SUMMER 1999 - ISSUE NUMBER 48
SUMMER 1999 - ISSUE NUMBER 48
Honoring Diversity
at Home; at Work; and in the Community
Diversity at home . . .
Josh White Jr., the talented balladeer with the brilliant smile, sings these words by Oscar Hammerstein II:You've got to be taught to hate and fear,
You've got to be taught from year to year,
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear.
You've got to be carefully taught.You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade.
You've got to be carefully taught.You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate.
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be carefully taught.Every time I've heard Josh White Jr. sing those words I've imagined two preschoolers, one white, one black, arms linked around each others' shoulders as they head to the playground; their field of dreams. How long will they be allowed to linger in their color blindness; or perhaps it is color vision … seeing the beauty of their shades and hues? What will they be taught?
We've all been taught. We've been taught by family, friends, advertisers, Hollywood, Wall Street, Washington. Some of us were given a message of love. Others a steady diet of hate. Most, a combination of both. Stereotypes and rhetoric play like a tape over and over in our heads. We've all been taught, and we've all learned. I, for one, have some unlearning to do.
I grew up in an integrated neighborhood in the city of Detroit. I remember the riots of 1968. As the tanks rolled by I could see the smoke rise from downtown. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to our church for the funeral of Viola Liuzzo, a white woman killed by the KKK for driving blacks to work during the bus boycotts. "She had no business being there. She should have been home with her children." Some tried to teach me this lesson, but I learned that she was a brave woman doing what she could to bring justice to our world.
I learned about Afro Sheen and straightening hair. I watched my classmate, Mark, sing "The Impossible Dream" with tears in his eyes because, as the only African-American boy in our class, he was living the impossible dream. I learned about white flight, and I watched a man be beaten and taunted with "nigger go home" as he waited for a bus. My best friend was black, and like the children I imagine when Josh White Jr. sings that song, we loved our different colors. From her, and from many others, I learned love and acceptance.
In college, my husband and I lived in "married housing" (I wonder if they still call it that). My son, Steve, had the good fortune of spending his preschool and kindergarten years in this virtual global village. He spent his days playing with kids named Chu Won, Carlos, Amir, LoLo and Zippo. Our dear friends called Mexico and South Africa home. When Steve was six we moved to Spring Lake, Michigan. As I was driving Steve to his first day of school he asked me, "Mommy, where are all of the brown kids?"
"You have to be carefully taught"; that's how the song goes. I was lucky to grow up in my neighborhood. Steve was fortunate to have his global village. But most communities are not racially, culturally or economically diverse. For example, Ottawa County is 98% Caucasian. If we are to have a home that honors diversity, we must actively create a diverse environment. We must guard against misinformation and all of the "isms" that become barriers to understanding.
Diversity at work . . .
I work for a healthcare organization that is dedicated to "improving the health status of the community". A few years ago the organization had to take a healthy look at the status of it's own community. The hospital's hiring practices and attitudes were challenged as racist. Someone was holding up a mirror and the institution had to take a look. That is how the dialogue began, and thankfully, those conversations led to the formation of the Hackley Hospital Diversity Change Team.Our organization is not that different from other businesses in our community. Of the approximately 1300 associates, 87% are white, 11% are African-American and 2% are Hispanic, American Indian or Asian. All of the administrators and most of the managers are Caucasians. But, all of that is about to change.
The demographic composition of our society is undergoing dramatic change, and therefore, changing the face of the workplace. We are moving away from a European-American male work force to one that is increasingly diverse. This population will include women and men from an assortment of ethnic and racial backgrounds as well as various ages, religious beliefs, physical abilities, life-styles and sexual orientations. Forecasts by the U.S. Bureau of the Census predict that, by 2050, the 25 % of the U. S. population that is comprised of ethnic and racial minorities will increase to more than one-half of the population. This will certainly affect the makeup of the labor force. By the end of the 1990s, African Americans will make up 12% of the total labor force, Hispanics will account for 10%, and Asians another 4% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1993). By the year 2000, 85% of all new entrants will be minorities and women. The average age of the work force is changing as well. The average age of U.S. workers is expected to increase from age 36 to age 39.
This is just a sampling of the types of things the members of the Diversity Change Team are learning. We are a team of employees and volunteers representing most areas of the hospital. Our mission is this: to increase the awareness of diversity and to promote, honor and celebrate it through our associates, patients and community. The team has found a variety of ways to do this. We began by offering diversity awareness training to all associates of the hospital. We celebrated our diversity with "A Taste of Hackley", a gala event that highlighted (with food, music, dance, art and displays) the many cultures represented in our workplace. This summer we will implement diversity dialogue sessions; an opportunity to dialogue about race and other diversity issues in a safe environment. These sessions will include administrators, board members and physicians to ensure that they too will be involved in the process.
The Diversity Change Team has affected our workplace. It has not eliminated the institutional racism that permeates American businesses, nor has it eradicated homophobia, gender bias or age discrimination from within our walls. But it has changed hearts; a few at a time. The training that we have gone through, coupled with the weeks of dialogue sessions, has opened our eyes and ears and allowed us to know and respect each other. Here is just a little example:
In one of the dialogue sessions we were asked to talk about our first experience with racism. I recounted how, as a child, I had learned the story of Rosa Parks and her act of civil resistance. I described how I had such respect for the Freedom Riders and how I made it a point to share these stories of heroism with my children. The activity continued around the circle, finally coming to one of my co-workers, Rebecca. It was her turn to talk, but she could only cry. She had known Rosa Parks all of her life. Rebecca was a Freedom Rider and was one of the African-Americans who went on strike and shut down the buses in Montgomery Alabama. She went to meetings in the Montgomery churches with the Rev. Ralph Abernathy and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. I sat across from this maker of history; teller of "herstory".
It is amazing what we can learn from each other, if we only take the time to share our stories.
Diversity in the Community . . . Out of Hatred Comes Love . . .
The North Ottawa Ethnic Diversity Alliance
West Michigan is magnificent with its tall pines, rolling sand dunes, and refreshing Lake Michigan waters. Nestled among these gifts of nature are the Tri-Cities of Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg. Although we are surrounded by a variety of natural beauty, our community is lacking in the diversity of its human inhabitants. Demographic statistics for 1999 show that our geographic area is predominantly Caucasian (98%). The racially diverse communities of Muskegon, Holland and Grand Rapids surround the North Ottawa area, and many people of color come into the community daily for employment purposes. Yet, the North Ottawa area remains racially isolated.After learning that an African-American family had moved out of the community because they did not feel connected or accepted, a small group of concerned individuals agreed to get together to brainstorm ways to welcome and support minority families that were moving to our area. Ironically, three days before that meeting an act of violence rocked our comfortable community. An African-American minister and his family, new residents of the Tri-Cities, were victims of a cross burning at their home. The shock of this incident of intolerance changed our brainstorming session into a call for action and a public response opposing such hatred. Simultaneously, it became apparent that due to the homogenous racial make-up of the area, there was very little opportunity for local citizens to interact with or develop relationships with people of diverse racial or ethnic groups, thus limiting the opportunity for cultural exchange and appreciation. This need instigated a second focus of the Alliance, which was to provide diversity education and opportunities for inter-racial dialogue and exchange. That is how the North Ottawa Ethnic Diversity Alliance was formed.
Reports from people of color as to the barriers to inclusion include housing discrimination, racial profiling, being followed around stores while shopping, an absence of minority staff in the schools, and other subtle gestures of prejudice. Other reported instances of bias are more overt. These anecdotal reports of discrimination are supported by recent studies completed by Michigan State University (MSU) and the United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR). The Ottawa County Study on the Over-representation of Minorities and Females in the Juvenile Justice System, completed by MSU, indicated grossly disparate treatment of youth of color as compared to Caucasian youth. In one glaring example, for youth charged with a felony with no priors, Caucasian youth were detained 3.3% of the time. Hispanic youth, under the same circumstances, were detained 37.5% of the time. Additionally, a 1998 report completed by the USCCR, Race Relations in the Grand Rapids Area, included Ottawa County in it's Metropolitan Statistical Area. This report indicated similar disparities in the opportunities of people of color in employment, housing, and education. Finally, Klan Watch, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, identifies West Michigan as having one of the highest numbers of white-supremacy/ hate groups in the country.
Conversely, many Caucasian residents in the area purport to be supportive of racial equality, although the aura of the community as being racially selective is acknowledged. These individuals must become visible in the life of the community if racial tolerance is to be achieved. Consequently, the need for an organization designed to engage these individuals in efforts to heal racism appears evident. Another segment of the population reluctantly acknowledges an absence of comfort with different races and ethnic groups, not out of maliciousness, but rather due to a lack of exposure and consequent absence of understanding of cultural norms and expectations. The need for inter-racial dialogue, education and positive interactions appear paramount.
Statistics from the Seidman School of Business, Grand Valley State University, project the Hispanic and Asian population in the North Ottawa area to grow by 4% by the year 2003. The Grand Haven Area School District has seen the percentage of minority students increase 56%, from 214 students in 1993 to 377 students in 1999. The growth is expected to continue, with the percentage of minority students increasing from the current level of 6% of the student population to 10% by the year 2003. The need to foster an environment comfortable with racial diversity is imperative if the changing community is to thrive.
The mission of the North Ottawa Ethnic Diversity Alliance is:
To foster an environment in the North Ottawa area where people of all ethnic backgrounds will have equal opportunity to live, work and lead a quality life.The Diversity Alliance provides a variety of services to our community, all of which are designed to create ethnic harmony.
Advocacy - The Diversity Alliance acts as an advocate for racial equality within our community.Celebration - The Diversity Alliance sponsors events that celebrate the diversity within our community.
Support Network - The Diversity Alliance offers support to people living, working or considering moving into the community.
Eduction - The Diversity Alliance provides a variety of educational opportunities such as diversity training in the workplace and "Calling all Colors", a race unity conference for children.
The Calling all Colors&emdash;Race Unity Conference is held annually and brings together 185 middle school age students from a mixture of racial, economic and academic backgrounds. They are provided with a safe environment to dialogue about race issues and to experience other cultures. The purpose of the conference is to promote racial harmony among area youth by providing an opportunity for participants to:
1. Increase their awareness of points of view that are different than their own.
2. Become aware of stereotyping and it's effects.
3. Discuss feelings about race and race relations.
4. Work closely with a diverse group of people.
5. Be exposed to a college campus.
A second focus in the area of education is working in partnership with the Institute for Healing Racism to expand the Institute to the North Ottawa area. The first Institute is being held in the fall of 1999, and the expansion of those workshops to various sectors of the community is a goal of the Alliance. Several Alliance members are trained facilitators for the Institute, and others have been through the basic training.
Another major effort of the Alliance is programming designed to build a functional comfort level between migrant families and local residents. Barriers to this effort include the absence of a shared language, lack of understanding of cultural norms, racial polarization, geographic isolation of the migrant camps and income disparity. The need to develop a sense of community and inclusiveness for the migrant families that come to work in the area each year has economic as well as social implications. Ottawa County ranks third in the number of farms in the state, and the largest demand for labor in Michigan is the seasonal migrant worker.1 According to Gerry Deere, Michigan Employment and Securities Analyst, "The supply of migrant workers has diminished as many are moving to higher paying industries. The demand for seasonal migrant workers will substantially outnumber the supply without a change in immigration policy." The need to develop a functional comfort level for the migrant families is both morally and economically sound.
The Alliance, with assistance from local organizations2, has worked to provide supports to the returning migrant families. English/Spanish Language classes, designed to reduce the language barrier between migrant workers and local residents, were piloted in the Spring of 1996. St. Anthony's Church, Grand Haven Area Public Schools and the Alliance, working in partnership, were pleased with the results of the classes. Due to the success of the pilot, Grand Haven Community Education has adopted the program. Welcoming packages filled with basic items needed to establish re-entry, such as winter clothing, blankets and food staples, were provided to migrant families upon request. Donated sports equipment, including basketball hoops and volleyball nets, were placed at area camps for the migrant children. The Alliance is coordinating an effort to build cement courts at three area camps, to be used for basketball, four-square, roller skating, etc. Day passes to the YMCA and swim lessons are being organized, along with recruiting volunteers to transport the migrant children while their parents are in the fields. Mentors, volunteer readers, recreation leaders and other volunteer opportunities at the migrant camps have been identified and often filled by Diversity Alliance members. Expansion of these efforts is anticipated.
Advocating for the removal of barriers to inclusion is a third identified area of activity for the Alliance. The Executive Director sits on the Ottawa County Juvenile Court Citizens Review Board, the Grand Haven Area Public Schools Futuring Committee and is the Chairperson of the Minority Issues Committee of the North Ottawa Area Community Coalition. Reports of racial discrimination in housing have been referred to the Grand Rapids Fair Housing Center for investigation. The Alliance is working with the Fair Housing Center to establish housing testing in the North Ottawa area and provide testers. A new initiative is the pursuit of an Ottawa County Fair Housing Policy.
As our community continues to grow, the members of the Diversity Alliance will actively promote an atmosphere where the differences among us will not only be accepted, but will be regarded as an advantage . . . a reason to celebrate!
It is my privilege to be an active member of the North Ottawa Ethnic Diversity Alliance. Often with small steps, and occasionally significant strides, this organization is working to create a human rainbow to match nature's beauty that is here in West Michigan.
1. The Michigan Department of Agriculture 1995-1996 Labor Market Analyst Report
2. Area churches, the Ottawa/Allegan Migrant Resource Council, Robinson School, The Neighborhood Centers, the North Ottawa Area Community Coalition and Grand Haven Area Community Education have provided assistance.
Return to the Index of Summer 48, Summer 1999