Deborah Plummer

Faulty Heuristics Govern BSA's Decision on Gays

2013-05-29T15:16:13-04:00

We are naturally tribal people and cling to those who share our blood and, by extension, those whom we deem to be most like us. Tribes have clear boundaries and are homogeneous. Historically, these characteristics were a formula for stability. However, in contemporary society, when tribes remain encapsulated, they are also particularly vulnerable to stereotyping, conscious and unconscious biases, faulty heuristics and fixed mental boxes. As a result, their decision-making process is flawed.

This is the case with the Boy Scouts of America's decision to allow gay youth to be members, but to continue banning gay men and lesbian women from being adult leaders. Since the May 23 decision was announced, I have been pondering a few of the faulty heuristics that led to such a decision:

A person's sexual orientation -- heterosexual or gay/lesbian -- does not connote their values. To assume that being gay makes one immoral is ludicrous. To assume that being heterosexual makes one moral and upright is also ludicrous.
Not having gay adult leaders is based on a premise that gay leaders are most likely predators, but a disproportionate number of child molesters are heterosexual. How will the BSA assure that Boy Scouts will not be exposed to the leader's heterosexual orientation?
Many religious groups sponsor Boy Scout troops and object to the decision based on the "immoral" behavior of gays, believing it to be "sinful." But other "sinners" are allowed to be adult leaders, so why single out just gays? Are adult leaders only people who can "cast the first stone"?
"Homosexual behavior is incompatible with the principles enshrined in the Scout oath and Scout law," said Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee. Assuming that "homosexual behavior" refers to sexual behavior, how does the BSA assure that heterosexual sexual behavior is compatible with the principles enshrined in the Scout oath and Scout law?
It is presumed that allowing gay adult leaders would prevent a morally enriching experience for Boy Scouts. Does that mean that whenever gay adults are in leadership positions, we are subject to an immoral experience?
When a gay scout becomes 18, will he automatically become immoral despite all the years of living by the principles and oath of scouting?
Banning gays from scouting has been a practice throughout the BSA's 103-year history and is aligned with its Christian and timeless values. People are distinct from their behaviors. How is discriminating against a group of people a Christian or timeless value?

Ultimately, the Boy Scouts of America is a private organization and has the right to define its own membership. However, they should be very careful about defining moral behavior as synonymous with a heterosexual orientation and banning gay adult leaders. One hundred years ago, it might have assured stability, but today it only promotes cultural encapsulation.

Secret to Self-Publishing Success: Write for Young Adults

2013-04-22T14:46:27-04:00

I admit that I haven't done much research on this subject, but intuitively something tells me that self-published authors whose works are targeted toward readers who are young adults do much better marketing their books than self- published authors whose target audiences are the age 40-plus crowd. Why? Because young adults know how to use social media and can successfully network using all of the social media tools available to them to let others know what they think about the book.

Undoubtedly, there's been a paradigm shift in how books are published and distributed, and there has been a major paradigm shift in how books are marketed. With all other aspects of the book process being equal (writing style, plot development, cover and interior design), if a book's target audience is the 40-plus age group (as my books are), an author has to rely on traditional marketing tools such as:

• Book signings (in bookstores that are almost non-existent)
• Attempt to work with independent book stores (many who still shy away from promoting self-published titles, especially those by Amazon)
• Focus on book clubs (where aged 40-plus people actually get together and discuss books while doing things like eating hors d'oeuvres)
• Book reviews written by book editors published in newspapers (mostly written by baby boomers and read by baby boomers),
• And television appearances (on stations watched by age 40-plus viewers).

Colleen Hoover's self-published book, Slammed, got over 50,000 ratings and over 8,000 reviews on Goodreads. It's become a bestseller, been picked up by a traditional publisher, and she has even been able to sell the movie rights. Wow! What a great success story for a well-written book that would have had little chance through the traditional publishing route. It demonstrates how the world of publishing has changed... especially if you write good stories for audiences under 40. Compare the number of ratings and reviews of the latest Oprah book club selection, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie to Hoover's work on Goodreads as an example (Mathis's book received a sixth of the ratings and a third of the reviews that was received by Slammed).

I wonder how many of those 50,115 ratings and 8,211 reviews to date for Slammed were done by individuals outside of Generation X and Y age range. When readers of my fiction work contact me (by email) to let me know they like my book, I ask them to write a review and to please post it on Amazon or Goodreads. They respectfully tell me they don't know how to do that and ask what is Goodreads? Those who are a bit more computer savvy and have written reviews, suffer through writing them as if they were composing a college essay and afraid they will be graded poorly. Even clicking on the stars to rate the book can be a challenge. After rejoicing that they have found the time to even read and finish a book, performing the task of going back online to rate it ranks so low on the to-do list that by the time they would get around to doing it the book might be out of print. I appreciate my readers, but for the most part, baby boomer folks have a much lower probability of creating the kind of buzz that a young adult can about a book that appeals to them.

When I explore the most requested books and popular authors on the giveaway web page of Goodreads, I feel like I am wandering around in the young adult section of the library. Oh, a library... what's that? A place where they teach baby boomers about book bloggers, Facebook, twitter, Goodreads, and even The Library Thing.

Boston Marathon Explosion: Being on the Side of 'If'

2013-04-16T17:21:49-04:00

Being relatively new to the Boston area, I didn't fully realize the significance of the marathon beyond it being an international race with a good history. I never experienced Patriot's Day as a paid holiday from work and was confused by a clear calendar on that April day when I first came to New England. "It's Patriot Day on Monday and the Boston Marathon," a co-worker proudly explained to me as if I were from another planet when I asked why we had the day off. "Actually, you should go and see the race. It's really cool. I go every year with my family." From his tone I knew that the correct and only response to this invitation was a yes.

I intended to go this year and invited a friend from Cleveland to join me for the weekend. Being walking partners for many years before my move, I thought it would good for us, and certainly less exhausting, to go watch the race and experience the diverse and global spirit that infuses Boston on the day of the marathon. If Yvonne had come to visit, we would have been there... maybe even at the finish line.

Instead, I was at home eating a late lunch when the explosion erupted. I looked up at the television that served as background noise. The local news anchor was rightfully confused and reported that what seemed like an electrical fire had erupted in one of the buildings just outside of the finish line. After the second blast, she, as did others on the news channels as I flipped back and forth, announced that the source of the blast was unknown. Within minutes, national news programs were broadcasting the explosion and soon Governor Patrick, Mayor Menino and President Obama were sending messages of condolences to the victims and their families, assurances of support for the city in the aftermath, and strong warnings for swift and full justice to those responsible for these terrible acts.

As many people did across the globe, I immediately began to wonder about the safety of those I knew who were at the race that day. I was relieved to receive emails and texts that those I knew were okay. Many had their stories of "ifs."

One story stood out for me. It was the visual of our friends' Christmas card with their beautiful daughter Mary crossing the finish line with her dad Peter at the 2012 marathon. I was able to reach Kathleen later that evening. Peter was indeed in the race. They were okay... still shaken by the events of the day, but okay. With the phone on speaker mode, my husband and I listened as Kathleen recounted their story full of ifs. She was eager to get another shot of Peter and Mary crossing the finish line for the 2013 holiday card. They ran late and were about to join Peter at the finish line after finding a place to park. She and Mary were stopped and informed they could not go any further. If their timing had been different, they would have been at the finish line.

Being on the side of if makes you take a deep gulp when you hear about the death of eight-year-old Martin Richard and the injuries his mom and sister suffered. It brings tears to my eyes when his picture is shown on the news thinking of this family's loss and suffering. You feel a pit in your stomach when you read about the brothers who went to cheer on their friend in the race and each lost their legs. We are saddened beyond words at how their lives and the hundreds of lives are now changed as a result of this terrible act. It is surreal that this act of terror can now sadly be placed on a list of homeland terrorist events. I shudder to think that we have a list that keeps getting longer.

In my clinical practice, I often used the adage "act as if, you soon become" when motivating behavioral change with clients. Act as if you are self-confident and you will soon become self-confident. Act as if you really liked your job and you may soon find aspects of it that you really do enjoy.

We cannot act as if the explosion at the 2013 Boston Marathon didn't happen. We know that it will interrupt the peace of mind of runners and spectators of every future marathon. But for those of us who find ourselves on the other side of if, and are here to tell our stories of what could have happened and didn't, it is a poignant reminder of the inter-relatedness of communities and our responsibility to continue to cheer on, support, and protect each other. That is the spirit of Boston marathon that continues to live on.

Paisley and Cool J on Race: An Old Topic With a New Musical Conversation

2013-04-10T11:32:58-04:00

The media debate about the newly released song "Accidental Racist" by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J demonstrates that race remains a prickly topic for conversation -- even in song lyrics. Race is an old topic that requires a new conversation and I, for one, am glad that Paisley and Cool J have triggered yet another conversation about race. Race conversations matter...

Race continues to be part of the conversation on closing the educational achievement gap for black and white student performance in math and reading.

Race continues to be a part of U.S. political discourse and affects our ability to productively engage a global society.

Race continues to be a part of our discussion on America's economic future with a growing divide between the "have and have-mores" with have-nots disproportionately represented by people of color.

Race continues to be a part of the discourse on inequitable treatment in health care and disparate medical outcomes.

Race continues to be absent from the discussion on religious practice and what often divides us on Sunday mornings and other times of worship.

And race continues to limit our ability to engage socially and to have crucial conversations that improve race relations. The tweets, posting and blogs demonstrate that it is difficult to create meaningful dialogue about song lyrics without accusations that people are being encouraged to forget slavery (response to lyrics (LL Cool J's line): "If you don't judge my gold chains, I'll forget the iron chains) and that introducing this song only throws us back to the past (Brad Paisley's line): "The relationship between the Mason-Dixon needs some fixin").

Yet, even the song title, "Accidental Racist" echos research findings on the nature of contemporary racism that characterizes it as covert and unintentional. These micro-inequities and unconscious biases are pervasive in work environments, political arenas, social settings and in the entertainment industry. "Feel like a new fangled Django, dodging invisible white hoods" is just another way of saying it.

Perceived from a diversity lens, a country singer and rapper collaborating on this prickly topic is a beautiful thing. I have long been an advocate for and written about the benefits of cross-racial socializing. Cross-racial socializing reduces racial isolation in communities, creates a better and informed citizenry, expands the concept of citizenship to a global level, improves team performance in organizations and spurs innovation.

Yes, we are "still pickin' up the pieces, walkin' on eggshells, fightin' over yesterday... still siftin' through the rubble after a hundred-fifty years." And it is good to know that there are folks like Brad Paisley who sing "I am the son of the new south and I just want to make things right. Where all that's left is southern pride. It's real. It's real. It's truth."

5 More Things I Wish I Knew About Being an Author That I Learned the Hard Way

2013-04-08T13:38:52-04:00

Reflecting on the first 10 lessons I learned about being an author published in my previous post, I noted that I had learned more about what not to do than what to do. So, once again, with the upcoming release of a new book, I am attempting to integrate additional lessons into my author knowledge base:

1. There is a difference between book publicity and book advertising. Duh! I knew that... but not really. It took awhile for it to dawn on me that publicity focuses on the author or the topic or themes that are represented in the book, and advertising focuses on selling the book. Which is better? It depends on the book promotion goals and the marketing strategy. I have purchased books due to appealing advertisements and I have purchased books because of an intriguing radio, print or television interview with the author or reference to the book by a speaker. I tend to remember the latter more and generally cannot remember the book title for very long; but I will latch on to something about the author or the topic that makes a web search a bit easier when I have time to finally purchase the book.

2. Thus, it follows that book promotion goals are critical. Setting the number of books you wish to sell can be one goal; however, other goals such as triggering a conversation on an important topic, introducing a new theme in a particular genre, or even just getting that debut novel published are goals that are just as good as book sales... well, almost.

3. Having a strategy to achieve those goals is also critical. And there is a difference between a strategy and a plan. As the saying goes, "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." A plan is knowing where you are going; a strategy is having a road map. It is a unique chain of activities that will get you to the desired outcome. For example, a strategy might be to give talks on every college campus on the related topic for your book that will allow you to sell a million copies. Yes, a dream can be a strategy. Strategies that are rooted in reality tend to have better results; however, the important thing is to have a strategy.

4. The best book publicity is publishing more books. Most people read across an author's publications. After reading and thoroughly enjoying Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, I impulsively purchased three more titles by him and didn't like any of the books. However, those purchases were influenced by reading one book that I liked. More often than not, it works the opposite way. I continually read and enjoy books by Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Anne Patchett, Jennifer Weiner, John Grisham... the list goes on and on.

5. Word of mouth sells books more than any other medium. Survey after survey yields "recommendation from a friend" as the top reason why someone purchases a book. Yet, that first friend somehow has to somehow get introduced to the book and that is where good book publicity comes in...

What goes around, comes around.

10 Things I Wish I Knew About Being an Author That I Learned the Hard Way

2013-03-19T12:29:22-04:00

I have been blessed to be a published author both by the traditional process of an agent and a publishing company who managed the editing, marketing and every other aspect of the book process; and I have self-published where I managed every aspect of the process. From both processes, here is what I have learned:

1. Book publishing is about sales...not your great writing or your fabulous story or your credentials. Having a target audience that will buy your book and a great marketing strategy is the most important aspect of book publishing. There are many, many wonderfully written books with the most creative plots, inspiring stories, or great advice that do not sell. Publishers want to sell books and even self-published and indie authors are all about sales as well.

2. Professional editing is worth every dime...even if you aced your grammar course and love diagramming sentences, you still need an editor. I find it extremely difficult to edit my own work, despite the fact that I once taught grammar and creative writing classes.

3. The more eyes or your work the better...don't hold on to your writing as if it were high-level, classified information. Sure, it is your intellectual property, but every writer, no matter how great, benefits from feedback, the more the better.

4. When writing fiction, show don't tell...it is always better to describe a scene or create dialogue rather than straight narrative.

5. Read books on writing...they help. My favorite is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

6. Join professional writing associations...even if you only attend one conference a year or page through one journal, you get to know the industry and feel a sense of belonging to a noble profession.

7. If you have self-published, don't spend money on PR/marketing firms...unless you have a huge advertising budget and money to burn. Yes, PR/marketing firms can get you exposure, but they cannot sell books. Only you can do that. The ROI (return on investment), especially for new authors without a convenient audience, is very low. Once you become a best selling author, you may need a firm to take you to the next level. However, if you have self-published, starting out it is best not to spend your money with marketing agencies. If your work has been traditionally published, you should still expect to do a great deal of work promoting your book.

8. If you feel you must invest in some kind of marketing, spend money on advertising with book bloggers...they are all about books and folks who visit their sites love to read and are seeking the next best read.

9. Reviews sells books...positive reviews are great, but even negative ones help your writing and sell books. The best gift you can give an author is to write a brief review (you don't have to be a great writer--a thumbs up or thumbs down suffices) and rate the book on sites like Amazon and Goodreads.

10. Be realistic about book sales...even though publishing is all about sales, writing is about communication. Even if you have twenty good fans, that means there are twenty people you have communicated with and twenty ambassadors for your work. Remember the majority of self-published authors sell less than 100 copies. New authors with traditional publishers sell about 2,000-5,000 over the lifetime of their book. Best sellers are in the range of 30,000 or more. If you are a published author, whether you've sold 20 or 20,000 copies, the joy of writing always remains.That is the lesson I have ultimately learned.

A Lesson to Be Learned From Harvard Cheating Scandal

2013-02-06T12:50:37-05:00

The Boston Globe reported that Harvard University school officials who completed their investigation of approximately 125 students who cheated on a take-home exam in Spring 2012, recently doled out punishments ranging from students being asked to leave for two semesters to disciplinary probation to some cases being dismissed. In the wake of what has been called Harvard's "largest cheating scandal in recent times," the Globe reports that the faculty has redoubled their efforts to clearly state their principles of academic integrity and have put into place reforms that will help faculty and students avoid similar situations in the future.

I am not about to second guess the decision of any disciplinary board, particularly one from Harvard. It is my hope, however, that in addition to the push for communicating more effectively the principles of academic integrity, that they provide more clarity on what academic integrity means in the modern world. I trust that Harvard faculty and all educators will take pause and use this an opportunity to reevaluate how we evaluate learning in an information age.

Absent the details of the situation, I am not in a position to determine whether or not the students actually cheated or collaborated, as many students claimed they were encouraged to do by their professors. However, the situation raises some intriguing questions. How do we distinguish cheating from collaborative effort, especially when collaboration leads to new ways of knowing and understanding? When A + B + C = D and everybody writes about D on the exam, instead of the A or B or C that they brought to the discussion, is it cheating or collective wisdom?

As an academic and researcher, I was taught clear rules for assigning credit for publication. First or lead authors, co-authorship, and subsequent listings of every contributor were laid out like well-defined street maps. Yet, even these authorship guidelines varied across disciplines. In recent years, the number of multi-authored publications and multi-investigated research projects are more the norm. New ways of knowing require cross-discipline and interdisciplinary learning. New discoveries are the product of team scientists.

Thus, should evaluation of learning take place in a more Wikipedia kind of manner than a take-home exam where the learner must be a solo performer? Are we applying an 18th century definition of academic integrity to a modern world where one can easily access volumes of synthesized information simply with a few key stokes or soft touch of the finger on a computer screen? Let the answers to these questions, however complex they are, be the lessons learned from this "cheating scandal." Ironically, if we gain some insight into these answers, we would all benefit from those who cheated.

Creating Our Own Post-Racial Society

2013-01-23T18:34:52-05:00

The inauguration of a president for a second term who is a black American and the public ceremony on the celebration of Martin Luther King Day, invites us to give pause and reflect on race relations in America. The discussions of four years ago on whether or not we have achieved a post-racial society have waned, but the challenges of living in an increasingly diverse society where race peppers our everyday life remain alive.

In education, race continues to be part of the conversation on closing the educational achievement gap. In politics, race continues to be a part of U.S. political discourse and affects our ability to productively engage in a global society. In the economy, race continues to be a part of our discussion on America's economic future with a growing divide between the "have and have mores" with "have-nots" disproportionately represented by people of color. In health care, race continues to be a part of the discourse on inequitable treatment and disparate outcomes. In our leisure, race continues to limit our ability to engage socially and to have crucial conversations that improve race relations. And in religion, race continues to be absent from the discussion on what divides us, particularly on Sunday mornings and other times of worship.

Yet, despite its challenges, I remain very optimistic about race relations in the U.S. However, I am realistic that these issues will not be resolved anytime soon or ever, for that matter. A full complement of self-actualized individuals and a near utopian society are needed in order to get the full benefits of a racially diverse society.

At the Facing History and Ourselves annual board retreat in Memphis, I had the opportunity to hear Claude Steele speak about his research on the stereotype threat. The stereotype threat poses that when a person is a member of a group that is represented by a negative stereotype it causes an anxiety or concern that he or she will confirm that stereotype. For example, being lazy is a negative stereotype attributed to many black and brown Americans. The stereotype threat would be demonstrated if a young black male is late for work and he becomes particularly anxious because even a single incident of tardiness could be attributed to laziness and thus influence his performance evaluation.

As a psychologist, I was familiar with the Dr. Steele's work and the stereotype threat theory. Like any good theory, the stereotype threat has shed some insight on human behavior and subsequent research studies have demonstrated that the stereotype threat may be a potential contributing factor to racial and gender gaps in academic performance. Like any good theory, the stereotype threat has also been criticized; in this case, for its exaggeration of the cause and effect of negative stereotypes and low performance.

To address this criticism, the stereotype threat needs to be coupled with attribution theory. Attribution theory tells us where we place the cause of our behavior. For example, studies suggest that men tend to attribute their accomplishments to internal causes -- intelligence, effort, skill -- and women tend to attribute their accomplishments to external causes -- luck, timing, support.

We are all subject to a fundamental error when making attributions. These biases tend to be self-serving. We tend to over value the personality-based behavior of others and undervalue the situational based behavior for ourselves. The young black male is late for work because he is lazy and can't get his act together. I am late for work because of the unexpected six car accident on the highway. However, when coupled with a negative stereotype, the stereotype threat comes into play. An illustration of attribution theory using race: someone might think that blacks and browns don't get ahead because they are lazy. If whites don't get ahead, it is because of the bad economy.

I write about stereotype threat and attribution theory not to get all academic about a subject that can be simply summed up by the platinum rule -- treating individuals as they need to be treated and respecting cultural differences. I write about it to illustrate the complexity of contemporary race issues. Yes, there are probably a few black and brown lazy individuals in this society. And, yes, there are many, many blacks and browns who who have to unwittingly work to disconfirm negative stereotypes.

A post-racial society is more like a continuous improvement process that requires incremental improvements over time rather than a "breakthrough" improvement that happens all at once as the result of a black American as president. Each one of us has to be involved in the continuous improvement process examining our own attributes and owning our behaviors, thus reducing the anxiety associated with stereotype threat.

The Fundamental Error in Defining a "Catholic Vote"

2012-11-01T16:21:13-04:00

It began over a month ago with a two- to three-line invitation in the bulletin to attend a "non-partisan" meeting on the presidential election and its significance for the Catholic vote. Then, in last week's Sunday bulletin, a full one-page flyer inserted in the bulletin entitled "The Catholic Vote" urged all Catholics to consider the church's teaching and pointed out the concerns with the current administration in regards to this teaching. This past Sunday's bulletin included an even more detailed and extensive insert comparing the two candidates on issues important for the "Catholic vote." My husband, who often attends Mass at a different parish, reported that the "Catholic vote" message at that church actually came from the pulpit. A friend who also attended that same Mass detailed that the message named certain "non-negotiable issues" for Catholics and accordingly encouraged the direction in which Catholics should vote.

I am what they call a cradle Catholic. Baptized within months of my birth, I was "catechized" on Catholic doctrine and socialized on Catholic practice well into my adult years. I attended a Catholic elementary school, Catholic high school and a Catholic college. I was educated by gifted and talented nuns. The priests that I knew were dedicated, inspiring men who never surfaced as pedophiles during the clergy sexual abuse scandal. I spent 13 years as a nun in a religious order of women who remain exemplary in their value-centered living and dedicated social service. All in all, one could safely say that I have had an overall positive Catholic experience. Yet, I am also African American with Caribbean and Central American heritage; I am a heterosexual woman who is a LGBT advocate, and a psychologist, an educator, author, and a diversity management professional. And it is from these multiple identities that I take issue with my church on what they have deemed to be the "Catholic vote."

The fundamental error in defining a vote as Catholic is that it assumes that I have only one identity that governs my thought process and that determines my behavior. Even more simplistic in its reasoning, a Catholic vote assumes that my identity as Catholic must trump all other aspects of my being. Yet even more unrealistic, it assumes that religion (an aspect of my identity that I have chosen) can rule over the truth derived from the reality I experience from my inborn human aspects (race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age). These dimension make up my core identity and cannot fundamentally change.

We all have multiple identities out of which we choose to express ourselves and by which we relate to the environment. Every day I wake up a middle-aged, Black woman. That reality does not change. Sure, my religion can influence my core but it cannot fundamentally change who I am. Contemporary diversity management research indicates that demographic categories as a means for understanding behavior have been replaced with psychographics -- ways of knowing that transcend geographical boundaries and cut across the many dimensions of diversity. As a result, I can express liberal thoughts and values while being conservative in my behaviors. In another situation, I can be conservative in my thinking and values while liberal in my behavior. God did not make me a programmed robot, but a human being wonderfully capable of diverse thought and expression in an increasingly multicultural, complex world.

The church operates as if these identities are dichotomous variables that can be separated as we make decisions and determine our actions. I can no more separate my race from my age from my sexual orientation from my gender from my age than I can change a tire on a moving car. The phenomenon of treating human dimensions as discrete variables only happens in research and in flat, static reports.

I am not naive to the fact that the church is asking that we act first and foremost out of our Catholic identity when we vote. I even believe that the Catholic Church's governing body (wildly absent women, sorely absent people of color, and suspiciously absent gay men) considers it their responsibility to educate the flock on their duties as Catholics... even in the arena of voting where there should be a separation of church and state. However, like many baby-boomer-generation Catholics, as I have gotten older, I have become stronger in my faith and weaker in the practice of religion. As we age, recognizing and accepting that multiple realities exist is considered a hallmark of emotional maturity. Knowing what choices to make in good conscience and in good faith is a sign of spiritual maturity.

I imagine this coming Sunday with only two days from the election, there will be an even more direct communication defining what the Catholic vote should be, perhaps even including a completed ballot as a sample. I won't need it. My vote will be mine and represent the multiple identities that I fully embrace.

Signing Off Facebook Until After the Elections

2012-09-11T14:05:31-04:00

Due to the many ugly and divisive posts written during the Republican and Democratic conventions, another one of my real-life friends posted this week that she was signing off Facebook until after the elections. As in my actual life, my Facebook friends cross party lines. But unlike my real-life friends, there haven't been any meaningful exchanges among my Facebook friends of different political persuasions. My real friends have animated and heated discussions about the issues where we enlighten each other about what informs our thinking. As a result of these conversations, more often than not, our political views are not changed and we still remain friends; however, we are less certain about who is right and who is wrong. It is that uncertainty that leads us to new ways of knowing and thinking that could never be achieved by only having conversations with those who think and believe as we do.

I didn't want to miss the updates on my family's and friends' careers, weddings, vacations, births, deaths, and precious family and cute pet pictures that I have come to enjoy on Facebook, so as a way to avoid the ugly debates, I decided not to read or post anything of a political nature. As I have never been one to sit on the sidelines when I could get in the game, my resolve not to post or comment did not last long. With the intent of fostering dialogue and the hope of recreating the kind of informative conversations I found with my real-life friends who crossed political parties, I posted a few political pieces and attempted to post some comments to a friend's political posting. My postings and comments to post were crafted to be facilitative and foster dialogue rather than debate. Needless to say, the only thing I might have facilitated was being "unfriended" on Facebook.

Unfortunately, a powerful tool for social exchange serves as yet another forum for partisan politics. I realize that politics have a long history of being divisive, and conversations about politics among family and friends have often been characterized as uncivil. We are socialized to never discuss politics as proper etiquette. And absent controlled classroom discussions most of us, especially as adults, lack any kind of forum to develop and practice the critical thinking skills that are so necessary to understand the complexity of today's governance issues. As a result, we operate out of a flat intelligence that reduces complex political issues to sound bites swallowed whole and spewed out like stimulus-response actions of Pavlov's dog. We then believe that political parities are monolithic and demonize those of the opposing party. And this display of flat intelligence plays out on Facebook. No surprise.

Sadly, another public forum where the full benefits of diversity of thought and expression could be realized are not realized... even among friends.

Flying Squirrel Nickname: Offensive or Progressive

2012-08-05T19:54:36-04:00

The baby-boomer-civil-rights-advocate part of me cringed when I first heard news anchor Brian Williams use the nickname 'Flying Squirrel" for Gabby Douglas. Was it racially offensive? What did Gabby think of the nickname? What did her mother and family think about it? Then the other diversity-inclusive-global-identity part of me began to smile. Was this nickname depicting her agility, power and talent a small sign of a world where an animal metaphor did not have to be synonymous with racial inequality?

I do not know the intentions of the national team coordinator Martha Karolyi, who gave Douglas her "Flying Squirrel" nickname nor do we know if she has used it with other talented gymnast, however, listening to interviews with Gabby Douglas, she does not appear to be negatively impacted by it. We witness a 16 year-old whose confidence in her ability to win a gold medal was central to every vault, every jump, every spring, every step that led her to be the all-round, best female gymnast in the world.

As the recipient of the nickname's impact, I wonder what her thoughts are on the use of the flying squirrel nickname? I wonder if there is a generational difference among those who believe it to be negative and those who do not? I wonder if only Blacks think it might be offensive? I wonder if thinking that the term is offensive holds us to a segregated racial past where nicknames were given by dominate culture as yet another way to suppress minorities? I wonder if we limit our imaginations and hold our perspectives hostage by assuming that the term is demeaning instead of assuming we share a global identity and on the global stage of the Olympics there is a level playing field.

I have read many tweets from blacks upset about Gabby's hair from individuals who feel that, as Blacks, they have a right to dictate how Gabby must represent us. I have read fewer tweets and Facebook posting about the nickname. Are these comments a distraction to the wonderful accomplishment or are they advocacy for racial justice?

Hair comments aside, in my opinion, the answer to whether the nickname is offensive or progressive lies with Gabrielle Douglas. I know there will be disagreement about this and those who believe that she represents all African Americans and is a role model (the same authority from which those who comment about her hair claim as their rationale for speaking out). However, I believe she is first and foremost the individual who gets to say what she finds offensive and what she might find a term of endearment. I do not know what impact the nickname has for her and I will take my cue from her. Those of us from a different generation and who are not on that balance beam, training side by side with her and her coaches and other teammates are in no position to educate her to their intentions. Family members have nicknames; whether or not NBC and other media outlets should use the term should be dictated by Gabby Douglas. We can choose for ourselves not to use the nickname in reference to her (as I have chosen to do) but is this really an issue we should bring to national attention? I believe there are bigger battles to focus on in order to create opportunities for future Gabby Douglas'. Continuing to make this an issue, do we not do the same thing we are accusing the media of -- deflecting from her great accomplishment?

Gabby Douglas is an African American young woman, who was raised by a very supportive family, who trusted her development as an athlete to a coach of Chinese descent while she lived with a white family in Iowa, who then went on to win a gold medal and was cheered and celebrated all over the world by people of all races and ages. Nicknames will come and go. This is a time to celebrate diversity as a driver of excellence.

Diversity Lessons from Food Network's Chopped

2012-07-10T14:16:59-04:00

They say that the universal language is a smile. And I would add another universal language--food, at least as it is portrayed on the Food Network's show Chopped. On Chopped talented chefs compete for a grand prize of $10,000 by defeating three other chefs in three rounds of cooking: an appetizer round, entree round and then dessert. Three master chefs serve as judges in the same spirit of judging panels of other talent reality shows. One of the judges is typically very critical and looks to find the minutest culinary mistake; another is encouraging while wrapping the bad news around compliments like a chocolate covered turnip; and the other judge's criticism only comes by what has not been said. But the real challenge for the contestants comes not from facing the judges but from the time limit for each round, and especially because they have to use all of the ingredients in a mystery basket. The mystery basket is filled with either food items that typically would not be put together or the basket contains some exotic item that it requires full definition from food and wine expert, Ted Allen, who acts as the host.

Watching Miss Linda, an African American home-trained chef of 40 years, become a Chopped champion brought tears to my eyes as she danced her New Orleans shuffle with pride. Two judges teared up as well. There is a special victory that comes with every Chopped champion because no matter whether you went to the best culinary academy or learned to cook in your grandmother's kitchen as Miss Linda did, the playing field becomes even when the clock starts and all four chefs have to work with the same ingredients in the mystery basket. It is all about the dish that gets created. It is all about outcome. Although it is a competition, there appears to be a respect among the contestants for each others talent. In the final round as they wait to hear the verdict, Miss Linda praises and encourages her opponent in a warm, grandmotherly way.

The benefits of diversity are realized when A + B+ C = D. What is D? D might be new ways of knowing that lead to closing the achievement gap or innovative strategies that lead to eliminating health disparities or even effective communication strategies that lead to a Congress that truly works for a better America for everyone.

Each chef on Chopped must use all of the ingredients in the mystery basket or else they are eliminated from the competition. Often the chefs have never seen or even tasted an ingredient in the basket but they have to use it. Not surprisingly, in record time they produce a culinary masterpiece because they have to do so in order to win.

The lessons on how to manage differences are many: level the playing field, respect everyone's background and what they bring to the table and value the varied ways of knowing that lead to innovation and creative solutions to life's most challenging problems. Life is more like being given a mystery basket where we have to use all of its ingredients. How we treat those who are different from us will determine our ability to shape the future and whether or not we win.

Miss Linda claims that she will now put on her restaurant menu the berry beignet biscuits she concocted in the dessert round. "Ya''ll just don't know what you did," Miss Linda Green manages to voice to the judges through her tears when the proclaim her the Chopped champion. "Let me show love."

Why and How I Remain Catholic

2012-07-02T17:29:13-04:00

A few years ago, I ran into a nun whom I hadn't seen in more than 10 years. She immediately asked me if I was still Catholic. It struck me as an odd question for a "how have you been" casual conversation. Soon into the conversation I quickly came to realize that she was struggling -- not with her vocation as a nun, but with membership in a church where she felt harassed and disrespected by its governance.

Since that encounter, I have asked myself that question numerous times -- usually answering that I am Catholic by culture and by ritual. I remain Catholic by staying focused on the Gospel values and pay more attention to church with a small "c" than the Church with the capital "C."

Most recently the big "C" has decided to overhaul U.S. nuns and crack down on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, causing me to question, once again, why I am Catholic. My friends who are nuns give daily witness to Gospel values and represent for me, and so many others, what being Catholic really means. By their witness, they support me to remain Catholic.

Having done the lion's share of the social work long before social service agencies took notice, women religious across the United States have been the catalyst for government taking responsibility for the social needs of millions of people. Many of these dedicated, committed women are also responsible for providing the best of the best education, especially to poor students who were often students of color. These students are now leading physicians, attorneys, journalists, entertainers, senators and congressmen.

The multimedia exhibit, Choosing to Participate, sponsored by Facing History and Ourselves, asks its viewers to consider the consequences of their everyday choices. It inspires viewers to make the essential connection between history and the moral choices that confront our lives. Part of the exhibit displays portraits and profiles of community leaders they call upstanders. Upstanders are ordinary people who are capable of doing extraordinary things. Upstanders take a positive stand and act on behalf of others.

There is a connection to this exhibit and how I remain Catholic. I do so by staying joined with these women religious and others who imagine a truly universal church, who work to make the dream of inclusion a reality and who work to create the kind of world where everyone matters -- not just those of a certain mindset or gender or sexual orientation. I am beyond disappointed that American nuns -- upstanders in every sense of the word -- are not being afforded the respect they deserve. They have taken a stand for countless others. I applaud them for respectfully standing up to the Vatican and pledge to stand with them.

I am Trayvon Martin AND George Zimmerman

2012-04-19T23:19:30-04:00

Over ten years ago, when facilitating a diversity training session, I used as an example of racial socialization how black parents caution their sons not to wear hoods when walking in white neighborhoods. This example was questioned by white members of the audience and even considered by some as being overly sensitive. Since the tragic death of Trayvon Martin we have seen the picture of Trayvon in a hoodie in every visual media. Thousands have marched in solidarity with t-shirts that identify them as being Trayvon Martin. Many of my Facebook friends have swamped their profile picture for that of Trayvon's. Those of us, black, brown, yellow, red and white, who have been victims of injustice identify with Trayvon Martin. We all know Trayvon as our sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers.

A friend Rosalind posted a video on her Facebook page of a young, white teen who poignantly states that for middle-class, white, socially-concerned activists, a more accurate t-shirt to "display on her white body" is I am George Zimmerman. She puts out a call to action to use white privilege to recognize and own one's role in the complicity that causes these injustices.

Girlfriend is keeping it real and at a tender age has achieved a great deal of cultural humility and cultural competence. Yet, all of us have a long way to go before "we have overcome." Overcoming is about ridding ourselves of how we perpetuate racism and other isms by our often unintentional actions. The hallmark of diversity maturity is when we realize and come to terms with the fact that we are both Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. No George Zimmerman in me, you say. Wrong.

This is how it works. Our brain is wired not to manage differences well. We get a signal that goes to the thalamus to be translated into brain language and then it is sent to the visual cortex where it is analyzed and interpreted. If the message is interpreted as emotional, it goes to the amygdala, the emotional center of our brain. What happens when we encounter differences and we have little or no experience with cultural differences, the signal bypasses the visual cortex and goes straight to the amygdala. In other words, we experience an amygdala hijack and we go into fight or flight response. In the case of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman had a fight response.

The brain also depends on two hardwired processes for decision-making -- pattern recognition and emotional tagging. These processes are part of our evolutionary advantage and typically reliable under most circumstances. Unfortunately, managing differences is often where these processes let us down, especially when the socially loadings are faulty. We depend on pattern recognition in new situations and make assumptions based on our prior experiences and judgments. We also depend on emotional information that has been attached to thoughts and experiences stored in our memories to tell us what to pay attention to and what actions to take. In the case of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman relied on faulty pattern recognition and misguided emotional tags.

Social psychologist researcher Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard's Implicit Association Test notes that our biases tend to be like a car that is in need of alignment. We have to keep our hands firmly on the steering wheel in order to keep it safely on the road. When our biases go unchecked they become destructive and lead us to places we never thought we might go.

We all live in a society fraught with racism and other isms. It is in the very air we breathe. It makes grooves in our brains like old 45rpm records. We have to work hard to get the old tunes to stop playing and to create new songs from chords that naturally might not be considered harmonious. Yes, it is true that the vast majority of us would not have taken the action that George Zimmerman did. We work hard to rid ourselves of biases and keep them in check. However, we are hard wired and socially loaded to believe that a young black boy walking in a white neighborhood with a hood might be dangerous. That is the sad truth. I am Trayvon Martin and I am George Zimmerman. To believe otherwise is to miss the opportunity to learn how to resolve these issues and create the kind of society where a young black man wearing a hood can walk freely without assumption or judgment through any neighborhood.

Interracial Marriage for All Americans

2012-02-20T08:50:16-05:00

The recent release of the Pew Research Center publication, The Rise of Intermarriage provides a number of insights on the status of race relations in America. The report analyzes the demographics and economics of those who "marry in" and "marry out" of their race. The reports notes an increase in the number of interracial marriages and an increase in support for such marriages.

Gender patterns were also noted in the report and there was great variance in this data. One particular statistic stood out for me. About 24 percent of all black male newlyweds in 2010 married outside of their race as compared to 9 percent of black females.

Well into my adult years, despite the fact that I preached diversity, I held the belief that black men should marry black women and conversely, black women should marry black men. I never considered a white man as a potential mate simply because of race. Maybe it was because I feared that others would interpret my choice of a white partner as a statement about my weak or non-existent affiliation with blacks. I was actually listening to the voice of my own insecure black identity and the collective insecurity that as blacks we embraced from living in a racist society. Perhaps that is why there are always more black men marrying outside of their race than black women... but that is a topic for another post.

A white male friend who challenged my belief on this topic caused me to pause and rethink this position. I reasoned that after a day of battling being "the only one" or "one of a few" all day I might not want to connect with my partner simply because he was white. He pointed out that it wouldn't be any different from the times when I wouldn't want to connect with my black partner simply because he was male or because of a personality characteristic.

Another white male friend also enlightened my racially inconsistent thinking. He noted that by ruling out white males simply because of race was as offensive as any other racially exclusive action. I could rule him out because of personality or other reasons, but to do so because of race was absurd.

Ultimately, when doing research on cross-racial friendships, I not only changed my position on interracial marriages, but became a advocate for those who crossed racial lines in marriage. We have much to learn from them. At the risk of oversimplifying the issue, I believe that interracial couples support us all in moving toward a shared American experience.

In my diversity-training sessions, we often progress toward an animated discussion about what the American experience is. All of our ancestors, except for those of Native American Indians, arrived in this country by boat -- the difference is in the kind of boat. Some were passenger ships, and some were slave ships. The American Dream, that anyone may be able to create a "rags to riches" success, has historically been a nightmare for some racial groups. Similarly, the "bootstrap theory" -- that anyone can succeed through diligence and hard work ("pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps") -- only applies to those who have boots and, more particularly, boots with straps. From this perspective, the historical background of our racial heritage frames our relationship to America, and thus dictates the kind of American experience one might have.

What I witness in interracial couples is not only the ability to disencumber themselves of society's racial baggage but also evidence of the inherent God-given right that each of us has to fulfill our human potential by loving. It is how we love, not our historical relationship with America, that dictates our ability to grasp the richness of the American experience. Yes, we are really free to love whom we please in America. That is one of the true beauties of being an American.