Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to [email protected]
As the Trump administration seeks to purge all references to diversity, equity and inclusion, it provokes some thoughts on democracy.
Democracy’s central ideal is that all human beings are created equal — deserving of respect and opportunity. In a working democracy, this ideal is shared and guides and organizes community life. Since ideals are never fully realized, customs and laws created with good intentions can sometimes serve some groups and disadvantage others, with injustice resulting.
Pursuing the democratic ideal requires a clear-eyed recognition of injustice and caring enough about others to work to correct it. Without such honesty, care and courage, democracy fails.
To be concerned about diversity, equity and inclusion is to be guided by the ideal that we are all deserving of respect and opportunity. Respecting diversity means recognizing and tolerating our differences; equity means promoting fair treatment of all and working to correct injustice; and inclusion means honoring the inherent worth of all human beings.
Living with concern for diversity, equity and inclusion is not only essential for maintaining a democratic society, it is also the path to developing character. Of all the moral virtues, perhaps the most important are honesty, compassion and courage. A working moral compass requires recognizing and speaking truth, concern for others’ legitimate needs, and the courage to act from that understanding and that care, even when it costs us in some way. It is through concern for DEI that we mature as individuals and as a nation.
Stephen McKay
Orono
