Diversity

On this page you will find:

1. A model for growth and action
2. Social Justice goals and model (unrecalled source)
3. Social identity Development (unrecalled source)
4. Why Organizations Need to Do Diversity Work:
5. The global village
6. American myth
7. Reading literature of diversity

Action Continuum

Created by P. Griffin and B. Harro.

Actlively participating: telling oppressive jokes, putting down people from target groups, avoiding target group members, discriminating against target groups, verbally or physically harassing target group members

Denying: enabling oppression by denying that target group members are oppressed

Recognizing without action: is aware of oppressive actions by others or by self but takes no action to stop the behaviors. This inaction is the result of fear, ignorance, confusion, lack of information

Recognizes with action: is aware of oppression in self and others and takes action to stop it

Educating self: takes action to learn more about oppression and various cultural groups by reading, attending workshops, going to cultural events, joining organizations that oppose oppression, etc.

Educating others: engages in dialogue with other persons, explains why you object to some oppressive comment or action

Supporting and encouraging: supports others who speak out against oppression or who work for target groups, form ally groups, join coalition groups

Initiating and preventing: works to change individual and institutional actions and policies that discriminate against others, plan educational programs, work for passage of legislation, write letters to the editor, etc.

The goals of social justice:

To achieve full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs.
To achieve a society that distributes its resources equitably and that works to make all members feel physically and psychologically safe and secure.
To achieve a society in which all persons may contribute to the whole of society while striving for their own full potential.
A commitment to social justice requires a moral and ethical attitude toward equality and possibility. It requires the belief that we can change the world.

Oppression:

People are oppressed or privileged based on their social group status. A member of the dominant group, however, is especially privileged in that he may see himself as an individual. In the United States, for example, someone who is a young or middle-aged adult who is an able white middle class man of Anglo-Saxon Protestant descent seldom thinks of his social identity. He is seen as an individual. He may not even be aware of himself as a member of the dominant group because he has a heightened sense of being an individual.

A member of a subordinate group, however, is seldom seen as an individual but is usually first defined as a member of that social group. So, a Puerto Rican woman who does well on the job is often seen as an exception to the rule. An African American that commits a crime is seen as typical.

The dominant group often oppresses by restricting, excluding, dictating, or demanding assimilation of a target group. The dominant group, as it did it Nazi Germany, could go so far as to murder those who do not “pass” as being a part of the dominant group. The dominant group has the power and resources to oppress and can be so successful at projecting their views that even the oppressed come to believe and accept that the dominant group is right in what they say and do. Even business-as-usual can help to maintain unintentional oppression. Those, for example, who have no trouble climbing stairs or reaching the telephone do not notice the physical barriers they erect to exclude the person in a wheelchair. Those who assume that all their acquaintances are heterosexual are unaware of how they might be insulting or hurting a friend or family member who is a “closeted” gay person.

To challenge oppression, we must first start to become aware of the assumptions underlying institutional rules and then start to question them. We must see the contradiction between our social ideals and reality. We must then begin to imagine alternative possibilities for organizing social life. Oppression seems like normal, good common sense once we internalize the attitudes and roles that support and reinforce the idea of a dominant group. Even the target group can internalize these beliefs and then experience feelings of self-hatred, inferiority, resignation, concealment and powerlessness.

The context:

Individual: An individual’s attitudes and behaviors may consciously or unconsciously maintain oppression. Examples include harassment, rape, racial/ethnic slurs, and behaviors that exclude a target member. The target member may accept and even encourage what the dominant group believes.

Institutional: Institutions such as family, government, school, business, and religious organizations can help to maintain oppression. They can punish, reward, socialize, and guide individuals to believe and act in certain ways. Examples include unequal treatment of African Americans in the justice system, housing and employment discrimination against gays and lesbians, exclusion of women from certain institutions, etc.

Societal: Society’s norms help to blind people from oppression. Philosophies of life, language, definitions of what is good, normal, and healthy, etc. may be used to help maintain oppression. Examples include the cultural belief that gays and lesbians are sick or evil, language that excludes women, the perception that the only right family is the nuclear family.

Roles:

Agents are members of a dominant social group privileged by birth or acquisition. They knowingly or unknowingly have an unfair advantage over persons in a target group. They are trapped by social oppression in that they are confined to roles and behaviors dictated by their group.

Targets are members of social groups who are restricted, ignored, limited and seen as expendable by the agent group. They are defined by their group identity rather than by their individuality. They are subjected to violence, harassment, exploitation, powerlessness, and marginalization. These oppressive actions committed by agents are usually justified by blaming the target group for its own condition.

Social Identity Development

Stage 1: Agents and targets are unaware of the codes of behavior for the various groups. Over time they push the boundaries and start to learn the codes and differences between the groups. Parents, schools, religious institutions, media and peers are the major socializers as they serve as role models of attitudes and behaviors.

Stage 2: In this stage targets and agents accept the dominant group’s system. Acceptance may have come about through direct or indirect methods. The acceptance may be exhibited without thought or very consciously. Agents usually become unaware that they think of themselves as superior and privileged. They tend to see themselves as the norm and see the target group as creating its own problems. Targets have accepted the message yet may be forced to rationalize and justify such acceptance. They may be aware or unaware of how and to what extent their thoughts, feelings and behaviors reflect the dominant group’s system.

Stage 3: In the resistance stage the dominant group’s system is questioned and aspects of it are eventually rejected. Often this happens when the individual becomes friends with a member of a target group or is exposed in some way to information that contradicts the dominant group’s message. This can be a time of pain, anxiety, anger and confusion. There is increased awareness of oppression and its effects. Often the person feels anger in this stage and may distance himself from those who maintain oppression. The person may confront others. It is a time of reaction. Oppression becomes redefined as an agent problem and the target group is seen in a different light. Target members begin to redirect their energy into thinking about who they are rather than who they are not. Targets may feel hostile toward agents as they become more aware of how oppression operates. They may identify themselves in opposition to the oppressor. Some may passively resist in hopes of staying in favor with agents while rejecting oppression; this usually proves frustrating.

Stage 4: In the redefinition stage the individual creates an identity independent of the oppressive system. In this stage agents begin to focus on the good qualities of their group while rejecting the oppressive ones. They establish a sense of pride and esteem and understand that all groups have value. As they reject stereotypes, they begin to see others as worthy and important. The target members take more pride in who they are and of their target group. They become less concerned with their interaction with agents and more concerned with their interaction with members of their own group. They tend to spend more time and energy with members of their own group who are at the same stage.

Stage 5: In this last stage the main task is to internalize and incorporate the new identity into all aspects of everyday life. Both agents and targets continue to refine their identity and to grow in self-esteem and pride. Their new behavior becomes natural and unconscious. Targets begin to leave the protection of the group and to interact more spontaneously with agents. They begin to establish relationships with agents and targets that serve and support their new identity. They begin to experience empathy with any target group experiencing oppression. This is a lifelong stage of exploration and nurturance

Why Organizations Need to Do Diversity Work:

The bulk of the entering workforce will be people of color, white women and immigrants
“To succeed internationally, we need to understand the cultures of the world; and we have all the cultures of the world represented right here—a tremendous competitive advantage.” --E. Thompson, Proctor and Gamble
Knowledge of other cultures creates opportunities for niche marketing to ethnic, social and other groups; buyers are more likely to respond positively if the marketing relates to them
Creativity and a competitive edge are born of diversity. “When you are surrounded by sameness, you get only variations on the same.” --K. Sullivan, Apple Computers
Diverse teams are more successful in a competitive economy
An organization that does not accept all its people denies itself the full talents and energy of its employment pool
When people feel unaccepted or alienated the result is high absenteeism, high turnover, conflict, tension, lack of productivity, complaints, time lost to misunderstandings, poor performance, low morale
Those organizations that best handle diversity have the best chance of attracting the best talents/workers

If the world was a single village of 1000 persons:

Gender: 520 women, 480 men
Location: 584 Asians, 124 Africans, 84 Latin Americans, 95 Europeans, 55 Russians, 52 North Americans, 4 Australians, 2 New Zealanders
Language: 165 speak Mandarin Chinese, 86 English, 83 Hindi, 64 Spanish, 58 Russian, 37 Arabic
Religion: 329 Christians, 178 Moslems, 167 non-religious, 132 Hindus, 62 Buddhists, 45 atheists, 3 Jews, 86 other
Age: 330 are children, 60 are over 65
Births: 28 new babies are born each year
Mortality: 10 people die each year (3 from lack of food, 1 from cancer, 2 are babies)
Money: 200 persons control 75% of the wealth, 200 others receive only 2% of the wealth
Education: 335 adults are illiterate, 9 have graduated from college, 200 can not read at all
Miscellaneous: 5 are soldiers, 7 are teachers, 1 is a doctor, 3 are war refugees, half of the women have access to contraceptives, 70 own cars, 100 are gay

Past assumptions of the American myth

Western territorial expansion is progress
Civilization is best measured against the West
Europe is the creator of all that is best about civilization
Women’s subordinate role is determined by nature
People of color are granted less social status due to their personal deficiencies

Stages in the history of American Ethnicity

Up to around 1930: melting pot theory dominates; assimilation is assumed to be good; all will eventually be “Americanized” and be like the dominant White Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture
To World War II: efforts made to challenge assimilation in the name of cultural pluralism; ethnic identity is linked to class; cultural diversity is celebrated
To 1960’s: One world era with a stress on Americanization
To 1980’s: fierce attack on WASP conformity; new interest in “roots;” concern with new immigration of Latinos and Asians
To present: reaction against excesses of ethnic celebration; debate over political correctness; rise of interest in multiculturalism
Challenges to the American myth especially took root in the 1960’s through the 1970’s
Various “movements” began

Black civil rights (e.g. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X)
Women’s movement (e.g. Betty Freidan, ERA attempt)
Gay rights movement (e.g. Stonewall riots)
Native American movement (e.g. AIM)
Chicano movement (e.g. Caesar Chavez, migrant farm boycotts)

Interest in ethnicity and “roots”

Alex Hayley’s book, Roots
Television mini-series of Roots breaks viewing records
Interest in genealogy

An emphasis placed on diversity, self-knowledge and self-esteem
A focus on protest and celebration
A confrontation of contradictions between reality and ideals expressed in American documents

Pledge of Allegiance: “with liberty and justice for all”
Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”

Challenges to the emphasis on diversity take hold in the late 1970’s and 1980’s (trans)
The rise of conservatism in politics (Reagan takes office and stresses a “feel good” America)
Backlash against civil rights movement and previously passed policies and laws
Rise of the Religious Right
Challenge continues into the 1990’s with a debate about PC (political correctness) (tans)
The insistence on the right to be different and the assumption that one’s politics are, and should be, determined by one’s race, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality (identity politics) comes into more direct conflict with traditionalists, conservatives, and the Religious Right
Intense and sometimes violent debates begin in education, the media, government, business and the street

Reading multicultural literature

Read for understanding and for questioning and exploring
Read with a desire to raise points to discuss
Ask yourself (and base your notes on) the following questions:

What is the author’s main theme, message, or point?
What is the basic plot, structure or form?
Who are the important characters and how do they interact and relate to their culture?
How do language, words, images, figures of speech and so forth contribute to the emotional tone that supports the message or theme?
What are connections to your own life and world?
What did you particularly like/dislike?
What are some quotations that you found important or interesting?
What have you learned about yourself?
How are the author’s experiences like/unlike yours and other writers we have studied?
What are questions, thoughts, feelings, etc. you experienced?
What political, social, economic and religious ideas have shaped the writer’s viewpoint?
How have race, gender, sexual orientation, and life background shaped the writer’s ideas?