Diversity and inclusion - a response

The December issue of our Community M@tters e-zine highlights a recent event tied to our organization’s diversity and inclusion work. The team leading that mission organized the session to provide staff an opportunity to learn more about the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender -- or LGBT -- community.

Leslie Ann Thompson, executive director at Affirmations Gay and Lesbian Community Center, and Charles Pugh, FOX2 News anchor and reporter were the featured speakers.

During her presentation, Leslie mentioned the fact that project management and capital support provided through United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Community Capital Resources department helped make Affirmations’ new 17,000 square-foot headquarters in Ferndale a reality.

At least one reader took issue with our support of the Affirmations project.

“With issues like homeless, rampant poverty, and crime--which erode basic and essential quality of life--why is the United Way funding projects such as the LGBT issues project? Discrimination against any group is an issue that deserves attention if it is seriously impacting the basic quality of life of a significant part of the population. However, considering the sheer number of issues, why is LGBT ‘inclusion’ a priority for UWSEM?” the post reads, in part.

Community Capital Resources helps nonprofits plan and manage facility projects that will enable them to better serve the community, and Affirmations provides much-needed services to individuals and families in Oakland County.

In addition, it is important to United Way that we understand the LGBT community to strengthen our diversity work. We have spent considerable time over the past year developing a strategic plan and participating in cultural awareness activities as a staff. When complete, the plan will help United Way ensure diversity is a prominent component of internal and external operations, and that we are inclusive of everyone, regardless of race, culture, religion, age, sexual orientation, physical ability or other characteristics.

Embracing diversity is about understanding the ways we are all alike and respecting the many ways that we are different. To be inclusive is to make a concerted effort to involve all people in what we do. This is what we believe, and how we aspire to better serve everyone in the tri-county area.

United Way will always be in the business of supporting basic needs in our region, so that people who need help have a place to turn. This diversity and inclusion work will ultimately allow us to serve more people in need of assistance.

The LGBT discussion and other diversity activities that inform our thinking are vital to the process.

Diversity speakers shed light on LGBT issues

The United Way for Southeastern Michigan staff gained valuable insight into issues important to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at a recent diversity and inclusion event, thanks to the candor of two prominent local supporters.

Fox 2 News reporter and anchor Charles Pugh and Leslie Ann Thompson, executive director of Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center, shared accounts of discrimination and barriers they have faced both personally and professionally as a result of their sexual orientation during a Dec. 13 presentation at UWSEM's headquarters.

Click here to continue reading.

Where Do You Rank?

An analysis of surnames, conducted by the Census Bureau using 2000 Census responses¹ and released this past week, reveals that Smith remains the most common surname in the United States. But for the first time, two Hispanic surnames — Garcia and Rodriguez — are among the top 10 most common in the nation, and Martinez nearly edged out Wilson for 10th place.

The number of Hispanics living in the United States grew by 58 percent in the 1990s to nearly 13 percent of the total population, and cracking the list of top 10 names suggests just how pervasively the Latino migration has permeated everyday American culture. Garcia moved to No. 8 in 2000, up from No. 18, and Rodriguez jumped to No. 9 from 22nd place. The number of Hispanic surnames among the top 25 doubled, to 6.

Reinaldo M. Valdes, a board member of the Miami-based Spanish American League Against Discrimination, said the milestone “gives the Hispanic community a standing within the social structure of the country.” “People of Hispanic descent who hardly speak Spanish are more eager to take their Hispanic last names,” he said. “Today, kids identify more with their roots than they did before.”

Demographers pointed to more than one factor in explaining the increase in Hispanic surnames. Generations ago, immigration officials sometimes arbitrarily Anglicized or simplified names when foreigners arrived from Europe. “The movie studios used to demand that their employees have standard Waspy names,” said Justin Kaplan, an historian and co-author of “The Language of Names.” “Now, look at Renée Zellweger,” Mr. Kaplan said.

And because recent Hispanic and Asian immigrants might consider themselves more identifiable by their physical characteristics than Europeans do, they are less likely to change their surnames, though they often choose Anglicized first names for their children.

The latest surname count also signaled the growing number of Asians in America. The surname Lee ranked No. 22, with the number of Lees about equally divided between whites and Asians. Lee is a familiar name in China and Korea and in all its variations is described as the most common surname in the world.

Altogether, the census found six million surnames in the United States, a finding that tells us that we’re a richly diverse culture. Among those, 151,000 were shared by a hundred or more Americans. Four million were held by only one person.

But the fact that about 1 in every 25 Americans is named Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller or Davis “suggests that there’s a durability in the family of man,” Mr. Kaplan said. A million Americans share each of those seven names. An additional 268 last names are common to 10,000 or more people. Together, those 275 names account for one in four Americans.

As the population of the United States ballooned by more than 30 million in the 1990s, more Murphys and Cohens were counted when the decade ended than when it began.

Smith — which would be even more common if all its variations, like Schmidt and Schmitt, were tallied — is among the names derived from occupations (Miller, which ranks No. 7, is another). Among the most famous early bearers of the name was Capt. John Smith, who helped establish the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown, Va., 400 years ago. As recently as 1950, more Americans were employed as blacksmiths than as psychotherapists.

In 1984, according to the Social Security Administration, nearly 3.4 million Smiths lived in the United States. In 1990, the census counted 2.5 million. By 2000, the Smith population had declined to fewer than 2.4 million. The durability of some of the most common names in American history may also have been perpetuated because slaves either adopted or retained the surnames of their owners. About one in five Smiths are black, as are about one in three Johnsons, Browns, and Joneses and nearly half the people named Williams.

The Census Bureau’s analysis found that some surnames were especially associated with race and ethnicity.

More than 96 percent of Yoders, Kruegers, Muellers, Kochs, Schwartzes, Schmitts and Novaks were white. Nearly 90 percent of the Washingtons were black, as were 75 percent of the Jeffersons, 66 percent of the Bookers, 54 percent of the Banks and 53 percent of the Mosleys.

The following list provides you with the Top 50 surnames. You can find a more complete list by clicking here.

By the way…..your author ranks 1,613 in the list!

Kurt Metzger,
United Way for Southeastern Michigan Research Director

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¹ Compiling the rankings is a cumbersome task, in part because of confidentiality and accuracy issues, according to the Census Bureau, and it is only the second time it has prepared such a list. While the historical record is sketchy, several demographers said it was probably the first time that any non-Anglo name was among the 10 most common in the nation.

"The" Talk

This morning I received a call from my dear friend, Laura, mother of Lauryn (my Goddaughter) and Godmother to Taylor (my daughter). Lauryn came home from her first overnight camp this past Sunday. Laura shared an experience Lauryn had that has us both struggling with when to have “the” conversation. In summary, of the 30 or so little girls who attended the camp, Lauryn and 3 other girls of color, were chosen to clean the toilets during chore time as camp winded down Sunday afternoon. Of all the chores to be done, they cleaned toilets. For some odd reason, as the little girls were greeted by their parents, the counselors encouraged them, “Tell your mom the chore you did this morning…” . We had this conversation this morning, two days after this region played host to a summit on race facilitated by New Detroit.

Was it by coincidence or intentional that the only 4 colored girls out of this group of 30 were selected, chosen, guided to clean the toilets? We’ll never know. But this sparked a serious conversation between me and Laura. Both mothers of kind-hearted, 8-year old, African-American little girls whose worlds have not yet been introduced to the blatant issues of race & racism. Both attend multi-racial schools where Caucasian children are in the majority and where they feel totally safe. We struggled about when to have “the” conversation. Both Lauryn and Taylor know about slavery, the civil rights movement and the progress made by people of color and women. Both participated in the visitation of mother Rosa Parks and can cite the story of how she stood up for her race by sitting down on that bus. That is the easy conversation; it’s in the past, its part of our history.

“The” conversation has to do with them being aware that hidden racism is so prevalent today. The issues of our current day fight to preserve Affirmative Action programs aimed at giving minorities equal access, not an undeserved entrée. “The” conversation has to do with them knowing socially retarded notions still exist and they will be confronted with them. These girls will have to be more sophisticated because today’s racism isn’t as blatant as in times past. They will have to deal with all these things plus issues that we cannot forecast. You see, I’m trying to preserve Taylor’s innocence for as long as I possibly can while equipping her with what she needs to fight the good fight whether it means fighting for her life or someone else’s.

So while I appreciate the leadership New Detroit exhibited in calling this week’s summit on race and while I applaud the region’s leaders who participated and signed the covenant, I sincerely hope that we each take an introspective look at our own role, if any, in furthering divisive practices, not be blinded by our own privilege and commit ourselves to delivering on the promise of our region’s future. I hope that we, as residents in and leaders of our communities commit to doing our part.

Dara T. Munson
Sr. Director, Resource Investment & Community Partnerships
United Way for Southeastern Michigan

White Privilege

The region just completed a two and half day Leadership Summit on Racism --- coordinated by New Detroit. The focus was on lifting up clear examples of success by companies, communities and individuals who have bridged the issue of racism.

One of the topics often referred to or discussed in the work groups was the role of something not often discussed in the mainstream --- White Privilege. Some while back, I wrote an essay about an experience that deepened my understanding of White Privilege. One of my commitments coming out of the summit was to put 'voice' on the issues discussed at the Summit. Hence, I share with you just one perspective, my own, on the issue of White Privilege.

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WHITE PRIVILEGE by Michael J. Brennan

“You’re not going to believe this,” I said to her, “but being black is the greatest burden I’ve had to bear.”

“You can’t mean that,” she said.

“No question about it. Race has always been my biggest burden. Having to live as a minority in America. Even now(with AIDS) it continues to feel like an extra weight tied around me.”

Arthur Ashe -- Days of Grace

There were fifteen of us -- a multi-racial group of men and women. Together we met once a week through the Institute for Healing Racism to learn from one another -- to understand how the disease of racism has impacted our daily lives. New perspectives, shared experiences, and intent listening allowed us to grasp the philosophy of “walk a mile in my shoes.” In other words, we began to talk and heal.

On one Thursday morning, Pete and Darlene, our facilitators, said the topic of the day was “white privilege.” You could feel a nervous energy in the air. In his gentle way, Pete directed us to line up against the wall with our eyes looking towards the far side of the room. He explained the assignment; “We are going to ask you about twenty questions. For each question you answer “yes” to, take one step forward”. Simple enough I thought.

If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area that I can afford and in which I would want to live.

I pondered the question and found myself answering, “yes”. One-step forward.

I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me?

Never really thought about it, but “yes”. Step two forward.

I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed?

I have begun to sense the point of this exercise. I took another step. But I saw many of my classmates not moving forward. Questions three, four and five ensued.

I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race?

We are no longer looking straight ahead. As we reflected on the questions, our eyes now gaze towards the floor. I wanted Pete or Darlene to ask a question we all could answer “yes” to. Painfully, I knew it wasn’t going to get better. Questions seven, eight and nine followed. I took more steps.

I can easily buy posters, post cards, picture books, greeting cards, toy dolls, and children’s magazines featuring people of my race?

I think, “Ouch. Why am I taking these steps and she isn’t?” Questions eleven, twelve, and thirteen were asked.

I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group?

I found myself wanting to shorten my steps. I didn’t want to reach the other side of the room. I could feel the distance that was being created. I could sense many of my classmates looking at my back as I moved closer to the wall. This seemed crazy. The questions kept coming.

If a traffic cop pulls me over, or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out?

The question reminded me of how every week my classmates would describe avoiding certain communities for fear of, or actually being, pulled over by the police. At times without real cause -- a harsh reality for some.

I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race?

As the questions continue, so does my forward movement to the far side of the room. I approached the wall with my white classmates. By this time I wanted to go home.

I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods that fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser’s shop and find someone who can deal with my hair.

I took a sneak peek back. I see how my Cuban-American, Asian-American and Hispanic-American classmates have progressed some. But not far. One more yes and I wouldn’t have any more room to go. The tips of my shoes touched the wall. I didn’t want to turn around and face my classmates standing in the distance. Yet, more questions kept coming.

I can choose public accommodations without fearing that people of my race cannot get in or will be mistreated in the place I have chosen.

I say to myself, ‘can’t I quickly just pull others up here.’ As I turned around and look at some of my motionless classmates, I wanted to say I understand this isn’t just an incident for you, but a daily experience.

I looked into the eyes of a highly respected African-American woman in our community--she had taken only one step forward. One single step. I wanted a magic wand to erase the gap. Eliminate the pain. But instead, I saw the reality. I walk with privilege every day of my life. And quite simply, it is not a privilege given to all.

Privilege is a peculiar gift. With it comes not only the benefits, but also the personal responsibilities. As I reflect on how other individuals influenced my life on the issue of racism, I think that maybe in some way I can touch others too. Spouse. Children. Minister. Neighbors. Co-workers. Then maybe they can touch a few more. And so the dominoes go. As Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

As I type these words, I reflect upon the many lessons learned by all that participated. The experience helped deepen my understanding of the world we all live, work and play in. And I remind myself -- “much has been given -- much is expected.” Thus, change begins with me.