Imagine there are only three species of fish in one area of a lake. Fish A feeds off the smaller fish, which is Fish B, but Fish C needs to eat something completely different. After some time, Fish C adapts and begins to eat the insects living in the water, but it still isn’t quite enough, and Fish C would be better off with more diversity in the lake and better food options. Fish A is completely fine and thriving, but with its scarce options, Fish C’s health is declining, and it will eventually die off. It’s a bit of a dramatic example, but this demonstrates the real need for diversity in our lives. Diversity is important to have so that people have more opportunities to prosper and so we don’t continue to recycle the same ideas over and over.

To me, diversity means everything and is an important factor for every place I decide to go. Without diversity, people don’t feel welcomed. If you are POC, but all you see being hired or accepted at places are white people, then you aren’t going to go there, and if you do decide to go, more often than not, the environment will feel uncomfortable. However, if the workforce were more diverse, then that environment would feel more welcoming, you wouldn’t feel alienated. A personal example of how I need diversity is who I hang out with. As someone in the LGBT community, I wouldn’t be comfortable if all my friends were straight or if I was aware my job wasn’t inclusive. Having diversity even in small places is what leads to changes in bigger places- like having a trans, black, or disabled politician. These people can introduce new inclusive ideas that are better, whether it be laws surrounding discrimination in the workforce or making more areas wheelchair accessible. 

To conclude, diversity is important because this world isn’t only comprised of straight, cis, rich white men. The world itself is diverse, so it only makes sense that we have everything else that way. When you have no diversity, you have no equality. Having no diversity breeds the mindset that we shouldn’t know or be friends with others, and that isn’t true. We’re all humans, and we all deserve to feel included, even if it’s something small. Diversity is beneficial for everyone.