tcp | open letter to diversity & inclusion professionals: the divine (nine) solution
To my Diversity & Inclusion Colleagues:
Are you truly committed to contesting the gender and racial disparities that are clear and evident in your organization? Or are you okay with the idea of a D&I effort that’s symbolic at best with no real impact? A very baseline understanding of the historical and systemic mistreatment of women and people of color in the United States OR even the McKinsey study that shows 35% more diverse organizations outperform their non-diverse competitors should be enough to motivate business leaders to want to make substantive change. However, as we all know – cognitive dissonance is real.
There is a proverbial diversity gap in most of our organizations that appears to be widening with each excuse we decide best fits our narrative. The excuse of all excuses – pipeline. This is essentially the belief that there are no women or people of color around to do the job - “Nebraska? You want me to find black people in Nebraska…that code!?”
The fact of the matter is – finding black people in Nebraska that code may not be as hard as you think. Allow me to remind you of several tightly-nit institutions (nine in total) that were founded in the early 20th century that have approximately 100,000 members respectively. Each member pledging a life-long commitment to the shared interests of scholarship and service. Institutions that have strenuous selection processes and internal professional development mechanisms that have produced industry leaders, notable clergy and public figures. Institutions that require and promote scholastic achievement through minimum gpa requirements along with moral and integrity-filled character. Coupled with the aptitude to do the job – are these not the attributes we look for in candidates when filling a position?
I happen to know where to find these institutions and you need not look any further than the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), affectionately known as The Divine Nine. The NPHC is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities. This deep and rich network of predominately African-American men and women can be found throughout many parts of the globe – with most residing within the US. The unique graduate chapter model adopted by the Divine Nine enables its members to experience the fraternal/sororal bonds well after college – making this the perfect group to engage from entry-level to C-suite opportunities.
This letter is getting pretty long so let’s cut to the chase. To recap - as a recruiter and D&I professional – I want access to as many NPHC members as possible for the following reasons:
1. Represent every D&I targeted audience at every job level
2. Represented in all 50 states and around the world
3. Made a public commitment to scholarship and service
4. Baseline proficiency in both Greek and Latin
5. Proven global network of professionals
6. Experience dealing with a myriad of people and personalities
7. Proven ability to understand and navigate hierarchal organizations
As colleagues serving side-by-side in the quest for top talent from underrepresented populations – it is imperative we collectively express our desire to actively engage with this seemingly untapped resource. The NPHC can be reached at info@nphchq.org or at 404.942.3257.
Let me know your thoughts!
-T
