This is the harsh reality for any organization that really, genuinely cares about achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion as outcomes anytime soon: goodwill and trust, and the patience these engender, has long since eroded. And so, when you say “we will make an effort soon,” or “we commit to,” or “in 202X, we plan to,” all people will hear is blah, blah, blah. Cynicism is a way of protecting their expectations in a world where optimism has left them hurt and disappointed too many times to count.
