REACH President Speaks of Diversity

by Jeff Cobble

Des Moines, Iowa (April 2, 1997)--Leadership coming from diverse areas of society was the main point given in a speech entitled ³Creating a Deeper Vision of Diversity² on Wednesday. The speaker, Gary Howard, also wanted to raise concerns about certain myths about the problem of diversity.

Howard, president and founder of REACH --Respecting Ethical And Cultural Heritage-- in Seattle, Wash., spoke to about 80 students, faculty and staff in the Bulldog Theater.

Howard spoke of how it is important for people of all backgrounds to step forward into leadership positions if social equality is to be achieved. ³This is a human issue, and leadership needs to come from all communities,² he said. Howard especially encouraged white people to take a more prominent role in solving problems dealing with diversity.

Howard said the biggest obstacles to overcoming diverse problems are four myths about diversity. The first myth is that social equality has been achieved, that diversity is no longer an issue and that society needs to move on with life. Howard said he believes that the issue of diversity is not even close to being resolved. ³We have not yet engaged the issue of race in this country,² he said. As an example, Howard listed the O.J. Simpson trials for the talk surrounding the race of the jurors rather than centering on the facts of the case. Howard also noted that the affirmative action program has not solved any problems, noting that white people are feeling left out. ³Welcome to reality,² Howard said.

The second myth Howard talked about is that if we talk about diversity and differences, we will only make the problem worse. The underlying assumption is that if people do not know there is a problem, it will not present itself in the future. Howard then talked about how some people teach children to pretend they are color-blind when looking at other people. The idea is that everyone will be treated the same since no one is different. In audience response to the color-blindness, one woman wondered how these color-blind people could appreciate what they could not see. Howard said people who think talkingabout diversity will divide the country are assuming that the country was once unified and that the phrase ³liberty and justice for all² applied to more than rich white men.

³We can never achieve unity without acknowledging our diversity,² Howard said.

The third myth is that diversity is a soft issue, that it is for nice, loving people. Howard pointed out that hard-nosed business people know diversity because they could not be competitive in the global marketplace without a knowledge of other cultures. ³Diversity is a resource,² Howard said to support his argument.

The fourth and final myth is that the problem of diversity is for someone else. Howard spoke of how Americans tend to think of multicultural studies as things people of African, Asian, Native American and other backgrounds need to worry about. Howard said this myth establishes boundaries between people. It promotes the idea that white children are too good to learn about cultural differences. Howard said some progress has been made, noting that more white people are beginning to think multicultural studies are good for their children as well.

Howard said there is still not enough support from the white community for social equality to be achieved. It was at this point in his speech that he encouraged all people to step into leadership positions concerning diversity. ³To be an ally we need to be educated,² he said. ³Hope is worth it. We need people who can keep that vision of hope alive.²

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