Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
We live at a time of unprecedented demographic and social change. In response, organizations are striving to recruit and retain diverse talent and to unlock the benefits of diverse teams through inclusive leadership.
The NYU Law Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging partners with organizations on paradigm-shifting work to build inclusive leadership capabilities. Inclusive leadership is not the sole province of CEOs and senior leaders. It is a mindset and a suite of behaviors that can be carried out every day by individuals at all levels of an organization.
Supported by a Broadway director, dozens of actors, and a digital content producer, the center has worked with a variety of prominent organizations within the United States and globally to develop and roll out cutting-edge, customized, research-based diversity and inclusion education in live and digital formats. The focus of its work to date has been on the concepts of authenticity and allyship.
Course Details
Structure and Approach
- The authenticity program centers on Professor Kenji Yoshino’s research on the topic of “covering”—ways in which individuals downplay or minimize outsider identities to blend into the mainstream. It offers tools for building a more authentic and inclusive workplace.
- The allyship program explores how every individual in an organization can uphold an inclusive culture through everyday actions in support of their colleagues. It offers practical tools for engaging in effective allyship and having better conversations about issues of diversity and identity in the workplace.
- Both programs can be delivered in a variety of formats—live keynotes, facilitated workshops, and on-demand digital learning with “TED-style” talks and scenarios featuring professional actors. All content is fully customizable to the organization.
Key Takeaways
- Participants understand the leadership behaviors that drive inclusion and enhance retention.
- Participants learn to discuss difficult diversity and inclusion issues with resilience and curiosity.
- Participants learn to avoid common pitfalls of allyship and engage as a more effective ally at all levels of an organization.
- Participants learn to apply principles of authenticity and allyship to real-life scenarios in the organization.
Featured Center
The NYU Law community boasts an extensive network of centers and institutes that provide insight and depth into the scholarship of this program.
Academic Directors
Kenji Yoshino
Kenji Yoshino is the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law and the Director of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. A graduate of Harvard (AB summa cum laude), Oxford (MSc as a Rhodes Scholar) and Yale (JD), he specializes in constitutional law, antidiscrimination law, and law and literature. He is the author of three books: Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights; A Thousand Times More Fair: What Shakespeare’s Plays Teach Us About Justice; and Speak Now: Marriage Equality on Trial. Yoshino has published in major academic journals, including the Harvard Law Review, the Stanford Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal. He has also written for more popular forums, including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. He makes regular appearances on radio and television programs, such as NPR, CNN, PBS and MSNBC. In 2011, Yoshino was elected to the Harvard Board of Overseers for a six-year term (serving as President of that body in the 2016-17 academic year). He also serves on the Board of the Brennan Center for Justice and on the External Advisory Panel for Diversity and Inclusion for the World Bank Group. He has won numerous awards for his teaching and scholarship, including the Podell Distinguished Teaching Award in 2014, the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award in 2016, and an honorary degree from Pomona College in 2018. He is currently working on a book with David Glasgow, to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2023, on the topic of how to have diversity conversations.
David Glasgow
David Glasgow is the Executive Director of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging and an Adjunct Professor of Law at NYU School of Law. In his role at the center, he develops and executes educational programs on diversity and inclusion for internal and external clients, coordinates a speaker series and other events on contemporary diversity and inclusion issues, and manages the center’s general operations. He has taught courses at the Law School on leadership, diversity, and inclusion, and is currently working on a book with Kenji Yoshino, to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2023, on the topic of how to have diversity conversations. David graduated with a BA in philosophy and an LLB (First Class Honors) from the University of Melbourne, and a Master of Laws (LLM) from NYU School of Law, where he received the David H. Moses Memorial Prize and the George Colin Award. Prior to joining the center, he practiced employee relations and anti-discrimination law in Melbourne, Australia, and then served as an Associate Director of the Public Interest Law Center at NYU School of Law.