How to Prevent Tokenism and the Creation of Superficial Seats at the Leadership Table

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I distinctly remember all the lessons I learned in my formal K-12 education. 99.9 percent of these lessons taught me how to get and keep a seat at the table — become a change agent, an igniter, a team player. I remember these lessons because they created the educational paradigm supporting the architecture of my life’s trajectory — so much so, that I embraced the idea of being responsible for positive change within unenlightened organizations until I reached a point of fighting for my own authenticity, both internal and external.

I remember the internalized programming I had about being a change maker in someone else’s company instead of my own. I start this article with this initial reflection because it is an exponentially impactful point in recognizing the tokenization of my identity(ies) without embracing my voice in spaces where it should have been relevant. I’ve been the victim of tokenization, and now I advocate against such practices, whether they are intentional or not.

In 1965, affirmative action was passed by President Johnson in an Executive Order that required federal contractors to ensure equality of employment opportunity without regard to race, religion, and national origin. In 1968, gender was added to the protected categories. During this time, people…