Cultural IQ

Cultural IQ: How Do White Men Fare In Multicultural Workplaces?

STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS — As greater numbers of women, ethnic minorities, and other "nontraditional" employees join the workforce, the increasing heterogeneity of employee groups has had a greater negative effect on white males than on nonwhites or women, researchers say.

Work done by Anne S. Tsui, and Terri D. Egan of University of California at  Irvine, and Charles A. O'Reilly III, of the

Stanford Business School found that men in homogeneous work units reported the highest commitment to their jobs. But, the researchers said, the commitment of white males fell off as work groups became more heterogeneous. As the homogeneous makeup of their work groups eroded, white male workers became less closely attached to their fellow workers; they had higher rates of absence and reported a lower intention of staying with the firm.

In their study, Tsui, Egan, and O'Reilly found that diversity didn't have as strong an effect on women and minorities as it did on white male workers. In fact, women who worked primarily with men became more strongly attached to their work unit. The attachment of all Caucasians decreased as more minorities were included in the group, while nonwhites showed no less attachment to their work unit when they were in the minority.

"It may be that the lack of reaction by women and nonwhites to being different is conditioned by their changing social status," say the authors. "Women and minority employees in this sample may hold higher-status jobs that historically were dominated by men and whites. Conversely, the negative reaction of men and whites may reflect a perception of diminished status."

Tsui, Egan, and O'Reilly conclude that heterogeneous groups need to be studied from the viewpoint of the majority as well as the minority. Researchers should devote more attention to the adjustment process of the dominant group rather than restrict their research to "how women and people of color 'fit' the dominant culture," they write.

"Equally important are the interactions among individuals who are demographically different. We know little about the communication structure, conflict and influence styles, and decision approaches of heterogeneous versus homogeneous groups." While heterogeneous groups appear best at tasks that require creativity and judgment, they note, these groups can also decrease cohesiveness and increase turnover in firms. Managers, it seems, face a difficult balancing act.

The three researchers surveyed 1,705 workers in three large organizations: two Fortune 100 firms and a state agency that operates mental health hospitals. The workers were men and women, white and nonwhite, supervisors and nonsupervisors.

Oh Say Can You See "Those People"?

Now and then, I'll wander into a place where the conversation turns to a discussion of "those people."  The definition of "those people" changes with the part of town we are in. You know who they are. Those people who don't speak like "us." Or act like "us." Or look like "us." Or share our religion. Our dress like "us."

The Hispanics. The Blacks. The Asians. The Muslims. The Mormons. The Catholics. The obese.

There was a time when I would take on the bigots of the world, using my mouth as a rapid-fire weapon. My eyes watering and voice quaking, I'd be all too happy to tell prejudiced people what's wrong with them. Only one problem with that .... that approach made me a bigot.

In a moment of sanity, it dawned on me that while yelling at others made me feel better, all that complaining did very little to help "those people." Wasn't that really the point?

Whenever I get stuck, I sit down and take a cultural inventory. My cultural audit, if you will, helped me to develop a new brand and a new plan. Now when I walk into a place where bigotry is a regular guest - I bring my stories of the extended American family along with me. (In the African American community, these typically are places that bash gays or members of the Jewish family.)

If it is a place where the Jewish community is a central target, I'll talk and talk and talk about my Jewish friends. Their achievements. Their worries. Their challenges. Their service. And, of course, all their acts of good will for my community. I tell their story, and explain their challenges.

People often stare at me with their eyes wide open, and their mouths shut. By singing the praises of "those people" within our cultural community, we erect a sign: Proceed with caution, dangers ahead. All bigotry will be met head-on with a demand for research-based evidence.

Bigotry flourishes, you see, only when facts aren't allowed into the conversation.

A story today, a story tomorrow. That's all it takes to help our friends, who at some point in life will be labeled as "those people." Here's the next step. After you have introduced positive facts into a bigot-friendly culture, create a dialogue by inviting individuals to help. Ask people who were part the problem to become the solution.

Here's how it is done. I might say,"You have such good insights. I have a friend I care about who is in trouble. She is experiencing a lot of bigotry. What would you suggest that I tell her?"

After the person answers, I'll disclose then that the friend I am trying to help is Jewish. And thank the person for helping me to find ways to eliminate bigotry. Surprise! Sometimes, misguided people tear down others to build themselves up. I offer them an alternate path to the respect.

In a recent survey, the Anti-Defamation League ( ADL survey) found that 15% of Americans hold views about Jews that are "unquestionably anti-Semitic," compared to 14% in 2005.  And that 31% of Americans believe Jews are more loyal to Israel than America; 27% of the American people believe Jews were responsible for the death of Christ; 15% believe that Jews have "too much power in the U.S.," and 20% believe that Jews have "Too much power in the business world."


An expanded cultural library leads to better decision-making and fewer cultural collisions. So give away free information everywhere you go. Be the voice of "those people." When cultural intelligence is shared, its value skyrockets.

Diversity advocates and diversity skeptics typically have little contact with each other. That's because we tend to talk to the people who agree with us or argue through the media. Come on folks. People within a cultural community know who the bigots are and where they live. We have unlimited access to them, which is something "those people" don't have. It is up to us to tell their story in these closed quarters.

Charge Penalty Points if People Play the Race Card

At the end of freshmen year in high school, the principal called me on stage to give me a certificate for having the highest grade point average in the class. The audience gasped in amazement. I was one of only 30 blacks in my class at a predominantly white Catholic school.

As I passed through the sea of white faces, one European American classmate whispered to another: "Well, you know, she is half-white." That was her spin as to why I landed in the top spot.

The truth? I did well that year because my mother would not let me watch TV on school nights. So I studied long hours and worked extra hard, especially for those teachers who expected less from me because I was black. My grades were a reflection of my labor and sacrifice - not my skin color.

That incident serves as a reminder that minorities are not the only ones using the race card as a escape hatch or protective armor. The race card is a handy exit strategy: it allows us to excuse our own faults or shortcomings and shift the blame or suspicion to other people. Minorities are almost always the ones accused of using it because we are the only ones being monitored and watched.

Let's say a police officer chases all the black cars that speed, but never pursues the speed demons driving white trucks or RVs. Will the town ever be safe for children? Of course not. People will catch on and start buying white vans. Then the problem will worsen. So it is with the race card. If we want people to stop using it, everyone has to be a suspect. We then must start charging penalty points, and stop rewarding this behavior.

OJ Simpson's attorney played the race card, and it earned OJ a Get Out of Jail Free Card. It is indeed unfortunate that, in the end, the court of public opinion sentenced him -not for murder - but for using his race to gain sympathy and misdirect the focus of the jury. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, at times, play the race cards. Yet they are often found guilty of this charge by the legions of columnists and conservative talk show hosts.

This week, after presidential candidate Barack Obama won South Carolina, former President Billl Clinton tried to dismiss the loss by saying, basically, that if a black and white are running against one another, blacks will vote for the black candidate. In other words, there is nothing any white candidate can do. Hillary is off the hook.

Really? I can give you the names of five African American friends who think John Edwards is the best candidate. His angry "Two Americas" populist message (which I respect) does not energize voters as much as Barack Obama's folksy ballard of harmony and hope. So many of these blacks are going with Obama because they think he is a solid candidate who can win. Others are backing Hillary because they think she is a solid candidate who can win. All of which rebutts Mr. Clinton's belief about race-based voting.

Race is not always a factor when a voter supports a candidate of his or her own race. That is not to say that some blacks will vote for Obama because he is black. Some whites will vote for Edwards because he is white, and some women will vote for Hillary because she is a woman. If there is an injustice in making that choice, then criticize all three groups. Don't single out the African Americans. (There we go, chasing the black cars again)

There are two questions we should ask people who play the race card: "Where do you get your information from? Who is your source?"  Once we start to demand proof, they will think twice before they hand out spontaneous sound bites.

People often ask me how we will know when America no longer has a racial problem. Well, there are many measures. But one will stand out:  When an individual tries to misdirect us, we will band together and say, "Just the facts, please. Hold the racial spin."

Worth Repeating

New York Times

On Kenya's woes:

“You can never underestimate the ability of just a couple of people to tear a place apart,” said Michael E. Ranneberger, the U.S. ambassador, during an interview at his house in Nairobi, the capital.

Portland Mayor Tom Potter's State of the City Address:

"I have seen that the real strength of our country and community is directly attributable to our diversity, and now is the time to strengthen the growing multi-cultured fabric in our beloved City of Roses. I accept my responsibility to lead this discussion, but I am also calling upon the people of Portland to start discussions with their families, our ethnic communities, and neighbors. Over the next year I will be holding community meetings in different parts of Portland, not to point fingers, but to see how we can discuss the issue of race in a manner that allows all of us to grow in understanding and acceptance, and one that will position Portland to be even more competitive in the global economy.

As we talk, we should expand these conversations to include how we become a more inclusive community for our neighbors with disabilities who still incur indignities in their daily lives. And for those in our Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Trans-gendered communities still living in the twilight zone of bigotry, not knowing when – or if - they will be granted the simple rights of domestic partnership the Oregon legislature gave them last year. I am glad there will always be those diehards who believe the 14th amendment to the Constitution, and it’s Equal Protection clause, means equal protection- for everyone! Period!"

Dr. Maurice Johnson, pastor, Memphis Christian Center

Source: Memphis Tri-State Defender:

"If any kind of real impact is going to be made on crime and violence in Memphis, we must help people change their habits, attitudes, beliefs, and expectations, ” he said. “When change is made in how these young people live and think, then their behavior will follow. . . Many of these young people come from single-parent homes. They were not taught some basic things we take for granted.We teach them coping skills and principles of parenting. A great many have children.”

Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton

When the measure of our progress is taken as a nation, it is not how many people became the richest in the world, it is how many could share in the American dream and feel secure in their own lives and in the lives of their children. "

===

Presidential Candidate Barack Obama:

Source: Los Angeles Times:

The barriers are "inside our own heads," Obama said to the largely black audience. "I don't want to perpetuate this notion in our kids that there are limits to their dreams. . . . Tell your father that he's got to be making sure he's not passing on that mind-set to his grandchildren."

A City Girl Adjusts To Life In A Suburb

I no longer hear the police sirens wail mournfully in the middle of the night. Neighbor's cats walk up to my front door daily as if arriving for afternoon milk and tea. The city gives me free plastic bags for my garbage. After a neighbor's dog escaped and began playing tag with cars, my friend and I called police. In less than five minutes, an officer arrived to collect the frisky  pet. The next day, we learned the owners had reclaimed their family treasure.

Police who come when you call. Service with a smile. Officers who come to your front door to intercept lost pets. Where am I? I feel like Linda in Wonderland.

I've been a city girl most of my adult life. I put up with the police sirens, the crime, the garbage on the streets, because I love the urban street theater. So many interesting faces in the crowds, and so many lyrical dialogues. Everyday a cast of thousands passes by, giving an audience of passersby the chance to peek inside their lives. I often heard breaking local news at the coffee shop. I listened to great debaters walking down the streets. At times, I chatted with complete strangers about serious topics such as voting; politics, and family. On every corner you would find street coaches and life consultants - with no wait times and no fees.

Whenever we encounter change (cultural, ethnic or religious, geographic), we are going to have a few hurdles as we adapt to the new ways. We should expect to stumble from time to time. You see, cultural, socioeconomic filters play the same old films in our head, long after an era ends. So even when the scenery changes, we may remain stuck as old beliefs and attitudes and assumptions hold us back. We may continue to replay old conversations; visit familiar and safe places; and see what was, but never what can be. When individuals get stuck, they lose the chance to appreciate the astounding beauty (and opportunity and peoples) that surrounds them.

While looking for a house to rent,  my girlfriend and I peeked into the window of a home with a for lease sign. She is Jewish American; I am African American.

She immediately approached the window and began to survey the inside. I, on the other hand, turned around first to look out for the police. City instincts. Survival instincts, one might say. An African American woman poking her head into the window of an empty house in a predominately white neighborhood? That, I figured, could earn me a free night in the county jail.

The next day, I called the homeowner to schedule an appointment. "Did you go up to the window and peek in?" he asked. Well, yes, I admitted sheepishly. "Well, good," the owner said. "That is what I hoped you would do. That is why I leave the blinds open."

Why had it never occurred to me that the owner left the blinds open so passersby could take a sneak peek? It was a marketing tool; not a trap. Got it! I added that experience to my cultural library.

My filters and I are adjusting slowly. I still lock my doors every time I enter my place. Force of habit. I don't know if that will ever change. I now look forward to the unannounced visits by neighborhood pets. I really enjoy having neighbors who will stop, as they walk their pets, to say hello. I go out sometimes and stare at my trees in the backyard. (You mean, you don't have to go to the park?)

Don't get me wrong. I love living in an urban center where one can listen to jazz at the Art Museum; visit fine restaurants; go to the world renowned flower show and see all the latest cultural exhibits. But life in the suburbs is sort of nice. Different, but nice.

Having the opportunity to choose between the two - that's good.  Not everyone gets to have a choice. Having the skills that allows one to adjust and find beauty in the new and the old - that's priceless. For years I told my friends that I would never live in a suburb. I'll admit to being a metropolitan snob. (Life outside of the city- huh!)

Never say never. Try new things now and then. Challenge your old assumptions. I honed these cultural skills at the University of Missouri, by the way. Shows you can get a cutting-edge education at a public school. Most of these lessons came, not from the textbooks. but rather through interactions with diverse peoples and wise professors. Thank you, Mizzou.

Knowledge is often earned by making sound investments in ourselves and our neighbors.

Barack Obama: The Quiet Corners of Our Lives

Barack Obama's prepared remarks to the Ebenezer Baptist Church are a reminder that we must live as though we are the hero in our community and the guardian of peace and justice in our world. Below is an excerpt from his speech on Sunday:

"The Scripture tells us that we are judged not just by word, but by deed.  And if we are to truly bring about the unity that is so crucial in this time, we must find it within ourselves to act on what we know; to understand that living up to this country’s ideals and its possibilities will require great effort and resources; sacrifice and stamina.

And that is what is at stake in the great political debate we are having today. The changes that are needed are not just a matter of tinkering at the edges, and they will not come if politicians simply tell us what we want to hear.  All of us will be called upon to make some sacrifice.  None of us will be exempt from responsibility.  We will have to fight to fix our schools, but we will also have to challenge ourselves to be better parents.  We will have to confront the biases in our criminal justice system, but we will also have to acknowledge the deep-seated violence that still resides in our own communities...

He led with words, but he also led with deeds.  He also led by example.  He led by marching and going to jail and suffering threats and being away from his family. He led by taking a stand against a war, knowing full well that it would diminish his popularity.  He led by challenging our economic structures, understanding that it would cause discomfort.  Dr. King understood that unity cannot be won on the cheap; that we would have to earn it through great effort and determination.

"That is the unity – the hard-earned unity – that we need right now. It is that effort, and that determination, that can transform blind optimism into hope – the hope to imagine, and work for, and fight for what seemed impossible before. 

"The stories that give me such hope don’t happen in the spotlight.  They don’t happen on the presidential stage. They happen in the quiet corners of our lives.  They happen in the moments we least expect.  Let me give you an example of one of those stories.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organizes for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. .  She’s been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and the other day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there. 

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer.  And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care.  They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches.  Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

So Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign.  They all have different stories and reasons.  Many bring up a specific issue.  And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time.  And Ashley asks him why he’s there.  And he does not bring up a specific issue.  He does not say health care or the economy.  He does not say education or the war.   He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama.  He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.” 

By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough.  It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

...Brothers and sisters, we cannot walk alone. 

In the struggle for peace and justice, we cannot walk alone. 

In the struggle for opportunity and equality, we cannot walk alone 

In the struggle to heal this nation and repair this world, we cannot walk alone." 

Diversity Matters

Newsroom Diversity Strengthens Reporting and Promotes Solution-Driven Journalism

Can you identify the glaring error in this New York Times caption on Sunday:

"Senator Barack Obama, with Coretta Scott King, laid a wreath at the tomb of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after speaking at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta." (Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times)

The caption was later corrected to read as follows:

"Senator Barack Obama laid a wreath at the tomb of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King after speaking at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. "(Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times)

Coretta Scott King, of course, died in January 2006. No word on the real identity of the woman who was mistakenly identified as Mrs. King. No disrespect intended. I love the New York Times. But I've said it before: the more diverse the voices we have around us, the easier it is to sidestep the blind spots along the road to inclusion and excellence.

Let's be careful out there! Every one of us could use a backseat driver to negotiate the changing landscape. As the error was quickly corrected, somebody out there had your back!

(Hey, anybody out there besides me every ask the simple and obvious question about William McGowan's book : Coloring the News, which basically noted some culturally-framed or culturally influenced stories by minority journalists and concluded diversity is ruining the news business.

OK, if minority journalists have biases (I know I do), wouldn't one logically ask if white journalists have cultural biases too? (Research tells us this is the case but McGowan never pursued this point. ) And isn't is possible that these biases prompt the European American reporters to make mistakes in news judgments as well?

OK, so if that is true, then the premise for McGowan's entire book is faulty. Diversity isn't the problem; it is the solution. You see, diverse peoples need each other for backup. Only if a newsroom has a diversity of "biases" or cultural filters coming at it from all directions can it hope to have a reasonable chance of distinguishing fact from fiction (i.e. weapons of mass destruction). We need to line up our cultural filters together, for each adds a new piece to the puzzle. Readers and viewers benefit from this enlightenment.

If we only use the majority group's cultural filters to frame news stories, we still end up culturally influenced reporting. That is the point McGowan missed. The bias is less obvious because the majority culture automatically sees this perspective as "the truth" rather than as a single strand of it.)

Journalists need to monitor their biases If America is to ever honestly talk about race

Weekly News Roundup

Export: Lessons from the Happiest Place on Earth

LOS ANGELES TIMES - Jan. 20, 2008

Miami International and other firms with tough customer relations take lessons from the 'happiest place on Earth.'

The Disney Institute has espoused pixie-dusting customers to the service sector for more than two decades, teaching organizations about laser-sharp attention to detail, managing expectations, taking responsibility for the customer's experience and simply smiling.

Import: COMING TO AMERICA

NEW YORK TIMES: Jan 20, 2008

Foreigners Buy Stakes in the U.S. at a Record Pace

For much of the world, the United States is now on sale at discount prices. With credit tight, unemployment growing and worries mounting about a potential recession, American business and government leaders are courting foreign money to keep the economy growing. Foreign investors are buying aggressively, taking advantage of American duress and a weak dollar to snap up what many see as bargains, while making inroads to the world’s largest market.

THE MARCH TOWARD PROGRESS

In Memphis, AFSCME Union Pushes On After Dr. King

TRI-STATE DEFENDER   January 17, 2008

On Monday, Feb. 12, sanitation workers did something – they walked out – 1,300 strong. Mayor Henry Loeb calls the strike illegal. An International Union official flies in from Washington and asks Loeb to recognize the union. The mayor threatens to replace sanitation workers and issues an ultimatum for strikers to “get back to work – or else.”With the exception of about 200, workers stand united and refuse. A reported 10,000 tons of garbage piles up. When union leaders urge the city council to intervene, they support the mayor. And the history-making strike is on. Black leaders and ministers stand with strikers and encourage everyone to do likewise. Daily marches begin on Feb. 26. Eventurally Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would come to Memphis to help. The rest is history.  Fast forward to 2008 - 40 years later. Union Negotiations have broken down between the AFSME Local 1733 and the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. Jailers have been seeking a new contract since 2006 when their 10-year-old contract expired.

RACE ISSUES NEED AIRING, PORTLAND MAYOR SAYS

PORTLAND OREGONIAN - Jan. 19,2008

Portland Mayor Tom Potter gives his final State of the City speech and leaves the town with a few words of wisdom: "Many mayors measure their time in office by what they have built. But my focus has always been in increasing the number and diversity of voices that shape our city," he said. "As we welcome these new voices, we must also find a way to begin a conversation in our community about race. It is an uncomfortable topic for many, but I believe race remains an ugly, open sore on the body politic. And until we start talking honestly with each other, and listening, it will remain that way."

The audience "applause was long and loud."

Columnist of the Week: Bob Herbert,  New York Times

POLITICS AND MISOGNY - Jan. 18, 2008

With Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's win in New Hampshire, gender issues are suddenly in the news. Where has everybody been?

Tear Our House Down or Build It Up?: That is the Presidential Question

One weary man may chop down trees; design the floorplan; secure financing;  pour the foundation, and then frame and complete a home.

Then a second man may come along to paint the walls, add carpet, and sell it to wary buyers.

Both men made key contributions to the project, and to the general community.  One man had the genius to create his dream home while the second man had the skills to persuade others it was worth the asking price.

In life, as in politics,the man who builds houses and the man who sells them don't typically share evenly in the profits. Why? People acknowledge the builder is the greater risk taker. Therefore, he gets the lion's share of the rewards.

I am sharing this little fable to put the hurt feelings resulting from Hillary Clinton's Dr. King quote into cultural context. Hillary said that “Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964…It took a president to get it done.”

Well, let's view it through the builder's lens. Wouldn't that be a little like saying it took real estate agents to make this development a success. After a weary builder invests blood, sweat and tears, would we really heap praise on the guy who walked in at the last moment to turn a quick profit? If you were a Realtor, you might. Builders, however, are likely to be give you an argument.

African Americans were in every sense of the word the primary architects of the civil rights movement. Thousands put their lives on the lines; lost their jobs; faced down dogs; took beatings; and refrained - for the most part - from striking out or turning violent.

So when Hillary decided to sing the praises of Lyndon B, Johnson, who actually voted against most civil rights legislation during his political career, some black people were stung. Ouch! She used an unfortunate example to make her point. When you give as many speeches and interviews as she does, cultural collisions will happen. There's no value in revisiting the accident scene to gawk.

In gloomy economic times such as these, the last thing America needs is for builders and agents to turn on each other. What happens then? My guess is both of them will lose in process.

As this nation stands at a place where an African American and a woman have a chance of becoming the party's nominee, we should take a page from the New England Patriots play book: Don't pick a fight with your teammate. Fight the competition instead.You are far more likely to get the perfect season.

As for the bullies throwing about the "R" word (racist), I have a remedy for that as well: Next time someone uses that divisive word, as some of Obama's supporters did, let's ask them for the facts to support their case. How is it racist? Where did you get your information from? Then let's hold fact-finding hearings. We will examine whether the research they offer supports the charge.

Anyone caught making false accusations gets put in the penalty box. There, they will be unable to give media interviews for 30 days. Three times in the penalty box, and then the public is done with you! We tune you out! The penalty box also has room for folks who preach racial supremacy, ethnic hostility and for media personalities who make false statements to the public to drum up ratings.

I'm from Missouri. You've got to show me. '

Your Biases Won't Stay Hidden Under the Kitchen Table

"Chase after the truth like all hell and you'll free yourself, even though you never touch its coattails.''

Clarence Darrow

In today's politically correct world,some folks will tell you it is better to deny racial, gender or religious biases than to be honest and open about them. The question I raise today: Better for whom?

While seated in a pool of potential jurors, I heard a white man in Philadelphia admit to a judge last year he was prejudiced against blacks. I don't think anybody believed him except me. Earlier, in the cramped waiting area for jurors, this man got up and walked away after I took the empty seat next to him. He stood alone at the wall by himself.

With practice, minorities can accurately watch and read strangers. We do it to protect our feelings and to keep our self-esteem from getting bruised. Career success often is tied to this skill. I  watched sadly as the man stood with a painful look on his face.

The judge gladly dismissed the guy who said who was racist and, therefore, could not be fair. As the defendant in the case was black, I'll bet he was happy. As the man left the courtroom, the whites around me looked at him with disdain (and disbelief.) I smiled. There goes an honorable man, I thought. He told the truth when the truth really mattered. How many other jurors harbored similar racial, gender and religous biases yet denied them under oath simply to save face? How many innocent people are in jail because people thought it was polite to publicly deny their biases?

(The Anti-Defamation League reported a noticeable spike in activity by KKK chapters in 2007, and said the KKK was on the rebound. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Pennsylvania has 26 hate or separatist groups. Some of their members, no doubt, are being called to serve on jury duty)

Trying to hide racial or gender biases is a bit like trying to hide crumbs under the dining room table. Eventually, they are going to come out and expose our core beliefs. Chances are, it's going to happen at the worst possible moment. The cover up is often worst than the crime.

That's the situation here in Houston where some people have called for the resignation of County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal. The Houston Chronicle's Leslie Casimir reported recently that a coalition of black ministers and other community leaders called for Rosenthal to step down immediately, charging the top prosecutor misled them.

The Chronicle reported the group was dismayed by a racially charged photograph found in Rosenthal's e-mails depicting a black man sprawled out on a sidewalk next to large slices of watermelon, a cup of soda and a chicken bucket. The title of the e-mail: Fatal Overdose. It's unclear how the image arrived in Rosenthal's file, Leslie reported. I should also note that Rosenthal also had sexually explicit content in work emails. He is an equal-opportunity offender.

"We prayed with him; we have been working with him — I feel jilted," said Robert Jefferson, pastor of Cullen Missionary Baptist Church told the Houston Chronicle. "He was smiling with us in one place and stabbing us in our backs in another."

The DA indeed led an secret life, joking with black leaders and women in public and then using emails to diminish them and undermine their societal value. This creates reasonable doubt as to whether he could then compartmentalize those feelings and attitudes in a manner that allows him to dispense an even-handed justice and balance the rights of diverse staffs and constituencies.

Were the voices of women and minority attorneys respected and listened to, or were their concerns dismissed? Did groupthink and cultural filters influence the cases it investigated and tried? Were any employees disciplined for sexual harassment or racism during his tenure? If so, how can an agency discipline employees for infractions when the boss misbehaves without penalty?

In the end, who is the truer friend to the African American community? The white racist who stands before a judge to admit his prejudices, or the Harris County DA who masks his raw feelings about women and Blacks in order to boost his own career?

Which is the better man? Who is the greater patriot?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr pondered a similar question while in the Birmingham jail. Some might find his conclusion surprising. "I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters. First I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice, who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will."

Next time you think about where you stand, think again about Dr. King's words.