Despite statements in support of racial justice, many organizations fail to make good on their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In this review, we describe the role of the narrative of racial progress—which conceives of society as rapidly and automatically ascending toward racial equity—in these failures. Specifically, the narrative (1) envisions organizations as race neutral, (2) creates barriers to complex cross-race discussions about equity, (3) creates momentum for less effective policy change, and (4) reduces urgency around DEI goals. Thus, an effective DEI strategy will involve organizational leaders overcoming this narrative by acknowledging past DEI failures and, most critically, implementing immediate and evidence-based structural changes that are essential for creating a more just and equitable workplace.

尽管有支持种族正义的声明，但许多组织未能兑现其对多样性、公平和包容 (DEI) 的承诺。在这篇评论中，我们描述了种族进步的叙述——它认为社会迅速而自动地向种族平等上升——在这些失败中的作用。具体来说，叙述 (1) 将组织设想为种族中立，(2) 为关于公平的复杂跨种族讨论设置障碍，(3) 为不太有效的政策变革创造动力，以及 (4) 减少围绕 DEI 目标的紧迫性。因此，有效的 DEI 战略将涉及组织领导者通过承认过去的 DEI 失败来克服这种叙述，最关键的是，实施即时和基于证据的结构变革，这对于创建更加公正和公平的工作场所至关重要。