people who have been excluded will not self-identify as a "person of diversity" because their particular form of diversity is highly salient to themselves and their identity
As a woman in a traditionally male field, I disagree. Yes, my particular form of diversity is highly salient, but there are also times where the relevant feature is simply the fact that I don't look or act quite like most people expect someone who does my job to look. I won't use it as a generic identity marker but I can definitely imagine using it in the context of activism aimed at particular power structures, especially when I am trying to ally with others who have been excluded.
"diversity" here only makes sense in terms of who has been excluded and who has been included [...]. "diversity" here isn't about a diversity of groups, but about who has been kept from the table by those at the table.
I think you hit the nail on the head here. The fact that "person of diversity" focuses attention on the way people at the table are excluding others, rather than getting lost in the myriad ways this shakes out when it comes to particular groups, is why I think it will be a successful term.
Re: a third comment
As a woman in a traditionally male field, I disagree. Yes, my particular form of diversity is highly salient, but there are also times where the relevant feature is simply the fact that I don't look or act quite like most people expect someone who does my job to look. I won't use it as a generic identity marker but I can definitely imagine using it in the context of activism aimed at particular power structures, especially when I am trying to ally with others who have been excluded.
"diversity" here only makes sense in terms of who has been excluded and who has been included [...]. "diversity" here isn't about a diversity of groups, but about who has been kept from the table by those at the table.
I think you hit the nail on the head here. The fact that "person of diversity" focuses attention on the way people at the table are excluding others, rather than getting lost in the myriad ways this shakes out when it comes to particular groups, is why I think it will be a successful term.