Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the Ground Up: Evaluating the Impact of a Community-Based DEI Intervention

This study presents an evaluation of a film screening and interactive panel created and presented in cooperation with multiple community stakeholders. This program, which we are labeling a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) intervention, was designed to open channels of discourse with and about the local Somali population in a rural, predominantly White midwestern region to disrupt the pervasive and negative depictions of Somali Muslim immigrants that dominate mainstream media. Our goal for evaluating the intervention was to better understand its effectiveness in increasing understanding and empathy for the experiences of Somali immigrants and for increasing the potential for positive interactions between county social service employees and their Somali clients and neighbors. Our analysis showed the intervention effectively raised the largely White audience’s consciousness regarding their own perspectives and biases. This led to increased perspective-taking and feelings of connection, which can be key antecedents to increasing positive interactions.