Thoughts on Diversity in 2012 by Otis "Scotty" Scott

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Recently I had the good fortune to hear Rodney Kline (EEOC) speak on "The Talent Acquisition Lifecycle." Hearing him speak brought to mind an issue that many of us face as HR Professionals -- how do we make our organizations more inclusive?

Rodney’s issue was timely. As I looked around me and thought, "This is 2012, it is amazing to me to see how far we have come just in my lifetime," but paused to think that we have much more work to continue to make progress in being a more inclusive society.

I hope that many of you, by the time you read this article have seen some resolution to these issues I am about to discuss. However, I am a realist and know many of these issues are still being worked.

As Paul Harvey of "60 Minutes" used to say, "... and now for the rest of the story". It’s 2012 and we’re still facing issues in our society that one would think would have been resolved by now. Here are just a few that were making headlines as I wrote this article.

>>Women having the right to be a part of a sporting event, where because of tradition they are excluded. Yes, I am talking about women being allowed to be a part of a sporting event at Texas A&M University. Due to their current tradition, females are not allowed to be "Yell Leaders" or have a female dance team perform at their football games. Again, as a tradition, females are unwelcome in this venue as leaders. Imagine that a university with a population of 50,000 students with almost half being female students, actually excluding them because of tradition --- hello?!  This is 2012!    Update: The "Yell Leader" selected was a male and the female dance team can still not perform at the football games.

>>Racial slurs still used by the very source that we look to for the latest information...the news media. Recently ESPN used a slur both in print and on the air when referring to an American, who happened to be of Asian descent. In all fairness to ESPN, they did apologize immediately and removed it from their mobile website. I will not bring any more attention to the incident by repeating the slur; my point is it should have never happen in the first place --- hello?! This is 2012!  Update: ESPN fired the individuals involved.

Now television producers are producing a politically incorrect TV show based on a person’s physical characteristics. I will not glorify this attempt at humor by even naming the show, but it’s enough to say that this is 2012! Get my point!

I hope that you have figured it out by now. There is still a need for diversity and inclusion training and awareness, because it is still a significant issue in our society. I could have pointed out our history and the challenges that we have faced, but we have already crossed that bridge and many of you lived through it, heard it, or read about it. Yet, we are still facing some very significant issues, that if not addressed will force us to relive the very things that we have struggled to eliminate.

So, where are we headed? If you’ve seen the television show "The Voice" you’ll understand, where I am headed. Not taking anything for granted, for those of you that might have not have seen it yet. It’s about celebrity judges that have to select an individual based not on what they see, but what they hear them sing. This prevents them being influenced based on what that person’s physical characteristics, gender, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, etc. You get my point. It’s all about what they can bring to their team. We as HR Professionals need to help the people in our companies, organizations and associations focus on individuals based on the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) that they bring to our organizations. Each person brings certain intellectual capital and a unique perspective based on his or her background and education. We need to focus on this, if we’re to become a society that is all-inclusive.

I challenge each of you to make sure as practicing HR professionals that you’re making this happen in your associations, companies and organizations. If you’re encountering barriers, then reach out for the assistance that you need in order to make your workplace one where everyone feels welcome.

Leslie Vlisides - Winner