Failing at Diversity When Stupid Stuff Comes Out

Failing at Diversity! When Stupid Stuff Comes Out of My Mouth. . . Jeremy Thomas Diversity Brown Bag February 13, 2019

Some Inspiration. . . Inspired by a recent column “The swift arrival of cultural fascism” Bemoaning political correctness Apology culture Endless attacks on white men. . . I disagree with much of this. But there is something about the anxiety of “failing at diversity. ”

And, Indeed, I Have Failed at Diversity! I’ve said a lot of stupid stuff. A mix of ignorance, bias, privilege, and prejudice Expressed in person, on Facebook, questionable text messages, drunken arguments, in the heat of the moment I’ve done some stupid stuff too.

We’ve All Said/Done Stupid Stuff. . . Politicians apologize, right. . . and left. . . Privacy is dead. . . Jeff Bezos? The internet remembers everything and knows all. The end of backstage commentary

How Do We Respond as Individuals? We better educate ourselves. We listen carefully and empathetically. We apologize honestly, fully, and directly. We dialogue in good faith about our disagreements. We change our words and actions. We resist the temptation to hide from the other. We purposefully engage, recognizing we may fail again.

But How Do We Respond Collectively? What does this mean for a university? We like our academic freedom! We can’t fire everybody! How do we strengthen a community that will inevitably fail at diversity?

Part 1. Culture Matters Relationships matter. From President Kevin Satterlee’s first ISU memo: “My number one priority in the coming year is to build relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members, business and industry leaders, and all friends of Idaho State. These open, transparent, and inclusive relationships will be designed to create an environment of trust and mutual accountability. ” Success at diversity requires success at relationships.

Part 1. Culture Matters Open to new ideas and perspectives Transparent – avoiding backstage backstabbing Inclusive – building professional and personal belonging Trust – presuming good intentions Mutual accountability – we are all responsible Failure is the foundation for success!

Sounds Pretty Mushy-Gushy! But wait a second! That’s easy for you to say as a pompous, privileged, educated, middle-class white dude! Guilty What about the real word of bias, prejudice, discrimination, and inequity? ? ? Words and cultural fuzzies are not enough!!!

Part 2. Structure Matters (More? ) Further inspiration. . . “Scapegoating politicians who are caught in the act of interpersonal racism will not address the fundamental issue of systemic racism. We have to talk about policy. ”

Part 2. Structure Matters (More? ) If we want to succeed at diversity at ISU, we need to do more than police language, feelings, and relationships. This is why political correctness is irksome. It too often masks and dresses up the status quo – like the proverbial lipstick on a pig. . .

Part 2. Structure Matters (More? ) “We also have to talk about trust and power. If white people in political leadership are truly repentant, they will listen to black and other marginalized people in our society. They will confess that they have sinned and demonstrate their willingness to listen and learn by following and supporting the leadership of others. To confess past mistakes while continuing to insist that you are still best suited to lead because of your experience is itself a subtle form of white supremacy. ”

Structure Matters at ISU We need a more diverse leadership. Students need a more diverse faculty. Gender diversity Racial and ethnic diversity (Hispanic and indigenous leaders? ) LGBTQ diversity (gay faculty? ) Religious diversity (? ) Political diversity (? )

Critique of the Critique It’s hard to get people to show up and stay. Extra incentives? Are we willing to pay a premium, especially for established teacher/scholars? Money always reflects priorities. There are valid questions about how similar our leadership and faculty should be in comparison to the students we serve. Too much change, too quickly, can certainly undermine stability.

Making the Structural Personal But back to the beginning: What do I do when stupid stuff comes out of my mouth? Part 1. I say I’m sorry; I work on practicing “cultural diversity. ” Part 2. I move one, and I focus on making sure I’m practicing “structural diversity. ” In my grading, attention to, and interactions with students In my professional review and editorial decisions In my colleague evaluations and hiring recommendations So, conclusions? What do you all think?