Value Differences: Put Concept into Practice
Patricia C. Pope
How do organizations go beyond mere proclamations on the meaning of value difference?
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Women Can Tap Inherent “Strengths” to Succeed in a Tough Economy
Deanna Hartley
Women have natural advantages over men they can leverage to move up the corporate ladder.
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What Every Organization Must Know About Equal Employment Trends
Deanna Hartley
The unstable economy and the new administration are just a few factors influencing equal e...
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May 2009     ADVERTISEMENT
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Supreme Court Decides ?Reverse Discrimination? Case
2009-06-29T16:47:36.616Z
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a group of white firefighters from New Haven, Conn., who claimed they were treated unjustly when they failed to receive promotions even though they scored high on a qualifying exam and cited that the primary factor playing into this decision was race. For background information, read this previous Diversity Executive Network post on ?reverse discrimination.? New Haven reportedly stated its primary intention behind the decision to do away with the promotion exam results: to keep minorities from bringing on a possible racial discrimination lawsuit. According to an article by the AP on Yahoo! News, this particular verdict could in turn affect employment practices across the United States. ?Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer?s reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions,? Justice Anthony Kennedy was quoted as saying. What are your initial thoughts on the outcome of this case? How might this ruling affect employment practices going forward?
This is Why Obama is Not the End of the Story
2009-06-18T20:46:30.288Z
In the past week or so things have come across my desk either supporting or denying President Obama's position as the savior for Black people. There seems to be a thread running through the popular media, and perhaps the popular consciousness, that Obama's election reflects a pinnacle for African-Americans. What the President's election represents, one thing anyway, is a definitive blow to racist theory that African-American's are not capable enough to succeed in a high-level position. Having a Black man in the White House does not by any stretch of the imagination mean that Black people no longer have to struggle for parity. The fight as not been won, as evidenced by yesterday's Facebook message from former South Carolina Election Commission Chairman Rusty DePass, likening the First Lady to a gorilla in response to a story about a gorilla that escaped from Riverbank Zoo in Columbia, S.C. DePass posted the following on Facebook: "I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors--probably harmless." Of course later when the uproar ensued he claimed that it was just a joke, but I think a reasonable mind would assume that's a lie. He is an adult and one might assume is the state of South Carolina saw fit to elect him to a government position at some point he's reasonably rational. Thus, he knew his comments were not only over the line, but were potential fodder for that 'round-the-world media blitz that anything associated with the First Family gets. There are no absolutes. No one and no group is all bad or all good, and one silly comment doesn't mean the world's full of racists. But if Obama was the end of the line and Blacks had truly arrived, DePass wouldn't have said what he did. But the more important message here is not that this kind of thing is still very much a part of the every day Black experience, still very much a part of many non-minority thought processes, conversations and actions. The most important message is that this type of battle, for respect, is only one piece of the war being waged. The real battle is for economic parity. When minorities win that battle, and are able to economically, socially and confidently-in-the-world-of-business play on a level field, then, THEN, we can say we've reached the pinnacle. Then we can lay down our weapons and take a deep, deep breath and close our eyes for a second of rest. Until then, diversity executives, don't be distracted by nonsense. Shine your battle armor and watch for blindsides. Thoughts?
Revenge of the Stereotypes
2009-06-25T16:03:21.380Z
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen came out yesterday. I usually ignore reviews, preferring to make up my own mind once I see the film, but E online ran a story that caught my eye (http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b131045_transformers_revenge_of_jar_jar.html) Two autobots, twins named Skids and Mudflap, that speak in hip hop slang, and "when they're not going incognito as Chevy concept vehicles, they sport gold teeth, can't read and cite their place of origin as "da hood," are at the center of a kerfluffle. The E article said "The New York Times' Manola Dargis describes their voices, provided by Tom Kenny and Reno Wilson, as "conspicuously cartoonish" in a way that indicates "minstrelsy remains as much in fashion in Hollywood" as when The Phantom Menace reared its head 10 years ago. And AP critic Christy Lemire referred to the autobots as "Jar Jar Binks in car form." "But most (if not all) critics ultimately swept the inane characterizations?which we should really file under "action-script laziness" more than anything else?into the greater cinematic garbage pile along with the rest of the film. "And, as CinemaBlend's Josh Tyler reminds us, Skids and Mudflap are more than "a collection of every bad stereotype imaginable, not targeted at any one ethnicity." "Like Jar Jar, they're simply annoying." I agree and disagree with many of these statements. Having never seen the Star Wars flicks featuring the infamous Jar Jar, I can't make any comparisons there. But I do know the entertainment industry has been making fun and a whole lots of money off the supposed idioms of minorities for-eva (yes, I threw that alternate spelling in deliberately). It is annoying, it is lazy, and it is a cheap, simplistic, stereotypical characterization of something - whether that is a particular ethnicity or not. But I'm still going to see the movie. I love action films, and I'm a sucker for romance even if it's light and buried in explosions and robotic car chases. Besides, if I boycotted everything that was blatantly or even potentially offensive to minorities, I'd never leave my house. We're running a feature in our upcoming July issue titled Is There an Imbalance in Entertainment? Perhaps I should send Transformers director Michael Bay a copy?
Letter received in response to Sotomayor article
2009-05-29T14:27:47.153Z
Earlier in the week we published this article covering the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court: http://www.diversity-executive.com/article.php?article=669 The next day we received this letter in response: Dear Mr. Margolis: It is unfortunate and for me quite disappointing that you so gleefully praise the nomination of a person first and foremost because of her ethnicity and sex. You then go on to discuss qualifications in a ?on yeah, there is some of that too.? Diversity for you seems to be a thin veil for racism, sexism and favoritism. In the name of diversity, it is apparently permissible ? even desirable and encouraged ? to play favorites, have double standards and be biased/prejudiced against some. Diversity in this context, and I have found the foundation of most issues promoted by Diversity Executive, is pure and simple fraud. The more strongly you support this type of favoritism, the more you invite the inevitable backlash and reverse pendulum swing. We will soon arrive at a situation in which a candidate will be denied a nomination simply because ?she? is ?Hispanic,? etc. A much better view is that a person is qualified for the position ?. period. Your comments are biased, racist and sexist. It makes little difference that you are promoting what for many is a worthy cause. Shame on you. Sincerely, William Joseph *** In the article, I made a direct effort to balance consideration of Sotomayor?s ethnicity, gender and experience; establishing her qualifications but acknowledging that her ethnicity is still significant, particularly seeing as concerned parties (such as the quoted HNBA) have wanted such an appointment for years. Paragraph two of the article makes clear that her qualifications are the primary reason for her nomination, but that discussion of the significance of her ethnicity and gender is merited because for many with a vested interest in seeing progress by such individuals, these things do matter. To act like they don?t ? and ignore a central element of the story ? would be silly, especially in a publication focused on diversity and inclusion. We'd like to extend the matter to our readers; what do you think of this issue and Mr. Joseph's take on it?
Remedial Measures for Controversial Cartoon
2009-06-11T15:28:38.589Z
Remember the controversy surrounding the now infamous New York Post chimpanzee cartoon? For a refresher, read one of our previous posts. Well, now it seems News Corp. ? the conglomerate that owns the Post ? has decided to create a diversity council that will meet on a biannual basis with a few of the company?s senior execs, according to an article by The Associated Press. The article went on to state that News Corp.?s subsidiaries ? the New York Post and Fox News Channel ? have a history of being referred to as ?insensitive? or ?racist? by minorities. What do you think of the initiative? Is this intended merely to quell the media storm or does it actually have the potential to bring about long-term changes?
Sotomayor?s Controversial Quote
2009-06-03T15:38:07.865Z
Over the past week, Sonia Sotomayor ? President Obama?s choice for U.S. Supreme Court justice ? has been scrutinized intensely by various individuals, groups and media outlets. In particular, one sentence she uttered back in a 2001 speech has received mixed reactions: ?I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn?t lived that life.? According to an article in The Daily Voice, the quote has prompted some to go to the extreme of calling her a racist. ?Imagine a judicial nominee said, ?My experience as a white man makes me better than a Latina woman.? New racism is no better than old racism,? former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was quoted as saying in a blog. Meanwhile, others have come to her defense, arguing that judicial diversity is important when deciding cases related to discrimination based on race and gender, the article noted. What?s your opinion on the matter? If she were to be confirmed, would her background come into play when deciding cases?
Is Sotomayer the first Hispanic or the second?
2009-05-28T17:42:59.188Z
The whole notion of 'Hispanic' in the popular consciousness is so recent that Benjamin Cardozo (appointed by Hoover, 1932) is not considered the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, but is only seen as 'the second Jew.' If Sotomayer is seen as the 'third woman,' perhaps we should add, 'and the SECOND Hispanic'... Why limit Cardozo to only one ethnocultural adjective? What do you think?
Push for Diversity Goes Awry
2009-05-18T18:55:27.858Z
Fla. Gov. Charlie Crist?s push to racially diversify an appeals court in the state may have taken a turn for the worse, prompting his critics to take the matter to the Florida Supreme Court, according to an article on News-JournalOnline.com. The debate stems from the fact that Crist rejected a list of nominees chosen by the nominating panel because it didn?t contain any African-American candidates. The panel claims the list contains names of the most qualified people for the job; meanwhile, Crist is set in his intention to diversify the ranks of the court. He points to his appointment of Hispanic and black justices to the Florida Supreme Court as an example. What is your take on the issue? Crist?s move appears to be well intentioned, but do you think it will help to further business outcomes?
?Diverse? Pick for Supreme Court Justice?
2009-05-06T16:47:33.109Z
If you?ve visited some political blogs or articles in the past few days, you?ll know what the latest Washington-generated buzz is: the argument that President Obama should take diversity into account even more so than political stance when selecting a Supreme Court justice. Recent articles, like the one on ABC News, have revealed that many are calling on the president to nominate a woman or minority to the bench as a replacement for David Souter, who recently announced his plan to retire. The idea is that the new pick must better reflect the makeup of the U.S. ? given the current composition of justices in the United States Supreme Court is one woman, one black man and seven white men. What do you think? Should diversity be taken into consideration when selecting the new justice? Why or why not?
Moving the Diversity Discussion Forward
2009-05-11T16:51:43.602Z
As I was catching up on the latest news in the diversity arena, the following sentence from a news blog on Miller-McCune caught my eye: ?Creating an academic diversity program is one thing, but how do you institutionalize it as an integral part of the university so that it will thrive over the long term?? Now, apply that musing to the corporate setting: How can organizations move beyond implementing diversity programs/initiatives and fundamentally embed it into the very fabric of the organization?
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