Championing Diversity in our Time: A Process of RELEARNING

For over twenty years I have been involved in either providing or participating in programs offering people (young and old alike) the opportunity to talk, work together, agree and disagree about what it mean to understand one another better. In recent years, I have had to ask myself, "What difference is truly being made?" "Are people getting it?" "Is there real change in the hearts and minds of people, or is most of what's happening just "singing to the choir?"

For diversity to work for people who are in the workplace and those who are entering the workplace of tomorrow, we must address and challenge what is being taught in the formative years in elementary, middle, and high school. For the students of today to be the diversity champions of tomorrow, the reality of the true history in our nation must be taught so that people learn to truly appreciate and embrace the full contributions of all of our people. A one-sided view of history must be eliminated. Here is what I mean.

In a diversity workshop to an audience of predominantly white high school and college students in Nebraska, I introduced some historical information about African American inventors. Most of the students had never heard of most of what I was saying, though every word was true. As I continued with person after person and invention after invention; one young woman began to get emotional and started to cry. I did not know why she was so upset until she stood up and addressed the others in the room.

"Why didn't we know any of this? Why hadn't our teachers told us about any of this? I feel so betrayed!" she said.

With all of the new initiatives and new positions promoting diversity (and inclusion), I had to ask myself, "Why are we still spending so much time trying to get people to understand, appreciate, embrace, accept and in some cases, even tolerate one another?" "Why don't people already know how to treat others the way they wanted to be treated?" Primarily, because many of the people in our workshops are just as underinformed, uninformed or misinformed as the students in my workshop. This is only true because of the American education system that is predicated on making patriots, not people who value one another.

I guess my questions and concerns are borne out of the fact that many, if not most adults that I encounter have a sense of what they believe about things. Training is not going to change that reality. In most of what I do, I find myself offering things that people already know, but to reintroduce these things in a way that challenges them to actually RELEARN what they have already been taught or told. I am offering a new way of looking at an old thing . . . a new perspective on an established perspective.

If you have read any of my previous articles, you know that I grew up with a limited perspective and opinion about people who were not where I was from. I did know any different and no one ever challenged me to. My family, friends, neighbors, educators, classmates and church members only solidified in my heart and mind that what I thought and the way I thought (about everything) was right. I know now that this was not the case and have had to RELEARN and in some cases learn what I was ignorant about.

The bottom line of what I am saying here is that for all the time spent in workshops, seminars, and conferences, WHAT IS THE END GAME? When the people, who are the most confused about what diversity is and more importantly, what it means leave these meetings, WHAT HAVE THEY LEARNED OR RELEARNED . . . WHAT MORE DO THEY WANT TO KNOW . . . WHAT CONVERSATIONS ARE THEY MORE PREPARED TO ENGAGE?

I am not interested in any more "KUM BA YAH" moments or "WE ARE THE WORLD" get togethers. We need real change in our nation and we need it now! And the people that believe that championing diversity is the right thing to do must take hard look at themselves and ask, "How I am working to help people, in their early years of life learn the real truth about our lives in this nation (historically and socially) and how can I help those who are older to RELEARN many of the things that they have learned and believe are right?"