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In our inescapably diverse world is tolerance really what we want? No. We want diversity and inclusion that is positive, constructive, and joyful—better than, and beyond tolerance. Yet too often we spend our limited time and money trying to eradicate what we don’t want, negative sentiment, rather than promoting what we do want: positive diversity.

In 2004, when I launched the Allophilia Project at Harvard University, so little attention had been paid to what lies beyond tolerance—the opposite of prejudice—that it didn’t even have a name. My colleagues and I coined the word for it: allophilia. Literally, it means “liking and appreciation for others.” What it means in the world is that diverse members of a community have gone beyond tolerance and are engaged, interactive, joyful, and productive in all senses of these words. The community—be it a neighborhood, school, company, or country—is not only diverse, but positively diverse. This, in turn, means that all types of diversity—gender, ethnic, racial, religious, national, ideological, political, economic level, family formation, sexual orientation—are part of the positive mix.

Over the years I have been fortunate to work with a wonderful group of academic colleagues, students, managers of corporate diversity and inclusion programs, government officials, and community leaders all seeking to make a positive difference in diversity and inclusion. There is much more to learn and do.