Photo via Marcus Performing Arts Center - marcuscenter.org
Marcus Performing Arts Center - Front Entrance
Marcus Performing Arts Center
Amid the current ongoing chaos, Trump 2.0 has embraced several pet projects, including the elimination of organized Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, or DEI, in everything from government offices to educational institutions to enterprises of all types.
DEI is not a new concept. Government-based DEI efforts can be traced back to 1865 when Civil War veterans and their widows were given preferential hiring treatment during the post-war era. This preference was continued through the 1920s and even through 1944, when the Veterans Preference Act expanded opportunities for disabled veterans. Socially, the notion further spiked in 1936, when the Randolph-Sheppard Act, signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt, mandated that the government purchase products made by the blind.
Through John F. Kennedy’s “Affirmative Action” program and the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the concept and those covered by it expanded to include a racial component to make sure everyone received fair treatment in the workplace and through employment opportunities. More recently, debate on DEI increased, both pro and con, under Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Trump’s opposition to DEI comes with his claim that such initiatives promote discrimination, particularly against white people, and stand in the way of applying merit-based hiring and disciplinary practices. Woe be to any enterprises that rely on federal government grants, funding, and/or other favors to conduct their business who haven’t wiped away the “stain” of DEI.
But not everybody feels that way. Not surprisingly, Jill Underly, recently reelected as Wisconsin’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, says Wisconsin public school systems will not comply with Trump’s DEI directive, putting at risk as much as $841 million in federal funding, of which roughly $82 million goes to Milwaukee Public Schools. DEI, Underly believes, lies at the heart of public education and can’t be left behind.
But what about private businesses?
Tapping a Wider Talent Base
Of those firms we did talk to, the overriding sentiment was that an active DEI program helps attract and support a wider array of talent. For Clarios, a global manufacturer of low voltage batteries that they claim can be found in one in every three vehicles worldwide, finding the right talent is critical to the Glendale-based company’s growth and success. Internal DEI initiatives can only help the process.
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“At Clarios, we recognize that the diversity of our workforce is a competitive advantage,” says Christian Riedel, director of global external communication responding in writing from his office in Hannover, Germany. “Our approach to inclusion and diversity ensures our hiring and promotion processes are free from bias and that our leadership teams have the self-knowledge and tools to respect differences and turn them into advantages. This approach has allowed us to harness the strength of an increasingly diverse and highly skilled team, and to set record years in (fiscal years) ‘22, ‘23 and ‘24.”
Citing Clarios’ 2023 Sustainability Report, Reidel points to sections that explain the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability in its manufacturing and distribution processes, as well as equitable and honest hiring practices.
“Discrimination in any form, including race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military service or any other protected status, is strictly prohibited at Clarios,” the study says. “Incorporating inclusion and diversity into our company culture enables us to leverage the full spectrum of talent, fostering an environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully to our shared success, benefiting employees, customers, and investors alike.”
Company success is based on mining the capabilities and talent from a staff noted for its diversity, Reidel continues. “We continue to educate our leadership teams on the importance of self-knowledge and respecting others’ differences as we continue on our journey to harness the power of an increasingly diverse, broad, and highly skilled talent pool,” he adds.
Fairness for Everyone
At the University of Wisconsin Credit Union, the notion of being “woke” to all employees and the members they serve dates back to 2013. That’s when the $5.6 billion Madison-based financial institution, with 35 branches throughout the state, including 13 in the Greater Milwaukee area, undertook a formal study of the demographics of all their various markets and how staff hires should reflect the evolving member base.
“We recognized two imperatives,” says UWCU President & CEO Paul Kundert. “First, as a financial institution with a hospitality mindset, we need to create a warm, welcoming environment for everyone. Second, with a growing workforce in a competitive employment market, it’s essential for us to attract potential employees from the entire community.”
UWCU’s DEI emphasis is not focused on one department or set of employees, Kundert explains, but rather something the permeates through the credit union and is “owned” by all employees.
“We expanded our managers' toolkits with cultural competency training starting back in 2013,” the chief executive says. “This training helped our team understand how their own backgrounds and experiences shape their perspectives, while building skills to communicate effectively with all colleagues and members.”
The credit union strives to recruit capable employees from the communities which the branches serve. If employment applications don’t come from across the community, UWCU looks for the reason why. If the credit union uncovers an unintentional barrier to service for one or more community groups, they work to rectify the situation and open up credit union services to more potential employees and members. (As member-owned financial cooperatives, credit unions serve members, not customers.)
“Many people are raising questions these days about DEI,” Kundert says. “It’s important to be humble and curious enough to take notice, to ask questions, and to listen. So, we’ve been listening, and I think most of the concerns are about fairness, and the perception that some diversity or equity efforts set out to address past unfairness through shortcuts which force certain outcomes. We’ve never taken that approach. To us, equity is about fairness for everyone.”
Serving a Nation of Differences
The notion of unfairness or inequity as a central element of DEI is one of the issues driving the current controversy, according to Kevin Giglinto, president and CEO for the Marcus Performing Arts Center. He says it’s just not true.
“These days people are triggered by the use of acronyms,” Giglinto explains. “People come from a wide variety of backgrounds. We want our work to reflect the people we serve. Our goal is to be the cultural heartbeat of Milwaukee.”
With its connection to the Broadway Over America series, Giglinto says MPAC programming already is diverse, taking its cue in part from the visiting Broadway-based productions that in recent years have expanded their focus and feature more culturally diverse programming.
“Look at the arts,” Giglinto says. “Every kind of art offers a sense of whomever the artist is. Artists mirror their culture, and they share their work and themselves, which translates into our strategy to serve a culturally diverse audience.
“At the PAC, there is no downside to DEI, which strives to attract more culturally diverse audiences and employees. The diverse programs shed more light on different cultures, eliminating cultural barriers to help everyone better understand their neighbors and appreciate their culture, Giglinto explains.
“As a country we’re all neighbors and we’re all living together,” he adds. “We’re a nation of many different people, and that is our real strength. It’s really just good business.”
If your company believes in DEI, we salute you. Please contact us if you want us to mention your company in a follow up piece on DEI.
