The Easiest Way To Make The World A Better Place!

So what can I do to increase my cultural competence?

One of the challenges of fostering a more inclusive society is that we often lack authentic and meaningful relationships with people who are different to us. Indeed, research indicates that in many parts of the country, we are more racially and economically segregated today than we were just 20 years ago. So how do we learn more about each other?

In the course of my work with schools across the county, I'm often asked to suggest strategies to help individuals increase their culture competency. Or, more simply put, how can I learn foster my ongoing learning about people backgrounds and perspectives different from mine.

Today a friend shared a simple yet powerful strategy that I would now like to share with you:

The Catcalling Video: The Big Elephant that the Producers Didn't See!

A few days ago Slate posted a video of a young woman who chronicled the challenges that many women in Manhattan face , and presumably many other places,  of negotiating catcalling, unwanted attention from men. My understanding is that the purpose of the video was to raise awareness around this issue with the goal of educating men to make better decisions and foster a more inclusive environment for women. So far, I'm onboard.

Before you continue reading, you should watch the video:



Upon clicking the video, however, I was APPALLED. Mind you, I am a feminist and have dedicated my career to fostering a more inclusive environment for all people. I am ally. I opened the video with the hopes of deepening my understanding in the ways that this dynamic manifests. Best of all cases, I could even incorporate the video into my practice and workshops around gender equality. 

Unfortunately, the video drowns in clear positionality bias. The original article suggests that from amongst at least 600 minutes of footage and potentially thousands of interactions between and among this young lady and catcallers, the producers of the video selected 3 minutes that are meant to capture her Manhattan experience( looks like Soho, Harlem, Times Square and). This footage evidences overwhelming representation of black and Latino men. 

Tag: implicit bias, danger of single story, pathologization of black and Latino men. 

And because as a society we are largely composed of uncritical consumers of internet "journalism" and mainstream "research" (yet often espousing largely uninformed opinions) the link has gone viral. And so has the visual blueprint and priming of the nature of catcalling-- how it manifests, what it looks like, WHO initiates and who is the victim. Above and beyond the lack of this critical cultural piece is the unfortunate residual outcome of this video, which parenthetically occurs far too often in these situations: a deflection from the intended issue. To be sure, catcalling and unwanted advances from men warrants increased awareness and corresponding actions.It's unfortunate, however, that this video misses the mark in some fairly significant ways.

For another analysis, you might enjoy these articles:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/10/29/catcalling_video_hollaback_s_look_at_street_harassment_in_nyc_edited_out.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_top

http://www.bkmag.com/2014/10/29/hey-beautiful-on-the-racist-and-classist-implications-of-the-catcalling-video/

Why Diversity Doesn't Always Help!

So this is it-- my first blog post. After 5 years of serving as an independent resource to hundreds of schools in the US and abroad and 18 years of involvement in educational spaces dedicated to diversity and inclusion, I have finally "found the time" to create a blog. In the spirit of full transparency, I was also " strongly encouraged" by Joe Mazza, my STEM professor at University of Pennsylvannia, where I am currently a doctoral student.

While I don't regard myself as a "blogger" or "writer," per se,  I am nonetheless committed to my longstanding idea of providing a resource for educators, faculty and staff, and students interested in enriching community and promoting inclusion within their schools-- public, charter, independent, and parochial. I hope that this is the first of numerous relevant, meaningful and instructive posts to that end.

After successfully jumping the preliminary hurdles of identifying a platform and setting up the blog, I then encountered the challenge of naming the blog. This was doubly frustrating because I wanted to choose a name that could be easily recalled and searchable amidst the sea of blogs, but I also acknowledged the baggage associated with the word "diversity."I have found during the nearly two decades that I have have engaged in diversity work that "diversity" doesn't always help!

Why? In many circles, "diversity" functions as an identity and represents specific historically marginalized groups, ranging from blacks, Latinos, Asians, gays, Jews, women-- anyone but straight Christian men. While this view is rarely articulated, it is commonly understood. Think about it-- whom do you picture attending a "diversity" meeting? I've even heard a number of people proclaim , proudly, that they are "diverse"-- which suggests that other people aren't diverse. It makes sense, then, that people think that "diversity" initiatives only serve to benefit the "diverse." Or, that the goals of "diversity" aim to indict or take away from "non-diverse" people in support of "diverse" people.

Conversely, many have lamented not being able to attend diversity meetings as they felt that their needs and identity would not be addressed. So whom do diversity initiatives benefit employing this framing? It's time we rethink and reframe "diversity" if the goal is truly to promote fostering an inclusive, equitable and democratic society.

So part of intentionally naming this blog" Diversity Derrick" is an effort to reclaim and reframe "diversity" in a way that actually promotes increased humanity, while integrating the perspectives and experiences of all people. Diversity should ideally encompass all identities while also galvanizing people from all backgrounds to collaborate toward our common community goals. This also suggests acknowledging the ways in which identities are stratified in a society that don't value all people equally.

If you have 7 minutes, I invite you to watch my Tedx Talk where I explore this notion of the double-edged sword of diversity:

And with that, the first blog post has been written!
Derrick