Editor’s note: Today’s post is by Chef Dianndra Roberts, along with Valarie Guagnini and Devyani Mahajan. Valarie is Global Head of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (EDIB) for Cambridge University Press. Devyani is the EDI Specialist at BMJ Group. Today, they take a beat to reflect on the impact and intention of DEIA advocacy and the value of taking a pause as an act of resistance and self-preservation. 

Intention versus Impact

DEIA (Diversity, Equity/Equality, Inclusion, and Accessibility) has long been part of the ongoing fight for empathic community awareness and change. This work is not new, temporary, or simple. It requires continuous effort from organizations, leaders, communities, and others engaging in this work.

We have seen it many times over, where BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) are expected to lead the charge on change, ironically, when BIPOC have a history of fighting for change long before it becomes a point of public interest. Especially the trope of Black women being expected to save everyone — the mammy soothing and fixing.

In 2025, following the US Presidential election, 92% of Black women voted for Kamala Harris, which led to the 92% rest movement — rather than rallying on the front lines for the next four years, they will be resting and recharging. When Audre Lorde wrote about self-preservation, she was disabled from cancer treatment. For her, rest was revolutionary because it meant survival and a continued existence of resistance, or in her words, “political warfare.” Rest does not mean stopping, but the movement has pivoted; Black women can no longer be the backbone for change when they are continually failed by society. The work will be selective and not at the expense of health and well-being.

In 2026, marginalized communities across the world are still fighting for their lives, while others continue to perceive these events as “wake-up calls.” At this point in time, it is important to reassess how we (global majority people, especially women, trans people, and disabled people within this umbrella term) show up and how much we show up. The phrase “wake-up call” dismisses decades of fighting, educating, and engaging work that People of Color (POC) have put in to warn communities before tragedies happen. The impact of this means onlookers have the privilege of watching, feeling a tug in their hearts, and moving on. The impacted individual’s experience is then stamped and categorized and marked as an awareness day.

Protecting Emotional Safety

The implementation of DEIA in the workplace attempts to right historic wrongs. The effects of racism, homophobia, misogyny, and a host of other historical inequities are a daily reality for many, and for those committed to progress, something to challenge regularly.

For years, organizations have mistaken “niceness” with kindness. They say the right things — “We’re inclusive,” “We’re equitable,” “We value diversity” — yet often lack the action, accountability, and structural commitment needed. Instead, they rely on people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, and especially women to push the work forward without meaningful support, especially from those in power.

Organizations must break the pattern of looking to the most impacted people to protect them from criticism, explain the issues, or lead the healing. Too often, marginalized colleagues are asked to represent entire communities, share personal trauma, or fix systemic problems they did not create. Marginalized people are repeatedly turned into educators, advocates, and emotional first responders. They carry the invisible weight of being the organization’s conscience. And the reality is that what they bring forward is not researched; it is lived every single day.

There is no benefit to engaging organizations, peers, or systems to integrate DEIA practices when they only want the perception of doing the work without the movement. In consideration of those who have had to pull and drag as they lifted and climbed, this is an opportunity for allies to step in and step up.

When advocating and speaking up for a long time, one becomes attuned to proactive good intentions and surface-level intentions. With the increase in chronic illness amongst BIPOC and the detrimental impact of racial battle fatigue, there needs to be a consideration on how and where we show up — and this can mean walking away or stepping down. This is a deliberate act to protect emotional safety, an act of protection when we refuse to let these patterns continue. It looks like:

• Stopping the room from turning to the same people to speak for their community
• Declining roles or opportunities that tokenize or emotionally burden them
• Redirecting responsibility toward those with power and capacity
• Challenging leaders to step up instead of defaulting to marginalized staff

Stepping down is not disengagement — it is advocacy. It is refusing to let emotional labor be extracted simply because someone belongs to a marginalized group. DEI work must not depend on the exhaustion or sacrifice of marginalized people. Standing up by stepping down is a reminder that emotional safety matters, boundaries matter, and shared responsibility is essential. The work continues, but not at the cost of our well-being.

Allyship is action — it’s an intentional and proactive decision made every day in our personal and working lives. It can no longer be a word used for surface-level interest and good intentions that do not make it off the planning board. At a time when many are fatigued and choosing to put their well-being first, this is an opportunity for allies to take the next step in their support.

When committing to the values of DEIA, organizations must attest to this commitment with actions; a refusal to meet these standards can be perceived as an admission of lip service and a sign for marginalised people to redirect attempts. Although “passing the mic” is a well-intentioned act of allyship, it only works when the voices are paid attention to, and systems are in place to bring those voices forward. Open doors only privilege can open and authentically make a space at the table.

Final Thoughts

On a personal level, my manager often asks me, “Is this the hill you want to die on?” That question has forced me to pause and recognize when my drive to help may overshadow the emotional toll I am taking on. Standing up by stepping down is still a work in progress for me, but having a Managing Director who notices when I’m carrying too much has helped create a safer working space. I know not everyone has that experience.

The revolution of rest does not mean we stop actions altogether; it means choosing to say no to actions that are barely good enough, that barely humanize a people, that barely scratch the surface of undoing a history of discrimination from organizations that can afford to do much more. It’s important for allies to understand that they carry as much weight in any impactful and long-lasting change. We need you to be part of the process and do the work with us, and at times bear the load when we do not have capacity. It is time to work towards sustainable change, where the expectation is not that you solve centuries of systemic oppression. Those in senior and decision-making positions should not hold your exhaustion as a litmus test for progress, and you must not allow them to.

Human lives and lived experience have become ongoing examples of calls to action and not the canary in the coal mine — a warning sign: the exposé on casteism in Silicon Valley, the murder of Bhim Kohli (who had warned the police of racist attacks two weeks before his death), and the continued untimely deaths of marginalized people — met with silence like Keith Porter Jr.

Stepping down is a decision rarely made lightly; it is knowing when to walk away from the potential of a movement. It is pivoting where our energy and focus move to — it can look like rest, liberation, or joy, among other things. Good intentions can sometimes have negative results when they are not met with authenticity and integrity. As a community, we must move past accepting “just enough” or “good enough” as the intention of making a positive impact on interpersonal and systemic levels. DEIA statements need to be met with action, accountability, and growth to ensure that the statement is not just words but a commitment to do the work and take proactive steps to make a difference. Now more than ever, it should not be considered an afterthought in how we lead as individuals and organizations.