EDI is a Bitch

The promotion of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) lies at the heart of British values. As we renew our efforts towards decolonising not only our academic spaces, but society as a whole, we need to further scrutinise EDI as a sociological object of inquiry. It is imperative that we evaluate the efficacy of Diversity and Inclusion directives as mobilisers of social justice rather than as quantifiable measures of supposed anti-racism. Intentionally departing from the notable work of scholars such as Robin DiAngelo (2018; 2021) and Sara Ahmed (2012), this critique is presented through a dub poem as a sociopolitical rebuttal against academia’s ontological biases against Black modes of cultural expression.

Conforming to a mode of expression aligned with Black radical thought, this poem considers the extent to which British society has (or has not) become more inclusive of Black cultures since the arrival of the ‘Windrush generation’ and their children. Drawing upon Linton Kwesi Johnson’s (1982) Inglan Is A Bitch, British values are interrogated throughout the poem in line with Black Caribbean sensibilities.

The poem seeks to capture the current sentiments of many Black scholars who currently feel that their views regarding EDI recruitment strategies, conference panels and institutional processes remain unheard. For many of us, EDI does not value our Black Britishness and represents a form of glorified institutional box-ticking. It is necessary to re-examine the role of EDI to ensure that its implementation serves ethnically minoritised communities and actually promotes both our racial and cultural inclusion.