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Last revised: April, 1993
Wake Up!!
by Anita Poree
DIVERSITY, IS IT ALL THE "RAGE", OR MERELY AN OVERUSED YAWN? Indeed, I harbor no answers, but I do have loads of questions. An observation leading to an initial questioning seems to suggest there is an emerging tug-o-war between white Euro-American heterosexual male facilitators and People of Color/Women/Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual facilitators. What an odd boxing match! I'm deeply saddened by this and truly believe we need all of our perspectives and abilities in this evolutionary, revolutionary process toward more inclusiveness.
To quote Joan Steinau Lester of Equity Institute, Emeryville, Calif., "Heterosexual white men aren't 'has-beens'. They're becoming 'also-be's' instead of 'only-be's. That's not so bad really". She further states that where currently 95 percent of the institutional power seats are occupied by white men, as the power continues its shift toward more diversity, that will settle into a more fair share portion of approximately 25 percent. The realization of this power shifting may not hold as much appeal as the current paradigm, but the shift is happening and needs to be dealt with in a more healthy way than subtle and not so subtle backlash.
My reason for touching on this is not to recycle hurtful misconceptions about, or bash, heterosexual white men, but to take a harder look at some disturbing rumblings I've heard from one too many facilitators from this group. The suggestion being, that maybe People of Color/Women/Lesbians/ Gays and Bisexuals aren't as objective, therefore not as capable of doing diversity work, as "they" perhaps have a tendency to bring too much of their internalized oppression "baggage" to the role of facilitator. Oh yes, especially in the corporate sector.
Now I don't mean to be too sensitive here, but does that smack of an undertone of invalidation or what?! Truly a facilitation faux pas.
I must admit I would love to see more heterosexual white men allies facilitating in assistance to those of us out here in the wilds of corporate America. But they don't seem to be rallying to the need. Makes me query, would they come forward quicker if they could be guaranteed positions of coach or captain of the team, rather than being very valued team players? So many questions, side glancings and takes of second looks flood up for me concerning the nouveau big business of diversity. Are we giving ol' diehard supremacist attitudes a jump start of new life by encouraging the usage of more correctly couched language that only appears sensitive? Yet, in reality avoids tougher issues and the essence of change, thereby creating a new face of racism?
And truly, how many of us are emphasizing more major pieces on personal and organizational FEARS of difference and their defusion? Do we unwittingly collude with suspected exclusionary, monocultural organizations, reluctantly complying with diversity concepts, by NOT meaningfully challenging their "acceptable minority" hiring/standardizing practices? Has our effort to sensitize our lanquage, to cover all sensitivities, begun to disintegrate under "making-nice"? Thus, becoming inadvertently invalidating to those groups formerly mainstream-excluded?
One of the biggies I'm questioning is the terminology "managing diversity". Good ol' Workforce 2000 seems to have given impetus to a concept confused. Its original good intent was meant to foster the awareness of an open environment where all societally targeted and privileged groups could flourish, fulfill their potential, have access to opportunities and viably contribute in their work spaces with enhanced quality performances. But because of quick-fix expectations, impatient needs to agree now, expedient problem solving concerns, time-is-money stresses, lust to corner a competitive advantage in new diverse markets, and the American willingness to buy into the latest guaranteed cookbook approach, has made managing diversity appear more like a corporate plantation version of developing more effective overseers.
It pains me tremendously to have Brothers and Sisters of Color and white women take me aside in confidence to relate an on the job incident, pattern of events or behaviors they're having difficulty identifying as racist or sexist. Yet sensing these encounters or situations as being oppressive in nature and suspecting they are disguised in techniques gleaned in one-stop-sensitivity-shopping, from multi-cultural awareness "malls".
I would like to acknowledge and honor that there are some extremely good and important diversity/alliance building workshops and consultation work going on across this country. All certainly is not bleak. However I continue to question work that seems to lull the client into a state of novocained quick-fix. How institutions and business function in the future is part of our future also. Therefore, our work must be clean, open and from the hip as well as from the heart. We don't need to overlook any organizational details that imbibe in pejorative connotations, no matter how harmless they appear, for fear of stepping on tender administration toes.
Wake up y'all, the diversity demographics are continously doing a shape changing dance and we must learn the latest steps. It's not so bad really. In fact, the challenge is a joy!
ANITA POREE has been a facilitator on diversity issues, team building and leadership development for seven years. Currently she is a senior facilitator and a program designer for INCLUSIVITY CONSULTING GROUP INC., P.O. Bx.12436, Portland Oregon 97212. (503) 281 3217. Her local address is P.O. Bx. 708, Sonoma, Calif. 95476. Anita's ethnicity is Afra-India, more specifically Creole/Choctaw lineage, and she writes a regular column for the Sonoma County Free Press