|
Response to Senator Jim Webb’s WSJ commentary on Diversity
 By Mary-Frances Winters
President and CEO, The Winters Group, Inc.
In the July 23 issue of the Wall Street Journal, Senator James Webb of Virginia called for ending government sponsored “diversity programs” because they disadvantage Whites. He believes that White privilege is a myth.
As a diversity practitioner for over 26 years, I read Senator Webb’s commentary with great interest. I must admit that I was shocked that a United States Senator would offer such opinions without offering statistical evidence. I was also surprised that the Senator seems to not understand the difference between diversity and affirmative action.
I do agree with Senator Webb that non-discrimination policies should apply to everyone. Discrimination based on one’s color (white or black), creed, ethnicity, nationality, sex, disability, veteran status, socio-economic level, sexual orientation or any other characteristic should not be tolerated in a country whose values purport to be rooted in fairness and justice.
I also agree with the Senator that no group, including whites is monolithic and that socio-economic or class inequality continues to be a serious issue that we need to address.
And lastly, I thank the Senator for recognizing that African Americans still face many inequities in this country.
However, I strongly disagree with the Senator’s assertion that people who came to this country more recently have not suffered discrimination and that White privilege is a myth.
I also think that we need to make the distinction between diversity efforts and affirmative action programs. The two are not the same. As Senator Webb points out affirmative action is a government program targeted to specific historically underrepresented groups. Diversity programs are voluntary and have gained in popularity because organizations understand the business benefits of leveraging diverse talent to enhance engagement, creativity and workplace harmony. Diversity initiatives are inclusive of all employees recognizing that our differences extend beyond race and gender to include socio-economic status, religion, military status, marital status and even communication and thinking styles.
Let’s now look at the Senator’s assertion that “those who came to this country in recent decades from Asia, Latin America and Africa did not suffer discrimination from our government, and in fact have frequently been the beneficiaries of special government programs. The same cannot be said of many hard-working white Americans, including those whose roots in America go back more than 200 years. “ What specific special government programs are you referring to and how many of the aforementioned groups have benefited? How many hard working white Americans have been detrimentally impacted by these alleged programs?
Since Senator Webb failed to offer specific evidence, let me offer a different lens with data.
First I would assert that there are many government programs designed to help all hard working Americans regardless of their racial or ethnic background and whites often disproportionately benefit from them. For example, eighty-eight percent of those receiving social security benefits are white as well as 66% of those receiving welfare. Sixty three percent of low income students receiving Pell Grants are white and 95% of agricultural subsidies go to white operated farms. I could go on but I just wanted to show a few examples to counter Senator Webb’s opinion that hard working white people do not benefit from government programs.
The reason that we need government programs for blacks, other people of color, women, people with disabilities, the GLBT community, veterans, etc is that statistics show that these groups continue to face discrimination.
For example, Latinos represent the largest minority group in America, numbering approximately 40 million and accounting for nearly 14 percent of the population. By 2020, the Census Bureau predicts that number will double to 70 million, or 21 percent. U.S. Latinos, who, as a group, tend to be among the lowest-paid and most poorly educated members of American society. Hispanic workers are the least likely of all Americans to have access to, or participate in, employer-provided retirement programs, according to a report from the National Council of La Raza, one of the nation's two major Hispanic advocacy organizations.
Overall, Hispanics are significantly less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have annual earnings of $35,000 or more (23 percent compared to 49 percent), according to the Census Bureau. Finally, young Latinos -- who represent the largest minority segment of the U.S. student population -- continue to lag behind other groups in academic achievement at all levels. Sixty percent of Hispanic 8th-graders and 57 percent of 4th-graders read below the basic level, according to the NCLR.
The Southern Poverty Law Center conducted a study in 2009 and found that low-income Latino immigrants face increasing hostility as they fill low-wage jobs in the southern United States, which until recently had few Latino immigrants until recently. Based on a survey of 500 low-income Latinos across the South — including legal residents, undocumented immigrants and U.S. citizens — the report concludes that Latinos are frequent victims of theft, workplace discrimination, sexual abuse and violence.
Relative to Asian Americans, at a projected population increase of 153% by 2050, Asian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group after Hispanics. This group is also subjected to discrimination according to research. For example, despite the approximately 59,141 Asian Americans serving in active duty in the U.S. Armed Services, and the more than 300 Asian Americans who have been injured or died in Operation Iraqi Freedom, there are still suspicions about the loyalty of Asian Americans. Among the general population, 45 percent believe Asian Americans are more loyal to their countries of ancestry than to the United States, up from 37 percent in the 2001 survey.
According to a study conducted by the EEOC, the chance of Asians rising to management positions in government was about 25% of the national average compared to the chances for whites which was about 130% of the national average.
Broad based stereotypes and assumptions persist about different ethnic groups in this country that result in unequal outcomes. Some of the disparities may be due to what is commonly referred to today as unconscious bias, deeply held beliefs that we may not be aware of at a conscious level, which is all the more reason to study, monitor and develop effective programs to address the disparities.
Unconscious bias in favor of whites is the root of what is known as white privilege. Perhaps Senator Webb’s definition is different from mine which is the unearned advantage and power to dominate that one group has over another.
Psychologists at Harvard, the University of Virginia and the University of Washington created "Project Implicit" to develop Hidden Bias Tests — called Implicit Association Tests, or IATs to measure unconscious bias. Millions have taken the test and the results usually show some type of bias. On average there is a 70% positive bias towards white versus only a 12% positive bias towards blacks.
In his book, Privilege, Power and Difference, Alan Johnson offers several examples of White privilege, maybe driven by unconscious bias, that are backed up by statistical studies:
· Whites are represented in corporate, government and education in position of power at disproportionate rates to people of color
· Whites are more likely than blacks or Latinos to be approved for credit even when the credit histories and other determining variables are comparable
· Whites are more likely to be charged lower prices for cars than people of color
· Whites live in communities that have greater access to jobs and health and community services.
With all due respect Senator Webb, until we are able to correct these glaring inequalities, I maintain that we need to continue to advocate and legislate to eradicate inequalities for all Americans.
About the Author
Mary-Frances Winters is president and founder of The Winters Group, a 26-year-old organization development and diversity-consulting firm, specializing in research, strategic planning, training, and public speaking with an emphasis in ethnic and multicultural issues. Clients include Honda, Eastman Kodak, Society of Human Resource Management, Freddie Mac, Blue Cross Blue Shield among many others.
Among her other awards and honors, the Rochester Minority Enterprise Development Committee named Winters “Minority Business Person of the Year” in 1988. She was featured in the 1989 edition of Marquis “Who's Who in American Women,” and was named the 1991 recipient of the Athena Award by the Women's Council of the Greater Rochester Metro Chamber of Commerce. In 1992 she was one of five women nationally to receive the Avon Products, Inc., and U.S. Small Business Administration's Women of Enterprise Award. In 1994 she received the Urban League's Outstanding Community Leader Award. Winters was selected as one of Rochester's torchbearers for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay. Phi Delta Kappa Education Fraternity presented Winters with its 1996 Research Award. In 1998 she was the recipient of the Hutchinson Medal, the highest alumni honor from The University of Rochester. In 2000, she was named Mother of the Year by the local March of Dimes. Winters was named a diversity pioneer by Profiles in Diversity Journal in August 2007.
Winters has been a frequent contributor to the editorial page of the local newspaper and USA Today’s Forum column on workplace and diversity related issues. She has been published in the International Personnel Management Association Newsletter, Profiles in Diversity Journal, Diversity Inc Magazine, Executive Excellence Magazine, Society of Human Resource Management’s Mosaics Newsletter, The EMA Reporter and has written monographs on "Philanthropy Among People of Color" for the Council on Foundations in Washington, DC. She is the author of three books, Only Wet Babies Like Change: Workplace Wisdom for Baby Boomers, Inclusion Starts With “I” and CEO’s Who Get It: Diversity Leadership from the Heart and Soul.
2010
|
