A lyric from the musical and movie Wicked has been playing on repeat in my head lately.
When faced with the option to relent or resist, Elphaba refuses to be held back by the forces that tell her she should abandon her values and be complicit with the shady things being done by those in authority. As the haters begin to descend on her for speaking truth to power, she belts out a ballad called Defying Gravity. When she gets to the line, “Everyone deserves a chance to fly!” she leaps into the air and literally - and metaphorically - begins to soar.
To me, that line is what diversity, equity, and inclusion are all about.
At its core, DEI is about ensuring that opportunity isn’t reserved for the privileged few, but accessible to many. It means recognizing that we all benefit when we empower more members of society to contribute in meaningful ways. It’s not lowering the bar or giving anyone a free pass; it’s opening the door just a little wider to ensure that more people have the chance to succeed.
For too long, access to opportunity has been shaped by factors that have very little to do with an individual’s talent or effort. The notion of a meritocracy in this country is a false narrative that only benefits those who already have the closest proximity to power. Race, gender, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religion, language fluency, and other identities intersect and influence who has easier access to the financial resources, social capital, and structural supports needed to rise.
The illusion of a “level playing field” discounts how centuries of colonialism, extermination, slavery, and discriminatory laws, policies, and practices have disproportionately advantaged some while severely inhibiting others.
When executive orders and corporate boards slash diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, they send a clear message: we like it the way it is. These actions preserve a system to which white, straight, cisgender Christian men currently living without a disability get unfettered access while the rest of us are told to be grateful for whatever scraps come our way.
DEI is about more than checking boxes, meeting quotas, or creating “seats at the table.” It’s about fundamentally shifting the conditions so that everyone has a real shot at success. It’s about removing unnecessary burdens, challenging bias, and redistributing power so that flight isn’t reserved for the anointed few. In its truest form, DEI is the aspirational belief that success is possible for everyone.
When institutions are built to hoard and perpetuate privilege, any challenge to that imbalance will be met with pushback. We are seeing that now, as DEI efforts are vilified and inclusion is reframed as exclusion. We are told that justice for all comes at too high a price.
Elphaba’s words remind us that the ability to soar shouldn't require magical powers and a broomstick. It’s on each of us to ensure that every person, regardless of where they start, has the support, resources, and conditions to take flight.
And, here’s the rub: this work requires accomplices, not just allies. It means people who have more privilege risking some of their own status to benefit others who have less. It means advocating for approaches that create sustained and meaningful access to opportunity rather than patting ourselves on the back for achieving one-off moments of inclusion. It means not waiting for government officials or C-suite executives to do the right thing, but speaking up in our own neighborhoods, faith communities, workplaces, and families.
That’s why Glinda’s decision to play by the rules instead of accepting the invitation to defy gravity alongside Elphaba, isn’t just disappointing - it’s infuriating in its predictability. In doing so, she upholds the status quo, becoming the Good Witch while Elphaba is cast out as the Wicked one. Imagine how different the ending could have been if Glinda had used her privilege for actual good.
Progress has never come without resistance and lots of discomfort, but we have to persevere because the alternative is simply unacceptable. In a time when efforts to suppress diversity, equity, and inclusion are growing stronger, it’s more important than ever that we refuse to be held down. In that way, we, too, have to defy gravity.
Because everyone - everyone - deserves a chance to fly.
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