Deborah Plummer

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...

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...

When CNN first announced Roland Martin's suspension for tweets sent during the Super Bowl that sparked criticism from the gay community, I believed the tweets to be homophobic and offensive toward gay people, but I also wanted to understand his intentions in tweeting those remarks. Intentions do not mitigate impact,...

The Manhattan Institute recently released a report that concluded that racial segregation in U.S. metropolitan areas is at its lowest in a century. Examining the period of 1910 to 2010, the authors analyzed neighborhood patterns and concluded that segregation has hit an historic low. Using a common measure...

For the past several months, Catholics across the country were put on notice that a new English translation of the liturgy would take place. On Sunday (Nov. 27) at Mass it happened. We were provided with cards outlining the new words of worship. However, like the well programmed Catholic robots...

When my dad became terminally ill, at my insistence, he and my mom moved into our home. It was easier for my sisters and me to support my mom and take care of my dad under these circumstances. My sister and her family lived only minutes from us, which made...

My Mom has lived with my husband and me for fifteen years now. At 85 years old, she is still parenting me, even though I am approaching the "young old" stage of my life. She still scrutinizes my wardrobe and offers what she deems to be helpful advice on my...

I have participated in numerous discussions about the themes presented in The Help since reading the book in 2009 and seeing the movie two weeks ago. All of the discussions have been engaging. Over lunch, I have discussed with co-workers, the pain experienced by black women raising white children during...

The 28th General Synod of the United Church of Christ is taking place in Tampa, Fla., from July 1-6. I have had the privilege of working as a diversity management consultant with this dynamic denomination for over 10 years after being introduced to the church by Edith Guffey,...

It took me a day before I could bring myself to finish reading The Boston Globe article on the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston's decision to ban a scheduled Mass with the theme "All are Welcome." St. Cecilia Parish had planned the Mass to commemorate Boston's Gay Pride month. Spokespersons for...

May 17 was the International Day Against Homophobia. As a diversity professional for the majority of my professional career, I hold memories of myself as being open and affirming. Some of my best friends are gay or lesbian, and I couldn't imagine having negative attitudes or feelings toward them simply...

As a psychologist and researcher in the area of racial identity development, I hold respect for the intellectual capital Princeton Professor Cornel West sometimes brings to the table when it comes to race matters. However, his remarks about President Obama's racial identity places him at a kindergarten table...

Where you sit matters. Think Rosa Parks. It was not only that she sat in the front of the bus but that she had the nerve to sit with white people. Where she sat became an important symbol for the civil rights movement and a catalyst for change.

Although...

I spent over four years researching friendship patterns of people from all ages in order to write Racing Across the Lines: Changing Race Relations through Friendship. I traveled across the U.S. facilitating numerous focus groups; designed, executed and analyzed a survey on friendship; conducted interviews with several professionals; and read...

An exercise I often used in diversity training was to have participants divide a large circle into proportioned sections representing the dimensions of diversity most reflective of their current life experience. Many years ago when I did this exercise, race and gender took up at least half of the circle,...

I am a big fan of the work of diversity scholars Judith Katz and Frederick Miller. Recently I found an opportunity to vicariously attend one of their workshops by having one of the members of my diversity staff participate and report back to us her findings. One of the concepts...

No further proof is needed that race remains a prickly topic for discussion and that race issues are monstrous to resolve than the evidence put forth by the circus of events that has occurred surrounding USDA employee, Shirley Sherrod's speech at a NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet . There are plenty...

After Daddy's death it took me a while before I could even stroll down the aisle of Father's Day greeting cards in Walgreen's. It has been ten years since he died at 78 years old, but the lump still forms in my throat when I think of my Dad. His...

Generally when someone says that a situation isn't about race, they are mistaken. It is. At least for somebody the situation is about race. The questions become just how much of it is about race and how many somebodies are we talking about? A current case in point is the...

Drake Bennett of the Boston Globe March 7th article, "Who's Still Biased?" cites the work of psychologist Elizabeth Levy Paluck of Princeton University, Donald Green of Yale University and others that diversity training simply does not work. Both the article and the cited research are built on the premise that...