Page 10
Commentary
Street Roots • Aug. 3-9, 2018
We must overcome tokenism to achieve real equity
BY DARLEEN ORTEGA
C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T
P a \okenism seems to be a topic that
folks want to avoid, but the argument
against addressing it usually looks
something like, “I don’t like that term.” (In
fact, that’s an exact quote from the
pushback I encountered in one recent
experience - and the predominantly white:
women’s organization that originally invited
this article sought to censor it heavily.) But
if we are serious about doing the work of
equity, we have to talk about and understand
tokenism.
Tokenism occurs in a variety of contexts:
a lone woman in an office dominated by
men; public process committees appointing
a single representative from the community.
But nowhere is tokenism more common or
more problematic than the context of race.
It is at work when a person of color is
afforded an opportunity primarily (or
entirely) to make an organization or system
look fair rather than as part of conscientious
work to address racial inequities.
The extraordinary underrepresentation of
people of color in privileged spaces is the
product of structural inequities that are built
into our systems, inequities that will not
disappear with a few slight adjustments. Yet
tokenism quite effectively insulates an
organization or system from scrutiny
A.
Judge Darleen Ortega
has served on the
Oregon Court o f
Appeals since 2003
a n d speaks frequently
about diversity, equity
an d racism.
because it is so difficult to name or prove.
system will tend to look for people who
make good tokens: that is, people who fit in
well with the existing paradigm and are
unlikely to challenge the status quo. Often, a
person of color is chosen without much
attention to whether they are the best
candidate for the job (which is not to say
they aren’t, but that little attention is paid to
examining the question), or they are chosen
over other candidates of color who have
exhibited some inclination to challenge the
system or who show up in more powerful
ways or who don’t “fit in” as well
To take steps toward spotting when
tokenism is at work, we must scan for the
reasons why some of have been passed over,
rejected, released and replaced. The point is
not to undermine people of color who have
been hired or promoted, but instead to help
identify structural oppression that likely is
stiff at work in such circumstances.
Tokenism is an Underpinning of systemic
oppression; it functions to maintain the
overall system even in the face of what
seems like progress. As such, it requires
“good tokens” who exhibit a willingness to
view their success as a sign that the system
is fair or that tokenism is normative and
necessary for advancement - both being
responses that are quite understandable.
Often people of color have been passed over
many times, or have not been rewarded for
their efforts or given a fair shot. When their
"T?npTeTirpoweFITaA^noTea^on*^rrecogmze"'
the dynamics of tokenism and no incentive
to change them when they do. People of
color might more readily identify the
dynamics but likely will be reluctant to
undermine another person of color who has
“made it,” or may be inclined to deny what
they see because to believe that tokenism is
operating can feel disheartening and
disempowering.
However, if we don’t begin to understand
tokenism and take it seriously, we
undermine the prospects for real and lasting
change. As Malcolm Gladwell helpfully
illustrates in the first episode of his podcast,
Revisionist History, any system of exclusion
will create exceptions to make the system
look fair.
For example, over centuries of anti-
Semitism in Europe, in which Jews were
regularly driven out of cities in pogroms,
exceptions wereregularly made for the
“good Jews”;.the exceptions bolstered the
sense that the pogroms were a justified
means of driving out a bad element rather
than a form of oppression. Likewise,
Gladwell examines a brief period when one
woman temporarily found success in the
English art world (then closed to women);
her success quickly served to bolster the
view that there were no barriers to true
talent there - and soon after, she and all
women were shut out of the art world for
another 60 years. This pattern of moral
licensing is a well-documented phenomenon;
the exceptions serve to obscure and
strengthen the pattern of exclusion.
When moral licensing is operating, a
to believe that someone finally recognized
outside who have not had the opportunity to
challenge them. Its leaders will not claim
they can’t find good people of color; instead,
they will devote energy to building
meaningful relationships with communities
of color (relationships that those
communities would define as meaningful).
They will prioritize understanding
perspectives that have been
underrepresented and will demonstrate
progress toward transformational change.
The fact that they have hired or promoted
small numbers of people of color should not
insulate organizations or leaders from
scrutiny, or keep the rest of us from holding
them accountable for who they undervalue.
If we understand how tokenism and moral
licensing work, we will
be loath to play into
the misconception that
hiring or promoting a
“ Vfo need to understand that
person of color always
means that an
II an organization or system
organization is not also Is really worfdng for racial
practicing racism.
fustics and equity, It w ill ho
As for people of
engaged beyond facial
color, we must
recognize that most of "d iversity"
us have gained
opportunities due to
tokenism because that
is how systemic bias works. If we don’t
educate ourselves about racism and moral
““ffgg'nsffig,*weJW I b ^ ^ s y to• pick off and to
enlist in the service of maintaining the
status quo; the success of small numbers of
individuals will serve to insulate
predominantly white organizations from
engaging in the hard work of addressing
structural bias.
Promoting one of Us does not actually
elevate all of us, so we should scan for
whether and how choosing one of us made it
easier-to discount others. We should
concentrate more on lifting up others whose
value has not been recognized and less on
applauding predominantly white
organizations for offering opportunities to a
few people of color. Our theory of change
should include more than our personal
success, but rather should include a
relentless commitment to lifting up the
voices of the underrepresented and
marginalized.
No one of us speaks for all people of
color, or even all people within our huge
demographic (e.g., Black, Latinx, API,
indigenous, Arab-American). We should
resist being tokenized by refusing to speak
or stand for all people of color, and by
refusing to prioritize individual success over
engaging in the work of lifting up other
voices. Doing these things may well
compromise our personal success in some
organizations, but not the ones who are
serious about the work of equity.
their worth, and are not inclined to look
around for others who have been left behind
or to wonder whether they became useful in
insulating the organization or system from
scrutiny.
The truth is, most people of color who
are allowed into privileged spaces have
likely been tokenized at some point. When I
look back to some of my own successes or
times that I have been offered a platform, I
can now see evidence (invisible to me at the
time) that I was perceived as more palatable
to invest in or listen to than other people of
color would be. The question for us is, will
we allow ourselves to be used as an alibi to
make the system look fair? How can we be
hohest with ourselves about what has fueled
our success or access - especially since we
have likely been overlooked and unfairly
judged as well - and continue to challenge
the systems that have conditionally accepted
us? What kind of balance can we strike
between navigating systems in a way that
furthers our personal success and
challenging the barriers that persist for
folks at the margins? How can we find that
balance?
In order for people of color to answer
that question and for all people to resist the
problem of tokenism, we need to
understand that if an organization or system
is really working for racial justice and equity,
it will be engaged beyond facial “diversity?
Author s note: “The Lady Vanishes, ”
Such an organization or system will not
Revisionist History podcast, Season 1,
overlook qualified people of color “close to
episode 1 is essential listening to understand
home” in favor of bringing in people from
moral licensing and tokenism.