Definitions 

Belonging

Belonging refers to a state in which one feels an integral part of a larger whole without losing one’s individual identity. It is a state of relation in which we are able to be our whole selves with others and accept others as their whole selves. The conditions of belonging include being present, invited, welcomed, known, accepted, supported, heard, befriended, needed, and loved (Carter, 2021). Belonging is different from fitting in, in that by belonging, people are able to express their individuality without fear of being judged. “True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are,” said Brené Brown in Atlas of the Heart (2023).

Belonging is extremely important for people because it is a hardwired fundamental human need. Lack of belonging is acutely painful and detrimental for humans. Research has found that humans experience exclusion the same way as physical pain (Eisenberger et al., 2003). Exclusion or lack of belonging has been correlated with lower organizational commitment and engagement and self-sabotage (Carr et al., 2019). The goal of diversity, equity, and inclusion is that people feel a sense of belonging, a quality that is essential for human beings to flourish and for societies to be resilient.

Equity

Equity is defined as the guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups (U.S. Climate Action Network, 2019).  Equity and equality are not the same thing. Equality is treating everyone the same, while equity is ensuring everyone has what they need. While equality aims to promote fairness, it can only work if everyone starts from the same place and has the same needs and goals (Williams-Rajee, 2019). Racial equity is one part of racial justice and must be addressed at the root causes and not just the manifestations. This includes the elimination of policies, practices, attitudes, and cultural messages that reinforce differential outcomes by race (U.S. Climate Action Network, 2019). Equity also includes accounting for historic injustices, such as reparations to African Americans for slavery and discrimination in the past. 

Equity is both a state of being and a process. The four different forms of equity are: 

A. Procedural equity: Ensuring that processes are fair and inclusive in the development and implementation of any program or policy.

B. Distributional equity: Ensuring the resources or benefits and burdens of a policy or program are distributed fairly, prioritizing those with highest need first.

C. Structural (intergenerational) equity: A commitment and action to correct past harms and prevent future negative consequences by institutionalizing accountability and decision-making structures that aim to sustain positive outcomes.

A fourth aspect is overarching and integrates with the previous three:

D. Cultural equity: A commitment to undoing racism and anti-blackness through an intentional deconstruction of White supremacist assumptions and behaviors and the concurrent construction of equitable multicultural norms 

(Williams-Rajee, 2019) 

Diversity

Diversity refers to psychological, physical, and social differences that occur among any and all individuals; including but not limited to race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, age, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, and learning styles (U.S. Climate Action Network, 2019). Efforts to increase diversity in organizations usually focus on the selection, promotion, and retention of people  from underrepresented backgrounds.

While diversity in representation is an important marker of equity, diversity itself is no indication of belonging, inclusion, equity, or social justice. The mere existence of difference does not mean the equitable treatment of all individuals, nor does it mean an inclusive culture that values social justice. Diversity, in the form of representation without belonging and inclusion, is tokenism. However, inclusion and belonging without diversity is an indication that equity and justice have not been fully integrated. Equity means that one is not only inclusive and open to everyone’s participation but also proactively addressing past wrongs for historically marginalized people. Equity means diversity AND inclusion, not one or the other (Fang, et al., 2022).

Justice

Justice refers to the work of dismantling systems that have historically oppressed marginalized persons. It is the “proactive reinforcement of policies, practices, attitudes and actions that produce equitable power, access, opportunities, treatment, impacts and outcomes for all” (ICMA, 2021 as cited in Hughes et al., 2021). Racial justice leads to the actualization of racial equity (Hughes et al., 2021).

Inclusion

Inclusion is the act of creating environments where any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate where differences are embraced. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School identified eight factors that create inclusion in a group context: (a) common purpose, (b) trust, (c) appreciation of individual attributes, (d) sense of belonging, (e) access to opportunity, (f) equitable reward and recognition, (g) cultural competence of the institution, and (h) respect (Jordan, 2009 as cited in Plummer, 2018, p. 26).

The inclusion of these eight factors enables individuals to experience: (a) access to information and social support (b) acquisition of or influence in shaping accepted norms and behavior (c) security within an identity group or in a position within an organization (d) access to and ability to exercise formal and informal power (Jordan, 2009 as cited in Plummer, 2018, p. 26).

Inclusion is also problematic in that it implies the presence of an in-group and an out-group. The dominant group is the in-group into which marginalized groups are integrated and perhaps expected to conform in order to take part. Belonging goes farther along the spectrum towards equity and meaningful participation (Carter, 2021). 

There’s an important difference between inclusion and belonging. It’s the difference between being present and having a real presence. It’s the difference between making room for someone when they arrive and missing them when they fail to arrive. It’s the difference between welcoming someone’s presence and actually aching for their absence. It means fundamentally we come to see each other in different ways. Not as the ins and the outs, not as the members and the strangers, the labelers and the ones who are labeled, but as a single community, diverse, each of inestimable worth, but equal. Or on another level, I think it means we do much more than just share space, we actually share lives. We enter into relationships with one another. We’re not just co-located but we remain involved in each other’s lives the other six days of the week after the [convening].  (Carter, 2019)