Multiple aspects of diversity and inclusion\u2014some on touchy topics\u2014were presented at the inaugural Moving Our Campus (MOC) Forward: An Inclusive Excellence Conference.<\/p>\n
Among the topics were how we misinterpret the meaning of skin color, the glass ceilings faced by women in the business world, religion and disbelief, socioeconomic divisions, teaching diversity in the classroom, and Islamophobia.<\/p>\n
Diversity and inclusion are among the goals in UTC\u2019s Strategic Plan and the conference was designed to reach that objective.<\/p>\n
With knowledge gained at the conference \u201cwe might have a great education and employment environment that is welcoming and inclusive and inviting,\u201d Bryan Samuel, director of Equity and Diversity for UTC and co-chair of the event, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Following are a few of the highlights of MOCForward:<\/p>\n
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Ron Harris is known for his friendliness, but he\u2019s not afraid to make you uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
As vice president of Diversity and Inclusion at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, he insists that one of the best ways to have a truly inclusive organization is simple: Talk to each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to have culturally competent dialogue,\u201d he said during MOCForward\u2019s keynote address. \u201cThat simply means we need to be able to sit down and talk to one another. We need to be able look at one another even if we have to make one another uncomfortable. We have to suspend our right to be offended if we are going to be effective.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his current role, Harris provides strategic leadership and counsel for diversity initiatives within BlueCross BlueShield, including diversity awareness training, recruitment, employee development and community outreach.<\/p>\n
While many want to center diversity around only race and gender, Harris encourages a more comprehensive definition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way you define diversity is important because the way you define it is the way you will illustrate it. You need to embrace a definition of diversity that everyone in your organization can embrace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember that cultural competency includes, but is not limited to, race, sex, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, age, religion and language.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also cautioned against using the words \u201cdiversity\u201d and \u201cinclusion\u201d interchangeably.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone defined \u2018diversity\u2019 as going to the dance and \u2018inclusion\u2019 is being asked to dance once you get there,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can have diversity but not have inclusion. They are two different things that require two different approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not acknowledging or ignoring diversity is unproductive, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes we think that, if we\u2019ve noticed physical differences, we\u2019ve created some type of violation,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when you don\u2019t see my color, you have invalidated me. When I pretend I don\u2019t see that you\u2019re differently abled, I have invalidated an important part of you. When I don\u2019t respect your background, your experiences and your exposures, I\u2019ve invalidated who you are.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what can you do today to honor the story and the differences of someone who doesn\u2019t look like you? We all have stories. We all come with baggage. And the only way we lighten that load is to admit that diversity exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Handed 30 square paint samples in\u00a0 colors such as Colonial Cream, Barrel Brown and Ansonia Peach, the group at each table was asked to line them up lightest to darkest.<\/p>\n
Once that was done, they were told to find the sample closest to their skin color.<\/p>\n
With lots of groans and statements like \u201cI\u2019m going to be so bad at this game,\u201d people dutifully lined up the samples then picked out their\u00a0 skin tone, placing one square after another on their arms.<\/p>\n
Once they finished, Dr. Pamela Ashmore, head of UTC’s Department of Anthropology, gave them the news: Basically what they had done was useless when it comes to determining a person\u2019s race.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve grown up thinking that skin color defines race,\u201d she said during a presentation on \u201cThe Science of Skin Color: How We Misinterpret the Meaning of Skin Color.\u201d\u00a0Biologically speaking, however, there is no such thing as race, she said. The only true race is homo sapien, which covers everyone on the planet.<\/p>\n
Skin color is essentially determined by genetics, some nutritional elements, where a person lives in the world and its climate. The amount of sunlight in a particular area is a key factor in skin color, she said.<\/p>\n
At the equator, where sun is the most direct, dark pigmentation prevails because it protects a person from skin cancer and other diseases, Ashmore explained. Conversely, someone who lives in areas far to the north, say Norway or Alaska, doesn\u2019t need as much protection because the sun isn\u2019t as intense, she said.<\/p>\n
Race can be seen \u201cculturally,\u201d she said, \u201cbut you can\u2019t do it biologically because it\u2019s meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n
As one of her PowerPoint screens said:<\/p>\n
\u201cBiology does not support the existence of different human races, but society does and racism is real.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ernest Brothers has earned a bachelor\u2019s degree, two master\u2019s degrees and Ph.D. so, when he talks about the challenges of earning advanced degrees, especially for students of color, he speaks from experience.<\/p>\n
Brothers recovered from a less-than-stellar launch to his higher education experience\u2014his GPA after two years was 1.75\u2014by enlisting in the Marines and returning to college years later with more focus and discipline. He worked full-time as a security guard and earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Delta State University\u2014with a respectable 2.97 GPA.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can do anything that you want if you really work for it. \u2018Impossible\u2019 is only for those who do not try,\u201d he said during the presentation on \u201cEnhancing Pathways to Graduate School for Students of Color.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brothers now serves as associate dean in the Graduate School and director of the Office of Graduate Training and Mentorship at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is also associate director for diversity enhancement for the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis and president of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools.<\/p>\n
He also leads the Program for Excellence and Equity in Research (PEER), a National Institutes of Health-funded training grant to recruit, retain and graduate more underrepresented minorities with Ph.D.\u2019s in biomedical and behavioral science fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere can be a mystery about graduate education,\u201d Brothers said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t understand what it means. They don\u2019t know how to access it and what it takes to get in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brothers told attendees at the presentation that starting the process early is critical. He encouraged all students to take the Graduate Record Exam\u2014the entrance exam for many graduate programs\u2014during their junior year of undergraduate education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t pass your driver\u2019s license test the first time, then you take it again. Everyone does that,\u201d he said. \u201cThink of the GRE as your license to get into graduate school. Take the test again if you need to. Get students on that path to graduate school early.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prospective graduates should not underestimate the importance of mentoring in the admissions process, advice that Brothers said is particularly important for students of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important to find someone to take interest in the student as an individual,\u201d he said, \u201cand to be willing to take a cross cultural look at that student. Look at the social, historical and political prospective of the student to help make the transition to graduate education smooth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brothers also encouraged students to apply early for the best shot at graduate assistantships and other funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people and some cultures do not like the word \u2018loan.\u2019 A loan is seen as something to be avoided,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if you have to go that route, consider a loan as an investment in your future\u2014as long as you use the money for what it is intended for and only borrow exactly what you need.\u201d<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s not enough to invite someone to the party. You also must ask them to dance.<\/p>\n
That analogy was used often during a panel discussion on \u201cBridging Partnerships with the Chattanooga Community.\u201d The panel featured four speakers from campus and the Chattanooga community:<\/p>\n
The interactive discussion explored the actual meanings of diversity and inclusion, as well as how UTC and Chattanooga can incorporate them while actively engaging all members of the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t just throw the term inclusion around just to say, \u2018Oh, we\u2019re diverse and inclusive\u2019 if you’re not authentic because people can see through the fog of it all,\u201d explained Jennings. \u201c\u2018Tokenism\u2019 is a word that I use. You don\u2019t want to be a token. I want to be included because of the skillset that I bring to the table. I don\u2019t want to be included simply because of the color of my skin.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so that\u2019s why we use these terms \u2018diversity\u2019 and \u2018inclusion\u2019 and it sounds great but, if you\u2019re not living the talk, then you\u2019re really not being authentic,\u201d she added. \u201cThat\u2019s what people want. Authenticity. You have to be intentional to prove your authenticity.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end, the panel\u2019s ultimate takeaway was that it\u2019s not enough to just be diverse; people must feel included, too.<\/p>\n
Not only should we cooperate, we must encourage others from different walks of life, make them feel comfortable and help them succeed. To do that, we must talk with others and listen to their concerns. Through those conversations, we can pinpoint others\u2019 needs, find resources to help and work together to resolve issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to be extremely, uncomfortably, intentional about: If you welcome me to your house, you have to feed me dinner and make sure that I\u2019m full and that I\u2019m sustained,\u201d Lightfoot said.<\/p>\n
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