History of Diversity and Inclusion

This entry follows the streams, originating about half a century ago, that flowed into the river currently known as diversity and inclusion. Although those streams undoubtedly started with melting snow sometime before the 1950s, the events of that decade make it a suitable place to begin. The major streams described include the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, legislated fairness (civil rights and social justice), international exploration, intercultural communication, diversity, valuing differences and valuing diversity, managing diversity, and intercultural competence.

The general historical pattern has been that of first seeking to eliminate social discrimination on the basis of one or a few areas, such as race or national origin. Subsequently, efforts are made to pursue equality in those same areas. Initially, such efforts in the ...