DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION
SAEM PULSE | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2023
Tokenism: The Result of Diversity Without Equity and Inclusion
16
By Felissa Hong and Ryan Tsuchida, MD, on behalf of the SAEM Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine Imagine being a person of color (POC) recruited into a leadership role but denied the power, resources, and authority to lead — always visible, seldom heard. This is tokenism. POCs and underrepresented minorities (URMs) are often recruited to become the “face” of diversifying organizations, but they are not always given the necessary support or authority to make meaningful changes. Instead, the White majority maintains power. Tokenized leaders are valued primarily for their contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Tokenism, a term popularized during the civil rights movements in the 1960s by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, refers to the practice of making superficial gestures, like recruiting someone from an underrepresented group, to create an appearance of gender or racial equality in the workforce. Despite the passage of 60 years, tokenism persists today, albeit in different forms. It is one of several forms of discrimination that negatively impact minority and marginalized groups. This article aims to provide examples of racial tokenism and the associated risks faced by tokens in the field of medicine.
Tokenism can be quantified as the experience of being a numerical minority in a relatively homogenous environment. The risk of tokenism increases as one’s relative proportion diminishes. According to one theory, tokenism occurs when group representation falls below 15%. In medicine, it often manifests at the intersection of race and gender, such as a token Hispanic female surgeon surrounded by predominantly white male colleagues. To experience tokenism, two key elements are required. First, an individual of minority status becomes