Racial diversity means a heterogenous mix of different types of
people classified and/or grouped together, and who must live and work
together in the same environment.
Just
as in a family where each member is unique, each share similarities
as well as differences, so it is with the American nation.
America's
population has become more and more diverse, and the only path
towards a peaceful co-existence is acknowledging, accepting and
respecting one another, regardless of race, ethnic background,
religious/political views, social and economic status, gender, sexual
orientation and identity, among other factors that constitute
individual and group differences.
This
diversity,
when harness well, contributes to the progress and enrichment of the
nation; hence it is important that every effort is achieved to keep
diversity working
in the society.
But
diversity scares or turns off many people. Many also ask what is
diversity
working
about?
For
many people, it is not enough to tell them that diversity
is
the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and
nurturing environment. It
is about understanding each other and moving beyond
simple
tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of
diversity contained within each individual. - See here:
The definition is
clear, but hard to get because what many see in the concrete is the
opposite.
It
makes people feel that diversity divides people more; that exclusion,
being left out is more like it than inclusion,
because
that is the reality they see in most sectors.
One
writer notes in her article that it is ironic that with the country's
diverse population, lack
of diversity
describes the state of American society today: we’re
not diverse enough.
She
also commented that the push for diversity is actually killing it,
to wit: this incessant focus on guaranteeing
diversity
versus focusing
on character, talent and ability
has the potential to turn the next generation into exactly one of two
things: trembling cowards who live in fear of being accused of racism
or bigotry; or, actual racists and bigots.
For her and other
like-minded individuals, diversity keeps racism alive.
It
may seem so because the ugly pangs of racism continues to bite, as
shown by incidence of racial profiling targeting mostly African Americans
and Hispanics,
the rise in hate crimes, police brutality. As in Dallas.
Yet,
these are not due to diversity efforts. What breeds racism? It is NOT
the promotion of diversity and inclusion.
On the contrary,
these are what kills diversity in this country:
- Harboring wrong
notions, ignorance, fear about other people;
-
Feelings of superiority (white supremacy, for example);
-
Ambivalence and indifference towards diversity can unconsciously
drive away people from exerting their own effort to understand and
appreciate people coming from different background.
-
Maltreatment of others due to their background or gender or beliefs.
Racial profiling for one.
Racial profiling,
as defined by ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), is the
discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting
individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race,
ethnicity, religion or national origin. […] Examples of racial
profiling are the use of race to determine which drivers to stop for
minor traffic violations (commonly referred to as "driving while
black or brown"), or the use of race to determine which
pedestrians to search for illegal contraband.
Dallas
Dallas
is hurting. Relationship between its citizens and the police is
broken. Candles are lit in the aftermath of the shooting of 5 white
cops and a lone gunman, who happened to be a black war veteran.
According
to reports, the gunman, identified as Micah Johnson, a black Army
veteran, shot the white cops out of retaliation.
Dallas
Police Chief David O. Brown
said that the shooter's motivation was to make cops pay for their
unjust treatment of “people of color.”
“We’re
convinced that this suspect had other plans and thought that what he
was doing was righteous and believed that he was going to target law
enforcement — make us pay for what he sees as law enforcement’s
efforts to punish people of color,” Brown told CNN’s Jake Tapper
Sunday on “State of the Union.” - See more here:
True
indeed that cops unfairly treat people of color, racial profiling
them even for minor infractions.
“The
shooting was the kind of retaliatory violence that people have feared
through two years of protests around the country against deaths in
police custody, forcing yet another wrenching shift in debates over
race and criminal justice that had already deeply divided the
nation,” a New York Times article said.
Chief
Brown also said Johnson himself stated he wanted to kill white
people, especially white officers. (CNN).
How
to make diversity working in society? Who should be contributing to
the promotion of diversity and inclusion in society?
A
police job is never easy. It is
a noble job – cops risk their lives in order to safeguard
communities, to enforce peace and order; they serve as people's
protectors. And many die in the line of duty – as when a robber or
any armed goon shoot it out with them.
But
it is another thing when police themselves perpetrate violence
towards the constituents whose safety, dignity and rights they are
sworn to protect, especially minorities.
And
it is sad that violence begets violence when a member of oppressed
groups retaliate in order to exact justice.
“This
has been a week of profound grief and heartbreak and loss,” Lynch
said. Noting that the attack in Dallas happened during a protest
sparked by police shootings, she added: “After the events of this
week, Americans across our country are feeling a sense of
helplessness, uncertainty and fear … but the answer must not be
violence.” - See here:
There
are two sides of the same fence, meaning each has their own role to
play in building a peaceful, harmonious, civilized society: cops are
to protect the citizens and implement laws, and not abuse their
authority; citizens are to respect and abide by the laws.
When
either side violates the law, justice is rendered through due
process.
But
the problem comes each side sees the other through the lens of biases
and prejudices, and when aggrieved parties take the law into their
hands. Is this how diversity working should be at all?
But
for whatever reasons, violence indeed is never ever a welcome act.
Violence
never wins. Everyone loses – those who commit violence from both
sides of the fence, law enforcement and the people.
What
about their families, their friends, their communities? The whole
nation is hurting, and has become more wounded.
Both
sides have their faults, the police and erring citizens. Yet, the
police are sworn to uphold the law, and should set good examples. At
the same time, good cops are being negated by the abuses of their
colleagues; they too are hurt.
Good
cops need validation not just from among themselves, but more from
the people they serve. There are for sure many cops who serve with
dedication, passion and compassion.
As
seen in Dallas and in other places, people are not the sole victims
of police brutality and violence committed against cops; people's
mistaken notion, that diversity divides rather than unites people, is
given all the more given credence. They keep asking where is
diversity working in our communities?
Police
Workforce:
It
can never be stressed enough that the more diverse a workplace is,
the better it can serve the community it serves.
But
a look at the police force in major cities in the U. S. will reveal
that there is lack of racial diversity, and this is a crucial factor
in the relationship between law enforcers and the cconstituents they
are sworn to serve and protect.
According
to a report last year based on an analysis a government survey
of police departments made in 2007 ( the latest comprehensive study
available), the percentage of whites on the force is more than 30
percentage points higher than in the communities they serve.
A
breakdown of the racial makeup of the Dallas police department
shows it is is more than half white, despite its having mostly
Hispanic and black populations, according to the same report.
Baltimore,
on the other hand, has a structure that balances the lopsided
representation of residents in its police force. The same report says
Baltimore’s police department has a lower percentage of
blacks than the population it serves. But in contrast to other cities
that have been wracked by tension and protests over police
confrontations with black men, the city’s mayor, its police
commissioner, the state’s attorney are all black.
Detroit
police force is now said to be made up of more African Americans than
it did in the past. Sixty-one percent of the 2,306-member
force is black in a city that's 83 percent African-American. The lag,
department officials say, is due in part to a dearth of minority
candidates. - See here:
It
has also been noted that there has been sincere efforts to make the
country's police workforce more diverse and more representative of
the communities they serve.
New
U.S. government data
show that between 1987 and 2013,
the percentage of minority police officers in U.S. local law
enforcement agencies almost doubled. The Bureau of Justice
Statistics(BJS) reported in 2013, racial or ethnic minorities
comprised 27 percent of local police officers.
However,
studies unreleated to the findings above also show diverse
departments don’t equate to improved relations between cops and
communities of color.
How
to Heal
Now,
how to go from here? The healing process must start painful,
difficult it may be.
You
cannot heal an open wound by just putting bandage over it; you
deep-cleanse it, just as it is with society's wounds inflicted by
indifference and ambivalence to diversity and other great issues of
the country.
Now
no matter how deep the chasm all this has caused, it is time to move
on. Time to heal.
Concrete
ways to mend the broken relationship between law enforcement and the
people can include:
-
Increasing racial diversity in the police force to increase their
credibility with the communities they serve;
-Owning
up to their culpability and responsibility by police departments in
cities wracked with bitter, violent confrontations between law
enforcers and citizens; no blaming or finger-pointing;
-Improving
police credibility through sincere efforts to stop abuse of power and
the unnecessary use of force in apprehending unarmed people of color;
-Initiate
open dialogue between police and the communities of color in their
jurisdiction;
-Open
up avenues of communication between law enforcers and citizens for
the airing of grievances, from both sides.
We
all are humans; all are different and unique, so that makes each one
special. Acceptance, respect, compassion. Seeing others through their own lens, so there can be empathy.
According to one observer, what
is important is to make people of color – Blacks,
Hispanic/Latinos – feel accepted. Diversity conversations need to
be about making marginalized individuals/groups feel more appreciated, and
made to feel part of the American experience.
Walls need to be torn down, and the broken fence mended,
by listening more openly to each other's view(s). And through this, the wise observer says, the
ongoing rage, anger , distrust, will dissipate and the need to be
always right will stop too. True.
The
time to heal is Now. It's high time to let diversity working real
hard in our communities. If not today, it may be too late.
1 comment:
Great info!
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