Diversity and Inclusion Matters

Chapter 4Collect the Data

Give a Brown Guy a Chance

Years ago, when my son, Justus, was about seven, I sat down next to him to watch cartoons. Justus had been sitting there for a little while before I joined him on the couch. After a few minutes of watching, I realized we were watching He-Man. He-Man is a show about a fictional superhero, similar to Superman or Batman.

I had heard of He-Man before but had never really watched the cartoon. The storyline was like most superhero cartoons. He-Man fought against evil and saved people. About halfway through the episode (and during the commercial), I decided to tease Justus. I told Justus, “He-Man is not a real superhero. When I was a kid, we had real superheroes like Superman. He-Man can't even fly!” Like a typical seven-year-old, Justus decided to defend his superhero.

Justus sat up, looked me in the eye, and said, “He-Man is a real superhero; he is strong, he cares, and he helps people!” Then his face turned somewhat sad. He looked down at the ground as if in deep thought and took a deep breath. Justus looked at me with the most introspective face I have ever seen on a seven-year-old. He said, “I just wish they would give a brown guy a chance.” There are few, if any, brown or female superheroes in cartoons.

Justus's simple statement highlighted the importance of our diversity, equity, and inclusion work. I am sure Justus did not want people to take away He-Man; he just wanted to see a superhero that looked like him. DE&I programs ...