When I first started organizing in the environmental movement, the buzz word was “diversity.” The mostly white movement was trying to extend their base, and just didn’t get understand why people of color weren’t ‘interested in the environment.’ The diversity training I went through back then was effective and has shaped my approach to organizing ever since.
Wilkes University recently had their folks go through a diversity training, and it looks like they were a little more unsuccessful.
Two Wilkes University students say they were offended by leadership consultant Ron Feldhun’s course methods and said that during a weekend retreat earlier this month, several students were called racial epithets.But Feldhun said his program was used as a scapegoat for the university to fire multicultural coordinator Andita Parker-Lloyd, who filed a racial profiling lawsuit against the city of Wilkes-Barre.
Navneet Virdee, a junior pharmacy major of Indian decent, said Feldhun called her a terrorist when she challenged the veracity of a diversity program meant to teach leadership principles. Virdee said Feldhun encouraged students to chant racial slurs at each other as a way to lessen the words’ impact. [link]
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p>I’m no professional in pedagogy, but even I know that this method may not be the BEST one to encourage open minded discussion on race. Mad props to Navneet for speaking up. I’m all for diversity trainings and think that when done properly they are a great tool for success. But only when done right. It seems though there was internal politics involved in bringing the training to campus.
“My perception is that there was a conspiracy to get rid of a strong Black woman,” he says. “They fired her because she embarrassed the school when she stood up to that White police officer.” […] Parker-Lloyd was arrested for disorderly conduct on Feb. 16 after she tried to intervene on behalf of minority Wilkes students who had been pulled over for an alleged signal violation. [link]
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Has anyone in the Mutiny been to one of these diversity trainings? Was it effective? Or was it dreadful like the one above? Really bad diversity trainings remind me of the the diversity training episode of The Office (starring desi-gal Mindy Kaling). Priceless and painfully humorous.
sorry i got to run to a flight hmf, but the example i’d linked earlier suggested that the nilgai was spared a cull because of the “gai” or cow association.
i believe the indian government is putting its weight behind the ganges cleansing is because of the religious significance of the river. there’ll be literally hell to pay for otherwise.
on the same note, i forget the reference, but te rod and rifle crowd put their shoulders to the environmentalist movement when a favored river got too polluted or too hot because of industrial effluents to be host to fish. i’d appreciate it if someone dug out the reference.
ok tata
You pulled this bullcrap out of your arse, didnt you Razib?
Anywayyyys, you guys, does no one see the humour in this since there was an episode on The Office showing this exact thing! I think that segment ended with the brown girl smacking her boss…
Oh my word. Taz, I. have. been. there. whistles But I’ll spare everyone the venting session. I’ll just say that my experiences have made me less of a fan of face-to-face dialogue as part of diversity trainings. I recommend using other [prepared] media instead because face-to-face dialogue can actually be counterproductive. There are three reasons for this: 1) it puts people on the spot and makes them afraid to say the things that desperately need to be said, 2) there is a greater chance that what is said gets taken personally, and 3) real and pertinent issues get dismissed because of personal politics and bad presentation (like in the situation described in your post).
If there are enough people to do so, I might recommend caucuses, but they are also problematic, and without excellent facilitators, can turn ugly. Using media like film and literature (theory, testimonials, etc) is a more efficient, “show-not-tell” approach.
This is, of course, just for organizational purposes. It can’t solve the larger problem of minority involvement in the environmental movement. That’s a whole other issue.
What the hell are “people of color”? Where is Color located? Never heard of the place.
Gazsi
they are from all the non-wh!te s@vage mud-pe0ple countries of the world.
What the hell are “people of color”? Where is Color located? Never heard of the place.
Oops double post.
But seriously, that’s such a stupid expression. At least write “coloured people”. It’s more honest in its racism.
Dilbert:
Di longer you verk here, di verse it gets.