Matthew Frye-Castillo

Diversity is not enough. 

We’re right to push for diversity, we have to, but it is only step one of a long journey. Lack of racial diversity is a symptom. The underlying illness is institutional racism. It walks hands in hand with sexism, cissexism, homophobia, and classism. To go beyond this same conversation we keep having, again and again, beyond tokens and quick fixes, requires us to look the illness in the face and destroy it. This is work for white people and people of color to do, sometimes together, sometimes apart. It’s work for writers, agent, editors, artists, fans, executives, interns, directors, and publicists. It’s work for reviewers, educations, and administrators. IT means taking courageous, real-world steps, not just changing mission statements or submission guidelines.

Daniel José Older, “Diversity is not enough: race, power, publishing”