Diversity Course Requirement at University of Washington Starts Fall 2014
When I arrived at the University of Washington (UW) campus in Seattle, I assumed that courses on diversity and cultural differences would be included in the undergrad credit requirements – called Areas of Knowledge (AoK). Within AoK are subject areas meant to broaden the student’s topics of study, introducing new ideas as to not limit...
Pop-Quiz: Milestones of the LGBT Community
Composing the Quiz feature for DiversityCentral.com involves two main forms of excitement: the process of researching the topic and the challenge of writing engaging questions. It’s my most favorite feature to write, but June’s topic of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride allowed me to read up on facts that gently beckoned tears to...
The Real Cost of Exclusion: May the Business Case for Inclusion Rest in Peace
Having worked in the Diversity and Inclusion field for more than 20 years, I am still struck by conversations that start with “What’s the business case for diversity or inclusion?” Over the years I have worked with many organizations to quantify in very pragmatic ways the positive impacts of having an inclusive workplace, customer/guest base,...
Boys and Men of Color: How Are They Doing in America?
February 27, 2014 marked a momentous day in the United States when President Obama approved the immediate release of the “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative, an interagency effort to improve educational and life outcomes for boys and young men of color. While statistics President Obama presented at his speech emphasize the need for the initiative, many more of...
A Hidden Gem in American Black Literature
Hurston, Zora Neale. Dust Tracks on a Road (New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006). This is one of the most wonderful books I’ve read recently. Curiously, I have to thank Google, the internet searching giant, for bringing Dust to my attention. The folks at this prosperous IT Corporation recently had the guts and foresight...
The Real Problem With Soccer
We would love to believe that racism in sports is a thing of the past. That in the U.S Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and we’ve never looked back. We would like to believe this is the case in America but in some European soccer matches, it’s April 1947 all over again. Several matches...
Under age 5: where ethnic minority numbers rise in the U.S
There’s a first for everything and this one is sure to have a lasting impact. For the first time in history, the diversity of America’s ethnic minorities now make up about half of the under-5 age group. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, high birth rates, especially amongst Hispanics, has led to a more rapid...
Homeless shelter hits home
This month I wrote a small news summary about Sylvia Anthony, an inspiring woman who opened a homeless shelter for women and their children. This shelter offers guidance and emotional support for those who seek help. I have never been homeless. I lived in a warm home with enough food and books to keep me...
Researching May Quiz
As usual, this month I spent my time researching and developing the diversity quiz. The topic of this month’s quiz was the buying power of Asian Americans, as it is Asian Pacific Heritage Month in the United States. My main source of information for this quiz was Kang and Lee Advertising, which provides helpful information...
Commemorating Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
On May 17th, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously issued a decision that segregation in public education violated the right to equal protection under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision directed the lower courts to see to the desegregation of the nation’s schools. It also overturned the doctrine of “separate but...
Human Trafficking Reflections
After attending a conference concerning human trafficking in January, I felt compelled to delve further into this issue. In researching for my article, I discovered the horrors behind the world’s fastest growing illegal industry. Quickly, I knew that one of the most important things for the community to do to combat the different methods of...