African immigrant families in the United States: Surviving the socio-cultural tide. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 15(3), 265–270, https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480707301425.Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E., Innocent J. Aluka, Emmanuel I. Mbagwu, Sunday O. Obi. 2024a. Beyond fraudulent multiculturalism in higher education: Moving forward. Multicultural Learning and Teaching, 19(2), 237–248, https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2023-0001.Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E., Innocent J. Aluka, Gina C. Obiakor, & Sunday O. Obi. 2024b. Educating culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities in inclusive settings: Beyond debates. Multicultural Learning and Teaching, 19(1), 111–122, https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-0009.Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E., Tachelle Banks, Anthony F. Rotatori & Cheryl Utley. 2017. Leadership matters in the education of students with special needs in the 21st century. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.10.1108/978-1-64113-010-3Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E. & Patrick A. Grant. 2002. Foreign-born African Americans: Silenced voices in the discourse on race. New York: Nova Science Publishers.Search in Google Scholar
Obiakor, Festus E., Patrick A. Grant & Elizabeth A. Dooley. 2002. Educating all learners: Refocusing the comprehensive support model. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher.Search in Google Scholar
Shanken, Felicia. 2025. Why DEI matters in America—and who benefits most. Retrieved from: www.phillywnc.org.Search in Google Scholar
Urwin, Mathew. 2024. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. Retrieved from: https://builtin.com.Search in Google Scholar
Washington, Ella F. 2022a. The necessary journey: Making real progress on equity and inclusion. Brighton, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.Search in Google Scholar
Washington, Ella F. 2022b. The five stages of DEI maturity. Harvard Business Review, pp. 1–17.Search in Google Scholar
Werklabs. 2022. What drives a diverse extended workforce: Fostering feelings of inclusion for diverse contingent talent. New York: Werklab.Search in Google Scholar
Yancy, George. 2017. Black bodies, white gazes: The continuing significance of race, 2nd edn. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.10.5040/9798216406853Search in Google Scholar
© 2026 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
