There’s nothing inherently beneficial about ethnic or racial diversity

Inherently is the key word here.

Let’s imagine an organization, or even an entire society, that has extremely diverse racial demographics of practically equal proportions.

Assume the following percentages:
20% White, non-Hispanic
20% Hispanic/Latino
20% African-American
20% Asian
20% Other

Now imagine a second collective which is almost entirely homogeneous along ethnic and racial lines. Assume a single race/ethnicity constitutes nearly 100% of this group’s total population. Whether it be white, black, brown, whatever, take your pick; it doesn’t matter.

Lastly and most importantly, suppose these groups, both the diverse and the homogeneous, are each internally united by common culture, values, and experiences.

Upon comparison, I fail to see any intrinsic advantage that the racial diverse group would have over the homogeneous one.

Some might be tempted to argue that my hypothetical example has no utility, claiming that in the real world the benefit of ethnic diversity is the diversity of experience, values, and culture that frequently accompanies it.

A few problems with this view:

1) No matter how you phrase it, this is essentially an agreement with my own position. You are admitting that racial/ethnic diversity itself is not what is valuable, but simply using race and ethnicity as a proxy to promote what you do believe is ultimately important, which is cultural and experiential diversity.

2) This mentality is worrisome, as it consists of making assumptions about people’s experience, values, and culture simply on the basis of their race, which is, well, racist.

Finally, to claim that racial diversity, or even cultural diversity, is inherently good, implies that there something inherently wrong with the alternative. I struggle to accept this since there are many examples of homogeneous organizations and societies which function just fine without the need for diversity. You can disagree, but this basically suggests to homogeneous organizations and societies, “Your community is flawed for being so overwhelming Asian/White/Black. Out of necessity, you are obligated to become more diverse.”

While currently unswayed, a compelling counter argument could certainly change my mind.