Co-founders, Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, NYU Law; co-authors, Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice
Read the full list of Charter 30 honorees here, and learn more about Charter Pro here.
With new legal challenges to workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in recent months, Glasgow and Yoshino’s insights at the intersection of law, business, and DEI have taken on new urgency. Both legal scholars have been frequently called upon in recent months to advise leaders on navigating the current backlash, and they have responded with clear, actionable advice that helps organizations shore up their practices without abandoning their DEI goals. In an interview with Charter, for example, Glasgow highlighted the pair’s red/yellow/green framework for evaluating risk: “If you’re a DEI officer who’s equipped yourself with some of the knowledge of how these fit into frameworks,” he said, “you can push back a little bit on some unfounded attempts to water down DEI programs.”
Right now, what is your biggest question or curiosity about the future of work?
We are curious about how the field of DEI will adapt to the evolving legal landscape. In an environment of heightened legal risk, organizations are shifting their DEI strategies, but the exact form this work will take over the next five to 10 years is still being negotiated and contested.
What is one problem leaders should be focused on solving in the year ahead?
Leaders need to focus on addressing the anti-DEI narrative that has framed this work as unfair, divisive, and discriminatory. While the legal defense of DEI is important, the cultural and communications elements are equally critical.