Diversity is about more than skin color. Do you = embrace it?

BY MARTHA J. ROSS-RODGERS =

    I=20 have heard many times in life and business the phrase =93well, you know, = people=20 are just people.=94 Yes, people are people, but it does not mean that we = are all=20 the same. Diversity is about moving beyond =93why do all those people = act the=20 same=94 and =93that=92s to be expected of him because of his race.=94=20

    Not only does diversity include race, = but it=20 also includes socio-economic status, gender, religion, language, people = with=20 learning/ physical disabilities and many other differences. It=92s about = realizing=20 that everyone is not and should not be exactly like you.

    And the workplace = is a good=20 place to start.

    Many of us have = preconceived=20 ideas about those different from us, but when our ideas begin to sow = seeds of=20 hatred and intolerance, we need to examine ourselves. When I was 17 = years old, I=20 did an internship at a home for homeless people. There were two houses, = one for=20 the staff and one for the homeless. I was the only black staff member. = The=20 homeless people who lived there on and off were mostly white.=20

    During my five-month stay, there was = only one=20 black woman, named Sonya, who stayed there. There was also a white man = named Bob=20 who was an alcoholic. Bob was about 60 years old. Every time Bob would = encounter=20 me outside, he would call me the =93N = word.=94 He=20 would often threaten to get Sonya to beat me up. I never responded back = to Bob.=20 Even though I was only 17, I knew that Bob=92s main purpose was to make = me angry.=20 One day, before my internship ROSS-RODGERS=20 ended, Bob came up to me and gave what I assumed he felt was a=20 compliment. Bob said, =93You are not like the rest of them. You are not = the =91N=20 word.=92 You are a nice person.=94 Once again, I did not respond. =

    After analyzing = this over=20 the years, I have come up with two conclusions. The first one is that = Bob had a=20 hatred for blacks. Because of this, he would call me the =93N word=94 to = try to hurt=20 me and to get me to respond back in a negative manner. When I didn=92t = respond=20 back, he felt that somehow I was different. My second conclusion is that = Bob=20 really felt that he was complimenting me by telling me this.=20

    It is sad that Bob had seeds of hatred = that had=20 grown full blown in him for 60 years. Who knows if he ever began to view = each=20 person as an individual rather than a =93collective whole.=94=20

    The workplace is the one area where we = can=20 embrace diversity and teach it by example. It is the area in which we = can say,=20 =93Do as I say, and as I do.=94 At work and in our everyday life, = instead of us=20 accepting stereotypes, we must learn = to=20 challenge them. The bottom line is this: We live and work in a diverse = world and=20 there=92s nothing that we can do about it. You can choose to live in a = time warp,=20 dwelling on how it used to be, or to move forward with the changing = times. Our=20 work environments and communities are changing. In 2001, one in four = Americans=20 was black, Hispanic or Asian. By 2040, one in two Americans will be a = person of=20 color. The United States represents 5 percent of the world=92s = population, but it=20 takes in more than 62 percent of world immigration. Presently, 1.5 = million=20 people per year immigrate to the United States. So you may as well = accept that=20 your co-workers are not going to look like you, think like you, nor do = things=20 exactly the way you do.

The writer is the owner of Jireh = Publishers=20 & Distributors in Chesapeake and a motivational speaker and can be = reached=20 at 558-4964.

HOW T O C O N T R IBU T E

Got an opinion on = a=20 business issue? Want to share your expertise on a business-related = topic? The=20 Virginian-Pilot wants to hear from you. Send your thoughts in 600 words = or less=20 to Business Editor Bill Choyke at bill.choyke@pilotonline.com, or call = him at=20 446-2359.

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