There is still a need to challenge the “add and stir” model of diversity, a practice of sprinkling in more women, people of color, disabled folks and assuming that is enough to change current paradigms.
Moya Z. Bailey, All the Digital Humanists Are White, All the Nerds Are Men, but Some of Us Are Brave
While I was reading the works from this past week many different ideas and notes resonated with me, however, this passage in Bailey’s work grabbed my attention. I would say the quote caught my attention because it’s true. In modern society there has been a lazy “add and stir”, as Bailey stated, diversity policy. Be it in universities, workplaces, k-12 schools, etc. diversity seems to be treated almost trivially by those who ‘manage’ it when it should be a given, serious policy. Being in this diverse pool myself, I have felt the misplacement that arises with these policies. We need to work to do better by the people who fall under these policies and not just sprinkle them in but develop some actual change. With that being said, I think that what I am most interested in doing this term is working to expand my overall knowledge of the digital humanities to help me work toward more meaningful solutions to such problems. For instance, working with word maps to gather data on those who feel underrepresented in their areas of expertise or fields of study. As another example, we could develop more interactive and accessible websites that anyone can access at any time. The steps toward making real change in certain areas could be just a couple of clicks away. Overall, this week I have had an eye-opening experience using just these few digital tools in class. In addition, the reading offers some profound knowledge of ideas that can pertain to even events that happen outside of the classroom in interdisciplinary settings. As of now, some projects in work are combating things like “add and stir” policies, but we could provide more data and labor simply by learning how to use a few tools! The steps to developing a more promising and eventful tomorrow start with the activities and determination of those in work and learning today!
