Diversity: 7 Things to Know About This Dynamic Force for Politics, Present and the Future

 

Items from my family history.

Religions as cults. Comparisons of the  demographic make-up of the political conventions. Olympian Gabby Douglas and the hair and slave remarks. Women and moms’ interests. The middle class. What the wealthy understand. Young rising stars. Boomers passing the baton. Health care for all. A race card. Immigration. Katrina’s lessons learned. The NASCAR vote. GLBT concerns. Hiring Veterans. Disability Awareness. Who has ideas.

Platforms, Rhetoric and Prose.

            Time to talk about diversity again. Another old, old story that needs to be updated and re-read.

Unfortunately many people do not understand what diversity is, and confuse it with various legal and political agendas. So what is it? Let’s start with what it’s not. First of all, it “ain’t just about black folks.” And diversity does not mean affirmative action or EEO. The aforementioned are outgrowths of our historical residue and needed legislative initiatives around diversity.

But defined at its simplest, diversity speaks to difference and variety, in this case among the human population. From the events of these past few months even, one can see how these differences in and outside of various demographic groups play out from age, ethnicity, religion, gender, preferences, race, ‘haves and have nots,” physical or mental ability or lifestyle.

So this political season dictates a diversity moment of discussion. Add in our current economic and global challenges, and yes, it’s time to talk.

Let me do a little disclosure first. My experience in addressing this topic comes from many places. As someone who came of age in the civil rights era, my personal and educational background gave me a front seat in the shift from segregation to integration. In my rural Virginia hometown, a “white only” sign was on an outside toilet at a service station down the street from our house (which also didn’t have indoor plumbing). Schools were segregated until 1969, my ninth grade year, at which time many fights ensued as black and white came together. I attended a college where a professor publicly stated that blacks were not smart enough to be there and a group marched through campus with the confederate flag. Becoming an army officer during the transition to combined gender training, I dealt with sexual harassment incidents.

Experiencing these struggles and progress have yielded an insightful outlook that I now use in my training and consulting work around diversity and workplace harassment. Blending my informal and formal education with my military service supports my practice and achieving results in this important platform. Travels, internationally and nationally have exposed and enlightened.

            These more open concepts of difference have been hard pillars to stand on for some individuals and groups. Fears of losing and gaining power or position clouds the reality of America’s past, present and future. To bring some clarity and understanding to the mystique of diversity, here are 7 points I’ve gleaned from my experiences, business and politics.

 

1.  The Hudson Institute’s Workforce 2000 Study educated us. With this landmark work in 1987, we saw their predictions on the shift in demographics come true. Mainly that 80% of people entering into the workforce would be white women, men and women of various racial and ethnic groups, plus we would have an older working population and changing labor economy. A variety of sociological, economic, technological and global trends drive this dynamic. Workforce 2020 and 2050 reports still track these same demographic, labor and sociological projections.
2. View diversity in the context of your own history, family situation and work life. I’ll pose questions we all should consider in making this point. What boat (or plane) and when did your ancestors arrive here? Did your grandparents have a family friendly workplace and a Buick? Who’s at your class reunion or parties you attend? Is there ever conflict between the people you share blood with over your varying abilities? How do you express your faith? Do you ever share parts of your personal story with pride? BTW, the items in the picture represent part of my family story, a stool my grandfather built, my grandmother's baking pan and my mother's coffee pot. All three of them are on the other side, but very much a part of my mental nexus.
3. Many people were taught to ignore differences when they were growing up or to view those that are most obvious as bad or less than. A fundamental question to emphasize this point is; What would our country, lives, careers, families and relationships be like if we were all the same? Our music, art, food, and resources come out of the blends of diversity. One similarity, we all like chicken! And culturally, it’s prepared many ways. Being aware of and changing the lens in which we view difference can help us make major strides in this area. Inquire for truth. And making sure we teach these principles to the following generations.
4. How do we “all just get along?” Because of the reality of differences, they do bring out the ugly side of human behavior when biases, stereotypes and prejudices appear. Many organizations conduct diversity and inclusion plus harassment training sessions and other programs to bring awareness along with skill building around case studies of incidents that happen in society and their organization. This work can be valuable in addressing appropriate and respectful behaviors with expectations. What can we each do? Be open to others ideas and input. Choose people who don’t look or think like us to be on the team. Don’t be afraid to reach out and touch difference.
5. Exploration of our individual diversity can bring perspective. We are at our core, a makeup of many variables; a combination of our values, experiences, birth order, ethnicities, personalities, strengths and limitations. Our intra-diversity affects our family traditions, memberships in organizations, passions, beliefs, career choices, and interests. This combination of ourselves also serves as a dynamic force for our professional and personal future. If we recognize it fully.
6. Recognizing and tapping into the power of diversity makes good business sense. In this global marketplace, our associate, employee, coworker, consumer, and customer base has changed. With this comes new approaches and mindsets, that when harnessed constructively can lead to more profits and productivity. 
7. In a very unique way, diversity awareness means “Human Beings 101.”  We didn’t fully study the cave man or those in the bush as part of our formative learning process.  History still matters. Using the elements of fairness, respect, truth telling, sharing stories, diversity training and other programs present an opportunity for exploring differences in a new way. Celebrate this fact. This is education, in itself a dynamic force!