Cultural IQ

A diversity fable: when rapists go free

Right now, women in Memphis and Shelby County are under attack.  Rapists are getting away scot-free.

It is not the racists, sexists and anti-Semites who are targeting them - for the most part. It is people who know and love them. 

People with good intentions do us far more harm than the groups we have come to fear. We talk a lot these days about the isms: racism, anti-Semitism and sexism. Even so, the vast majority of cultural collisions I encounter are caused by hidden biases and information gaps – the distance between assumptions and the truth.

             

        Photo Caption: A sign in a bank parking lot in Memphis, TN.

         I've recently returned from a 2 1 /2 month trip to Memphis. Shortly after I arrived , a controversy erupted over the city-operated Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center, which does not have an adequate number of forensic nurses on call to handle cases 24-7. Several sexual assault victims were turned away and asked to come back another time for a rape kit exam.

The local media and a chorus of local politicians immediately blamed Mayor Willie W. Herenton, who is African American, for mismanagement of the city-operated rape center. (By the way, Mayor Herenton announced Thursday he will resign July 10th.)Then they blamed the city’s residency requirement for recent resignations by nurses – although I never could find a single publication that actually quoted a nurse by name.  

Finally, I decided to launch a fact-finding mission. There was a mountain of evidence to suggest that the shortage of forensic nurses is a problem in many places. Illinois, New Jersey, South Carolina and the city of Philadelphia all reported shortages of S.A.N.E. (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) nurses. As I continued to look, I found that the forcible rape arrest rate in Memphis is 15 percent, which means the conviction rate isn’t any higher. The rape arrest rate for the Shelby County Sheriff office was 12.5 percent. The statewide arrest rate for forcible rape was 20 percent.

A rape victim might ask: “Why should I put myself through this process? The odds favor the rapists not me.” (This may be exactly what is going on. A Memphis police official told me there was a difference between the clearance rate (47 percent) and the arrest rate (15 percent) in part because some victims are declining to press charges.) So a frustrated SANE nurse might say: Why am I working here? Am I doing any good? I am getting out of here!"

Let’s add one new piece to the puzzle. District Attorney General Bill Gibbons, a Republican who is running for governor of Tennessee, is running on a law and order campaign though I have yet to see the media ask him why justice has been denied to so many Memphis rape victims. Gibbons, you may have guessed, is white. 

Now, I could jump up and down, grab a sign and start hollering: The media are racist and sexist. That would be taking my eyes away from the problem that urgently needs my attention: unconscious bias (created by cultural, social and political filters) and that darn information gap.

The media are asking tough questions, good!  Unfortunately, journalists view the people they cover through lenses. Many see good guys and bad guys. That lense doesn't make them a racist.  You see, if one assumes the mayor is the problem then there is no reason to look any where else. The information gap is the distance between reality and our assumptions, remember?

Where does that leave the women and girls of Memphis and Shelby County? Rapists who are not arrested and prosecuted are free to terrorize again. The information gap, sadly, is working to protect rapists and put citizens at risk.

So you see, the fact that we have an information gap – but we are not racist or sexist – is of small comfort. People with good intentions can still do great harm if they do not take time to audit their own actions and behaviors. At times, the consequences are as deadly as a racist's noose.

After a while, the wise clients and customers in a city will start to ask difficult questions: aren't they letting us down? Shouldn't we find someone who is capable of stating the problem objectively and offering solutions?

Information gaps cause businesses to lose good customers. They are a money pit that too few managers can see.  If the diversity focus remains on containing “the isms”, companies will continue losing dollars while women, minorities and Jews will continue losing ground.  

 

A new cultural road test to check out how well we see

 

We’ve all been there. We said the wrong thing and we can’t snatch those awful words back. The neighborhoods and cities around us are changing so quickly it is easy to become confused and mess up.  One day we are walking down the street, minding our own business, and the next we are colliding with a stranger who 10 minutes earlier was not on our radar screen.

Getting along in a diverse society requires patience, a willingness to admit mistakes and a sense of humor. (Laughter opens doors; anger closes  them.)

In approaching a new cultural intersection or roadblock, slow down.  Stay alert. Look in all directions before opening your mouth. (This means turning around to see if trouble might be creeping up from behind.)

Frequently, we get run over, sideswiped or hit because we rushed to act or speak before we had all relevant facts. If we lack information, it is impossible to make data-driven decisions, which are the best kind.

Let’s say I am walking down a dark street – listening to my iPod - when I hear footsteps behind me. A man is running towards me. I’ve just come back from seeing the latest spy film, where guys in black are bad news. “Run,” many of you already are thinking. “Get away from there.”

Now let’s say the street I‘m walking on is in Washington, DC. And the stranger behind me is a Secret Service man guarding the President and First Lady who are out on a date. Bolting away from a fast-stepping Secret Service agent is likely to draw suspicion.  

Far better, my friends, to look around for our first clues: Who is behind me, why, and what can I do to make this situation turn out well for me? Most of us rely upon our fgut instincts when we encounter strangers who have different backgrounds.  Not many of us would buy a house by wandering the streets  - just waiting for our dream home to suddenly appear.  We rely on research and comparisons to make the best choice.  The same is true of our cultural filters.  Without independent research and honest audits, we will never know  if our decisions were right. Now let's put this theory to work.

 Let’s say we live in a small town. One day, a police officer stops us while we are driving our car.

We assume:

                       1) This town is a speed trap.

                        2) I was speeding and that is why I was stopped.

                        3)  I am a victim of discrimination.

                        4)  I was not breaking the law so the officer must need assistance. 

                        5)  I am going to remain calm and gather the necessary information.

 

The assumptions we make will affect the first words out of our mouths, our tone and – ultimately – how well the situations end for us.  This door of confusion swings both ways. Let’s now put ourselves in the shoes of a police officer. One day, we see a speeding teenager who is driving an expensive car and texting friends. We stop the car. Should we assume:

                       1)  This is a spoiled rich kid who will treat me like dirt.

                        2) By stopping this car today I am keeping the streets safer for motorists.

                        3)  This is an opportunity to make a difference.

                        4) This  young man is likely to respect authority.

                        5) I am going to remain calm until I gather all the pertinent facts.

 Again, unless we follow the same script and recite the same words (and some officers say they do) for each traffic stop, our beliefs, biases and assumptions will work their way into these conversations. We may send out mixed messages as our body language contradicts the words we say.

Whenever we humans find ourselves in a sticky situation, we must manage our cultural shades and remind ourselves that first impressions – while helpful - are not necessarily right. We have to understand that things often turn out as we expect.

The assignment for today: Let’s offer some ideas on how police and motorists (in general) might improve communication and relationships during tense situations such as traffic stops. Examine your own filters and share how you would manage them. There are no wrong answers  here, only opportunities to raise our national IQ.

In a diverse society, everybody belongs to a minority group

Five high school graduates with highly successful companies attend a business function that’s designed to raise money for student scholarships. The motivational speaker reminisces about her college days and the importance of higher education.

“You just can’t get anywhere without an advanced degree,” the speaker says. She asks guests to introduce themselves and share how college improved their lives.

Oops. There is awkward silence as the five multi-millionaire entrepreneurs scattered about the room find themselves in the minority group - for this particular moment. The majority’s message to them: If you are not like us, there is something wrong with you.

To understand what it is like to be the odd man or woman out, we really have to stop focusing on race and religion and begin to focus on daily life. Today’s minority groups include: left-handed people, people with college degrees; motorists who never go through red lights, rich people who purposely live in poor neighborhoods and natural blondes.

Every single one of us is likely to experience life in a minority group before we die. Every one of us will know what it feels like to belong to the decision-making group.

Here’s the difficult question: Do our behaviors change as we shift back and forth between the minority and the majority?

Life is good when it is our chance to hang with the cool kids or be part of a winning team. Our character and commitment to democracy are defined by the extent we respect the minority viewpoints, beliefs and attitudes on the days we are in the group holding all the cards.

During last week’s quiz, I asked you to think about what you might do if a minister or preacher started talking about Jesus Christ at a non-religious event where many faiths were represented in the room. Here’s my personal game plan:

       Stand up for the minority faith, race, or group of the day so they will stand up for me on the days I am the minority. (If I am not willing to stand up for them then I have no right to ask them to stand up for me) Strengthen our community, we need to build allies, find partners, and talk to people with opposing views. 

     Always conduct a fact-finding mission before you make assumptions or reach final conclusions: Why did this happen? Where did the breakdown occur? Did the minister overstep his bounds? Did the event planner err in not giving clear instructions?

        Don’t lump the innocent in with the guilty. We all do it. It is less work to blame "all" of them rather than find out which one is responsible.

       Share feelings in a respectful manner. Be a bridge-builder; not a critic. Tell the guilty party you want to help him or her build new relationships in our diverse society. Serve as a lifeline fo a friend or stranger at least once a day.

Should you speak up or walk out when diversity goes awry?

 A funny thing happened on the way to the 21^st century, many cultures merged into one people.

America's communities increasingly are places where cultural and religious groups with differing customs,  backgrounds, languages  and beliefs seek shared purpose and common ground.  Those highly skilled at cultural conversations and coalition-building stand to prosper. 

 This summer, I'll post a series of pop quizzes that serve as a road test for this bumpy cultural terrain.  Best to test your driving skills now - before cultural collisions occur.  Let’s get right to work.

 

 Challenge of the Day:

You are at a fund-raising dinner when the minister gets a little carried away with the benediction. He begins to talk about Jesus Christ and the need for Christian values.  There are Jews, Muslims and Mormons in the room. What do you do?

Answer:

This is one of those sticky situations that tend to make us sweat. I’ll let you in on a secret. Sticky situations are the hot new business currency.  The more you have, the better prepared you’ll be for global markets and challenges.

Next time you are in the hot seat, remind yourself: “I am so lucky. Just think, this opportunity could have been given to anyone but the universe picked me.”

As The Cultural Coach, I am going to propose four responses. Select the one that most closely fits your style and personality:

      Do nothing and hope someone else brings the issue up.

      Get up and walk out the door to show others your displeasure.

      Use the prayer to trigger a conversation among your table's dinner guests. You might say, "I find myself wondering how I might feel now if I were Mormon, Muslim or Jewish. I know I sometimes feel uncomfortable when others preach to me." Your thoughts? 

      Quietly pull the minister aside without making a scene.  Let him or her know that you enjoyed the prayer but you felt the heavy-handed Christian doctrine might have made it hard for guests of other faiths to understand the message. “I wonder if there might be a way to get around this ssue next time?” you might ask.

Now, which response would you select? Discuss, discuss.

 

If you have a question or a situation you would like to discuss, write me at theculturalcoach@aol.com

After We Step Outside of Our Comfort Zone, Then What?

 

 

Life faithfully reminds us what it is like to be the new kid in school, or the Jewish-American couple at the company holiday party or a St. Louis Cardinal fan at a Philadelphia Phillies game.

When we get that anxious feeling in the pit of our stomachs, that may be a sign that we have left behind the comfortable and familiar and are about to encounter contrary ideas, words, values and beliefs that offer us a chance to think and grow.

Everybody has to do it. Even the President doesn’t get excused from these stressful challenges. People who stay in their comfort zones never get the brass ring. Just this weekend President Barack Obama gave the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame knowing his appearance would spark protests. He implored the graduates to embrace these difficult dialogs and stop "reducing those with differing views to caricature. Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words. It's a way of life that always has been the Notre Dame tradition," he said.

 He's right.  A championship basketball team has to win on the road and learn to deal with opposing fans.  Politicians have to represent the folk who did not vote for them and never will give their campaigns a dime.  Business people increasingly must sell to customers don’t look like them and don’t trust them. Take it from someone who has been out in the trenches. It gets more comfortable though it never gets easy.

Here's some advice:

Be yourself – Resist the delicious temptation to blend in and mimic the accent (unless you can do it well). It is OK to pick up new words and use them.  It is OK to show respect. It is OK to adapt and be culturally flexible. It is not OK to steal someone else’s culture or pretend to be something you are not.

Collect facts in order to solve the puzzle – Suspend judgment while you are collecting facts. Act like a detective, not like a teacher. Put the clues together and try to make sense of them. Don’t spend all your time telling people about your view. (IF you do, you may miss the lesson.)

Clarify – Ask questions that lead to greater insights and community understanding.  Resist the urge to impose your opinions on others.

Have the courage to speak up – Diversity experiences frequently yield more pain than gain because so many of us choose to keep silent. We want to fit in, which negates the value of diversity of thought.  Learning opportunities arise when the people who are different find the courage to share and transfer cultural knowledge.

Let’s put this information to use with a real-life problem. A liberal is invited to attend a dinner party with her boss who runs with a conservative crowd.  One of the other guests makes the statement: “People with bad credit could not afford home loans. They took them out and now all the rest of us must pay. They should have known better.”

How must we introduce new facts without turning the evening into a hostile debate?

We might say:

1) Wouldn’t it be great if we could actually talk with a family in foreclosure and explore this issue? I wonder what we might learn from them? Does anyone here know a family going through foreclosure right now?   Objective: You have managed to point out – in a non-threatening way  – that some truths are missing from this equation.  If you are lucky, a conservative who knows a family will seize the opportunity to speak up. It is best to let him or her tell the story. They have political capital to spend and we don’t.

2) Not all the lending companies engaged in predatory lending and made exotic loans.  What lessons might we learn from these companies? (This response holds other businesses – and not liberals – up as role models.)

3) Many high schools in the suburbs offer life skills classes that cover money management while those in the city do not. Could this situation present an opportunity to develop an educational system that fully prepares students for citizenship by covering ethics, money management and global responsibilities? (A good traffic cop stands in the middle of the road to yell instructions – not on the side of the street.  This response allows you to stand on neutral ground and encourages discussion of all weaknesses – not just those we see in the people who aren’t like us.)

By getting out of the safe zone, you your boss you are a leader,  a compassionate listener and a troubleshooter – not just another angry voice around the table.

Attention please: It is now OK to divide people!

 

Which lane will you travel?

 

Every day, airline passengers make decisions of great consequence to themselves and their fellow travelers.

In many airports, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allows us to rate our abilities as travelers. It has established three lanes for security checks and screening: one for expert travelers, one for casual travelers and one for families and individuals in need of special assistance. Our job is to consider which category best describes our level of skill and then get in the line with our people.

As I flew from Houston Hobby airport to Memphis, the lines for expert travelers and casual travelers were nearly empty. Since there was no monitor to check credentials or give pop quizzes, I gave my ego an upgrade. I strolled over to the expert line even though I had no clue if I truly had the right to be there.

According to The New York Times, the TSA defines expert travelers as those who fly two or more times a month. A casual traveler (I pictured a person who had not flown in the last five years) is described by TSA as someone who is knowledgeable about TSA’s procedures and regulations. Travelers in need of special help either don’t understand how things work or they can’t adapt to all the changes.

In most situations, I am against assigning people to hang out with the people most like them. But TSA has a fairly interesting reason for dividing us: they are trying to increase our performance and minimize risks.

Ellen Howe, a spokeswoman for the agency, told The New York Times the system seeks to minimize some of the tension and generally help calm security checkpoints. While there has not been a formal study to determine whether the lanes reduce waiting times, she indicated that this certainly seemed to be the case for the experts, whose lane is affectionately titled “the diamond lanes.”

Days later, I found myself still thinking about TSA’s idea of putting people into lanes by skill level. In the diversity business, we travel in lanes as well – though few of us ever recognize this. Workers who have varying degrees of skills and cultural competencies are thrown together, and guess what, tensions arise just as they do at the airport. That slows us all down.

We have got our experts.  Let’s be honest. Some of them get bent out of shape when they encounter those with less experience and practice, just like our frequent fliers. Then, we have the casual folks. These are the competent people who prefer to stay in their comfort zone and face diversity issues only when required. They are at higher risk for a cultural collision because these novices don’t yet realize all the stuff they don’t know. Then you have the folks who need assistance. Wouldn’t it be great if corporations and nonprofits could ask employees to self-assign diversity lanes – if only for an exercise?

They might ask workers to identify people who belong in the expert lane. Who are the high performers? What skills are required to get into this high-prestige group? What advantages do they have over the rest of us as a result of their collective skills and knowledge?

Next, we might examine the casual route. Ask workers to describe the characteristics we might find in the folks in the middle. What are their risks? What will it take to move them into the league of top performers? And finally, there are folks who don’t yet know what to do or how to handle these situations. The goal would be to give them the type of assistance that allows them to get up to speed.

TSA may be onto something here. It’s OK to divide people as long as we do it by skill level and make our definitions and expectations clear.

Though there is no data or hard-evidence to suggest lines are moving faster, TSA sees some benefits. The lanes apparently have helped to reduce passenger tensions. In addition, Howe told The New York Times that officials have noticed a decrease in alarm rates at checkpoints and fewer sick days used by those who man security checkpoints.

The moral of today’s story: Sometimes in life decent folks will find good reason to divide people. A coach has to trade a popular ball player in order to build a championship team. A company has to sell off a small unit in order to focus on its core business. Equal opportunity businesses need to tell workers that they do not all possess the same level of diversity talent, intelligence and skill. (But managers will help move us all into the fast lane.)

It’s the skill deficit that sparks tensions and creates delays; not skin color, gender or religion. Just ask any frequent flier. 

Under Attack? Stay Calm and Look for Cultural Clues

My dog, Gabby, and I came under attack while on our morning stroll around the neighborhood. Three ferocious dogs muscled their backyard gate open and formed a circle around Gabby who immediately sat down and kept still.

She displayed absolutely no signs of aggression even though I still had her on the leash. I took my cues from her figuring she knew more about dogs than I ever will. My eyes stayed focused on her face. I couldn’t tell you what the attack dogs looked like – what breed they were, or color.

A little voice inside my head told me to plant both feet sideways between one of the dogs and Gabby. I summoned my deepest, scariest dog-owner voice and said firmly, “Get away.” I commanded the attackers to leave, again and again, pointing my finger in the opposite direction from where Gabby and I were headed. “Go away.”

Well, guess what. The leader of the pack turned and ran in that direction, with its two amigos right on its tail. When the pack’s owner came out to see what was going on, Gabby and I were standing our ground and the mean dogs were running like the wind.   “They went that- away,” I told the dogs' owner.

Never underestimate the power of a woman with a smart dog.

Many people today are stockpiling weapons and ammunition because they believe they are the answer to crime, terrorism and aggression. This story, however, demonstrates clearly that cultural intelligence - knowledge of the needs, beliefs, fears, values and desires of the people (or creatures) attacking us - is a reliable weapon though it is often overlooked.

If only we could go to a show this weekend to buy boxes of cultural intelligence for use during our next dispute or confrontation!  Well, we can’t - not yet.  For the moment, the only way to acquire it is to step outside of our cultural comfort zone. Intelligence is a dividend paid those who dare to reach across the faultlines of religion, age, gender and sexual orientation.  In a global village, it is both a secure investment and hot commodity.

Had Gabby and I not struggled earlier in our relationship, I never would have bothered to read books about animal behavior. If I had not attended dog training classes, my guess is I would be writing this post from my hospital bed. (One million people seek medical attention each year for dog bites.)

Clawing our way through a maze of differences is challenging, but one day the intelligence gained from those conflicts and tensions will do us - and our community - a lot of good.

The rules apply whether we are dealing with hate groups or growling dogs.  We need to use more brainpower and rely less on government, laws and law enforcement to do the heavy lifting for us.

Next time you are under attack, don’t reach for a gun - reach inside the store room in your mind for the intelligence that you have bought and paid for with trials and tribulations.

 I'll offer a few of my own rules and encourage you to contribute additional suggestions below:

1) Stand strong; don't show aggression and don't attack.

2) Check your emotions. Screaming, yelling and cursing will escalate the situation and increase danger.

3) Look to others in your pack for clues.  Follow the lead of the person (or dog) with the greatest expertise.

4) Be firm.  Decide you will not allow verbal attacks and demeaning words to change your mood or the way you feel about yourself.

5) If possible, seek win-win opportunities so every participant can save face. 

 

(If you have a question or wish to contact me, email me at theculturalcoach@aol.com)

Beware of Dogs (& Extremists) that Bite

  

LIFE LESSONS FROM THE DOG PARK

My sweet dog, Gabby, has been nipping at the heels of my new roommate. It’s about all social order, you see. Dogs need to know where they stand in a pack. When Gabby and I recently moved in with a friend, my dog started to stake out her ground. 

For the first few months Gabby and I were together, we had quite a battle going on. She wanted to sleep in my bed, eat my food and be me (except for the going to work part). Many of our arguments ended with me calling a friend to say, “That dog is crazy. She is going back to pound.”

As we learned each other's ways I was able to put her actions into context. Our relationship benefited as we gained cultural literacy and I learned how to lead.  Every pack needs someone to follow who is firm, dependable and courageous. It took a while for me to grow into the role.

My new roommate has been bending over backward to be polite to Gabby, which is a very human response. Gabby takes this kindness as a sign of weakness. So she has been jockeying to move higher in the pack. If she can’t be lead dog, then perhaps it's best to be second in command.

As this scenario plays out in my household, a similar drama unfolds on the national scene.  Since the election of President Barack Obama, the social order has been turned upside down, inside out. For decades, written and unwritten laws told us where we stood. “If you are black, get back. If you are brown, stick around. If you are white, you are alright,” or so I was told as a child.  Even though my parents told me I was equal, there was a constant struggle trying to convince that little voice inside of my head that I was as good as anyone else.

With the election of President Barack Obama, some Americans are grieving – not because their candidate lost – but because they fear a change in the social order. Our pack has a new leader and the adjustment is harder for some.

So we must prepare for some social misbehavior and acting out, just as I am seeing now with Gabby.  There will be those like Texas Gov. Rick Perry who will try to divide this country with their talk of secession.  There will be those like Chuck Norris who talk of a coming “second American revolution”. There will be hate groups and extremists who write stuff that would make their pastors blush on the Internet – and post personal attacks that remind us why our forefathers wisely created rule by laws that protect us from men (and women) temporarily gone wild.

Let me share just one of the many postings I found this week (on the Web site of a major metropolitan newspaper) and it was not the worst one:

“The political problems facing America are endemic. Until the Blacks, Mexicans, Muslims, Hispanics, Asians, homosexuals and other sorted undesirables are banned, the country will continue to exist as a sewer state. No amount of protests or tea party nonsense will change those facts. Tea parties are not the solution for what ails civilization. A Hitler-style cleansing movement is.”

 

For those who still aren’t convinced our flank is exposed, check out the April 2009 report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warning of a growing threat to this country from the armed rightwing extremists. As cities are buying back guns and trying to take them off the streets, supremacists and domestic terrorists are stockpiling assault weapons and ammunition like fruits and vegetables.

 

At present, diversity groups and organizations are filled with gentle people who want to figure out how to get along and give others equipment to play together well in neighborhoods and workplaces, which are the human equivalents to dog parks. They help us to reduce fights and stop newcomers from coming under attack, both noble goals.

While they, and I, were busy working, singing and holding hands in the dog park, all heck broke loose out in the real world.  The people who feel unsettled in this new world began using the newspaper Web sites to recruit domestic terrorists. Homeland Security says they have begun recruiting ex-military who are trained in combat. They are infecting our public domain and airwaves with hate. Homeland Security is telling us that the "white supremacist lone wolves" and "small terrorist cells embracing violent rightwing extremist ideology" have emerged as a major terrorism threat.

Ok, time to open the gate to our dog park. Time to meet the hate groups on their turf  cause they are never going to come to us.

Let’s take all the lessons learned and all the ideas collected from 40 years of conversations right to the right-wingers and engage them in a dialog that seeks to address the fears that drive them.  We need to hear them out. We need to engage them in conversations on their Web sites. We need to respond firmly and bravely instead of ignoring or downplaying their rantings.  They must be held to account for the false information and lies they are spreading on sites where children gather.  Ignoring them is no longer an option.

I could let Gabby nip at the heels of my new roommate and explain her behavior away by suggesting that she has been through a lot lately.   Or I can say, firmly and calmly, each time she struggles for supremacy: “Stop!”

Any dog owner will tell you, ignoring bad behavior eventually will cost you.

So Little Faith In US

 

Credit: Freephoto.com

 

In a democracy, every person - old and young - has a right to refuse to change. Rarely, though, is it in the national interest for citizens to stand perfectly still as other nations around the globe race forward.

 

Business, after all, is a marathon - not a sprint.

 

In Texas, state Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell, created some controversy this week by asking a Chinese American leader if it might be possible for Asian Americans to come up with names that are easier for ordinary folks to use.

 

"The comments caused the Texas Democratic Party on Wednesday to demand an apology from  Brown,” the Houston Chronicle reported. But a spokesman for Brown told the paper her comments were only an attempt to overcome problems with identifying Asian names for voting purposes.

The House Elections Committee was listening to testimony from Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans, when Ko noted that many immigrants might have difficulties getting registered because they have a birth name and a more English-sounding name for driver licenses and other documents.

Brown suggested that some of the voting problems might be resolved if Asian Americans might simply adopt names that people here can use easily.

“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown was quoted as saying in the Houston Chronicle.

While it may be tempting to blame immigrants for having names we can’t pronounce, it seems wiser if we instead ask educators and workforce leaders if they are doing enough to prepare us for today’s global challenges.

We could ask the immigrants to just change their names but then we might have to turn down those job openings overseas. Cities would lose out in the competition for all those multinational corporations that seek to relocate headquarters. America - not Asian Americans - would end up the biggest losers.

This is not a diversity issue, per se.  Rather it is a moment that raises questions as to whether we are as workforce ready as we ought to be. Let’s look at this through a different cultural lens, shall we?

John sits in an aging, inner-city classroom with a well-spoken teacher fresh out of college.  He is a product of the inner city where street smarts are respected and tough reputations are a form of currency.  She comes from a family of means that has spent vacations abroad and summered at the shore.

 

They come from the same nation but different worlds.  John speaks in code so the class, but not his teacher, can understand his jokes.  The teacher uses long words John and his peer never hear at home.

 

At night, each of them goes home pondering how much better the world would be if he, she changed. It does not occur to the teacher,nor to the student, that they have the option of reaching across this cultural divide. Both end up failing because neither will stretch and grow..

.

In a global community, prosperity is the reward for a job well done. It is conferred upon  nations and companies with the courage, creativity and skill to adapt to change.

 

Asian Americans are not the only ones who ought to be dismayed by the legislator’s statements.  The growing legions of culturally competent American workers, college students, literate teachers, U.S. Army officials and American intelligence officers ought to be disappointed too. 

 

 

She has so little faith in US.  .

 

The High Road is the More Difficult Path

 

Journalists and police officers have an extraordinary relationship. When we run into each other on our jobs the police usually are trying to keep facts private and the reporters are trying to get them released.

Yet there we were, my sister, the cop, and me, the journalist, taking a vacation together at Disney World.  It was a real-life laboratory where both of us could explore each other's  lives. 

My cell phone was turned off so my editor couldn’t reach me. But Liz carried her pager with her all the time. It kept going off – again and again and again. "I’ve got to take this call," she kept saying.

 The entire time we were at Disney World my sister the homicide investigator  took calls from the her partner (they solve a homicide that week) and the mothers of homicide victims. I could not believe the mothers were able to call her on vacation. She explained to me that, for many, this is the low point of their life. They wanted information about the case. They wanted justice. They wanted to talk.

During the week, my image of my tough, little sister changed. I learned she didn’t see the victims as numbers or cases. They were people with families. It didn’t seem to matter if the victim was a drug dealer or a suburban mom (though, I’ll admit, this matters quite a bit to journalists.)

A mother’s grief is still the same, she said, no matter what good or bad a child has done.

After the vacation ended, I began to wonder why we never saw police officers on TV shows interrupting their vacations with families to work on cases or talk to mothers of crime victims. Where’s the drama in that?

We all have filters about people and professions. Right now, bankers are taking a lot of heat (though not all bankers engaged in predatory practices.) Let’s all try to keep that in mind as we speak and comment on news stories.

My filters about police officers shifted dramatically over that week because my sister’s actions challenged my stereotypes and forced me to re-examine my own biases. Whenever I am with a group that is berating police officers, I don’t scold them. I simply share the story of my amazing trip to Disney World. My sister's actions serve to challenge their assumptions and expand the universe of facts.

Police officers have families – just like crime victims. They have sisters, brothers and parents who worry about the threats they face when they leave for a shift. They have people in their lives who love them enough to let them serve the skeptical public.

So when people say all police officers are racist or corrupt, it diminishes those who strive to do the right things.

Police officers, just like the rest of us, have racial and gender biases.  The issue is being addressed by law enforcement leaders and scientists. The Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity (CPLE) is a relatively new research consortium that promotes police transparency and accountability by collecting research on biases and sharing it with law enforcement agencies so they can improve training and reduce problematic outcomes. The scientists actually examine police decision-making for bias. Then they use the data to help the departments develop effective strategies and policies.

Police departments and minority groups won’t erect a bridge over decades of distrust, however, until the tone and language change in our conversations.  If the goal is to improve public safety, the public needs to take a broader view and examine these cultural collisions from various angles.  We can fix half the intersection, meaning the police, but then we will still have deadly accidents because the other side of the street has blind spots. Shouldn’t we strive to be accident free?

Members of the public - including those in minority communities – harbor negative biases about the police or departments, which handcuff the officers and increase the level of danger they encounter.   Oakland, CA lost four police officers - three were murdered and one is brain dead- this past weekend. Media reported that some bystanders stood and taunted crime scene investigators.

“Enough is enough,” Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums said in a statement. He is right.

It is time to talk honestly and openly with each other. If we can't find police and minority leaders with the skills to resolve these issues, then it is time to recruit and train a new generation of problem solvers and collaborators. We can't continue afford to hold conversations that throw gas on flames.

What’s in it for me, one might ask? Well, when police officers and community members trust each other more and work together more closely, a community can save more children and actually prevent homicides. 

 Perhaps we can keep some moms from getting my sister’s cell phone number.

So what are we waiting for?

 

 

(If you have a question or wish to contact me, email me at theculturalcoach@aol.com)