Who Pays for Diversity?: An Evening with Oneya Fennell Okuwobi

How diversity initiatives harm employees of color by turning them into workplace commodities.

Diversity programs are under attack. Should those interested in racial justice fight to keep them, or might there be another way forward? Who Pays for Diversity? reveals the costs that employees of color pay under current programs by having their racial identities commodified to benefit white people and institutions. Oneya Fennell Okuwobi proposes fresh and thoughtful ways to reorient these initiatives, move beyond tokenism, and authentically center marginalized employees.

Drawing on accounts of employees from across the workplace spectrum, from corporations to churches to universities, Who Pays for Diversity? details how the optics of diversity programs undermine employees' competence while diminishing their well-being and workplace productivity. Okuwobi argues that diversity programs have been a costly detour on the path to racial justice, and getting back on track requires solutions that provide equity, dignity, and agency to all employees, instead of defending the status quo.

6 pm reception/6:30 pm program
Free & open to the public. Registration required.

Copies of Who Pays for Diversity? will be available for sale & signing courtesy of Joseph-Beth Cincinnati.

About Oneya Fennell Okuwobi

Oneya Fennell Okuwobi is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Cincinnati. Her research examines how organizational diversity policies affect racial inequality. In particular, Oneya’s work centers the experiences of people of color to portray in rich detail the hidden causes and lasting effects of workplace inequality. Oneya was previously a corporate finance manager with 14 years’ experience in strategic business planning, category expansion, and organizational leadership. She is also a regular commentator and consultant on issues at the intersection of race and religion, especially the multiracial church.