Diversity and Inclusion

Like most people, my thoughts and understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion are shaped by my upbringing, my lived experience, and by reading, study, and reflection.  I grew up in Eastern Canada, in a predominantly white community, which celebrated the Scottish/English heritage, and covertly, and sometimes overtly, denigrated other ethnic or cultural traditions. While my mother’s family fell squarely into the Scottish/English norm, my father’s family was French Canadian, with some First Nations (read American Indian) heritage, several generations back. Neither tradition was valued or celebrated and therefore was ignored/and or repressed. Families were predominantly Presbyterian or Catholic; and a few Jewish families.

My first exposure to African Canadians (African Americans) was in 9^th grade when I moved to a junior high in part of my community where African Canadians lived.  My exposure to other races and ethnic groups happened at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba in central western Canada.  My first real exposure and understanding of people from non-dominant cultures, however, came from the 10 years that I spent in San Diego, two as a student, and eight working.  I studied, lived, and worked with Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans and quickly came to appreciate the richness of their cultural heritage and their way of looking at the world.

My first personal understandings of the inequity that discrimination can bring was during my time at Macalester where a librarian of East Indian heritage, who reported to me, felt discriminated against by the administration because of her race. Another of the colleagues who reported to me was an LGBT individual and we had numerous discussions around lack of partner benefits and the right to marry; two rights that I took for granted. Both of these experiences taught me that discrimination exists even when I am not immediately aware of it and taught me to be more conscious of what others feel.

In 2005 my experience was further enriched when my wife and I adopted a sibling group of four Hispanic children from Colombia, South America, and took them to the whitest state in the nation.  The experience of my children quickly brought home, in new ways, how systemic, and sometimes how easily discrimination happens, even by seemingly well intentioned people.

I have travelled extensively for work, making it to 20 countries on 6 continents.  Each of these experiences have added to my understanding of the global family. Talking to, and eating with, people from other countries and cultures has allowed me insight into the many similarities and differences we all have.  In my work I have often been intrigued/surprised/enlightened in the ways in which other colleagues have addressed problems similar to the ones we have in the US in entirely different ways.  These diverse experiences and insights have enriched my life and my work.

For the past year I’ve been living in California, a minority/majority state; a state where no single ethnic group makes up a majority of the population. This is very evident in the global Los Angeles area where I live; such a rich diversity of people and cultures. During this last year I have worked in one of the most diverse universities in the country. The dominant student groups were Hispanic and Asian, along with students from more than 90 countries.  While discrimination was certainly not unknown, it was wonderful to see the dialogue and comradery across racial, ethnic, and linguistic lines, all while celebrating their own cultural heritage.

For me diversity is about thinking about and celebrating the rich ethnic, cultural, and religious heritage that is our global world. Diversity, of course includes other aspects and groups such as sexual preference, religion, ability, age, veteran status, etc.  We often think about diversity by describing how many individuals in each of these groupings are part of our workplace, university, or community. While it is important to think about the make-up of our community, it is also critical to think about diversity in terms of the value that diversity brings to the workplace, the classroom, and the community. Diversity brings new voices, new ideas, new ways of seeing the world, new questions, and new solutions all of which can inform the work of the university and the community. Diversity helps move our work and life forward.

Equity is a more complex and nuanced idea and one that is, I believe, often misunderstood.  While in a generic sense equity is about treating all people the same, it can be discussed and implemented in such a way that ignores the historic inequity that many minorities and marginalized groups have suffered in the past and continue to suffer. This is not about being “color blind” but recognizing a variety of privileges that many have that gives them advantage. This may be white privilege, or male privilege, or the privilege of having parents that went to college, among others. Equity must work to level the playing field, address the inequities and systemic prejudices that have prevented many from competing in the educational and career marketplace.

Inclusion is a critical part of “diversity” and helps move the conversation and action beyond mere counting of numbers (percentage of Hispanics, Afro-Americans, etc.) to find ways to include these individuals in conversations and decision-making, and revising workplace and cultural practices that exclude their participation as full citizens. It is making sure their voices are heard, not as tokens or spokespersons for their race/ethnicity but as individuals and productive citizens.

For me diversity, equity, and inclusion are important parts of my understanding of the world. I continue to grow in my understanding and appreciation of these ideas as I think, read, reflect, but more importantly as I meet, dialogue, interact, and work with people that are different from me.