XXXXI. Diversity: American as Apple Pie With Cheese

This week has been a good one for democracy. The Democratic Party has regained its momentum with two individuals from working-class backgrounds leading the charge. Corporations are now under legal scrutiny for predatory social media, price gouging, and monopolistic practices. Ukraine has taken the fight to its invader, demonstrating the value of fighting for a just cause.

In a democracy, every day brings new challenges and opportunities. It is a continual state of flux, where some are better at tearing down than building up. Despite diversity of thought, opinion, and people being the most distinctive and known element of our country, it has been under continuous attack. When this happens, the civic-minded must question the motives behind it. Such attacks often serve to distract from positive developments, like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

This manipulative narrative, combined with a complacent population, is a test toward how far can be gone to erode further freedoms, dictating what we read, what we say, how we look, and who we associate with. It is an attempt to establish an autocratic regime akin to Putin's Russia or a theocratic government like Iran. The lies and hateful rhetoric are no different from fatwas and jihads under another form of government.

Much of my work over two decades has been in the environmental sector, where diversity is severely lacking. A recent study found that only 22% of environmental science degrees are awarded to students from underrepresented minority groups. On a project I once worked on, the tribal representatives were sometimes “white faces”, from the lack of native scientists. I’ve been involved with initiatives to reach Hispanic populations without having a Spanish speaker on staff. This lack of diversity extends to outdoor recreation as well, with people of color making up just 23% of national park visitors despite comprising 42% of the U.S. population. If you don’t see many black Americans in the woods, it could be from a real past that such was dangerous to do so. And by now, everyone knows the embarrassment of the central park birdwatching incident.

Without continued proactive efforts, diversity in professional services will not improve due to these historical barriers and systemic inequalities. There is much to be optimistic about, however. My current workplace is a stark difference from my last. Today it’s like being in the the United Nations, where one day I might hear from a scientist from Bengal and the next from an engineer from Nigeria. This diversity of perspectives and experiences enriches our work and strengthens our ability to tackle complex global challenges, and it happens because the institute is welcoming and supportive. It realizes the gains by have the best of the world here.

Diversity is not a threat. Never was and never will be. It is the very essence of what makes America truly exceptional. By embracing our differences and working together, we can get shit done. It is crucial that we push back against those who weaponize this issue to stoke fear and purposeful division. It is self-serving and un-American, and a reminder that the work to protect a democracy from enemies both foreign and domestic, is never done.

You as the leader will always check your thinking, continue the search for knowledge, and “first cast the beam from thine own eye.”

• From the motel where MLK, Jr. was assassinated, an effort with businesses to protect DEI initiatives.

• Killing of art is killing off the dreams and human potential.

• If a solar project this massive can be accomplished, solar can be completed anywhere.

• The power of humor against the authoritarian.

• Again, humor is the art of saying more than what’s being said.

The article argues that dismantling DEI programs is just plain dumb. Despite political backlash, DEI efforts have helped transform places long dominated by white patriarchal norms. You think the work is done? Open your eyes. This is the article that got me thinking on this issue. Having spent time in Columbia, it reminded me that everywhere I’ve lived, it has remained a struggle to reach beyond the railroad. Every place has what seems to be the north and the south divide. One wonders how we can talk about going beyond the moon, yet we still have accepted partitions in our communities. It will take continued leadership and push against economic inequality before communities become genuine communities, and business and institutes look like the communities they are supposed to serve.

Lots of thoughts on this one. For one, we are not addressing climate change as we should. We will continue to pass on problems to the next generation to deal with for the sake of low prices and very high CEO pay.

Here’s the big question.

When is it ever okay to use violence as the means to an end? Can such acts be justified in cases of environmental damage? One thing I latch on to here is that they focus on the sabotage of property, not people.

I see efforts like this becoming more common soon.

If they are looking to serve a bigger cause, there is going to have to be much more education to make the connections between utility bills, insurance bills, and even death from bigger and more dangerous storms, agricultural operations that need to change, and current practices that may even to change location or stop. The old economy is not giving way to a new one without a fight, and it is going to be the voiceless in between who pays.

Every generation has its youth movement. Where, on one hand, we read about complacency and the problems with young men, maybe this is the type of cause that will ignite some passion. It would be dishonest of me to pretend the approaches here are not problematic, yet the problems we have today, though addressable by science, are being implemented at the pace of protecting profit. This is why good public policy and who you support are so important to lead the way.

Here’s how I think about business and someone who dedicates their life to one company. I would hope that she can retire comfortably. Not necessarily wealthy, but after 50 years, enough in the bank each month and healthcare covered. I would also hope any company worth their merit that has an employee this long would ensure or automatically put her into a stock purchase or deferred compensation program. Maybe something that kicks in after ten years. The reporting here is surface-level only. The details are always below. She certainly portrayed the American work ethic and loyalty, and I hope the company did its part.

Now….

Compare this model to a company that takes care of its employees by making employees owners. If you want to see what kind of capitalism is the only kind that will correct problems in America, it’s this one. Watch here:

We’ve gone from being the melting pot to a part of the population boiling with manipulated rage. Girls In Tech and other diversity-focused nonprofits are collapsing as tech companies withdraw funding, driven predominately by political shenanigans. This is very short-sighted and undermines long-term public policy. I wish some companies would speak up and speak out and say, “You know, we don’t care. Don’t buy our product. Don’t go to our locations. We love our people. All of them. Get stuffed.”

When it comes to healthcare and seniors, the significant amount of money involved makes it challenging for any new initiative to succeed, regardless of its health benefits or cost savings. This is simply another case where public policy has been used to strangle, inhibit, and make difficult the ease to get to medicines that are most likely more affordable.

The long-term care market is ripe for transition. The stories of costs and neglect far outweigh the stories of good and affordable healthcare for loved ones. Stories like this matter because it highlights the need for improved education and awareness about medical cannabis. By addressing the knowledge gap, patients may have better access to potentially beneficial treatments, even cheaper ones. Additionally, the positive attitudes suggest medical cannabis could become a more widely accepted and used option for managing various conditions, potentially improving the quality of life for many patients.

The more expensive option isn’t always the best. Be mindful of efforts to limit your choices.

Speaking of choices, I was in Japan for the summer of 1991, visiting Japanese businesses like Toyota, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, and many others. Besides the stellar customer service, one of the first things I noticed was the great variety of vending machines everywhere for almost anything you could think of. Japan was the first place I saw and purchased cans of hot coffee and cold coffee and they came from a vending machine. I would not see these products in the United States for another three years (though the irony was that the product, called Georgia Coffee, was part of Coca-Cola).

One evening, I was with other students on a corner in the busy city of Hiroshima. The vending machine we found dispensed small kegs of beer. We fed our yen coins into the machine until it came to life, bounced a bit, and the keg rolled to the bottom.

A substantial reason for travel is to not only recognize how similar people are all over the world but to see where your country may be forward on some things and behind on others. Special note: thirty years later, we are still way behind on high-speed trains.

Here’s the quote that matters:

Do universities have a responsibility to teach these skills that are in vogue today but may be out of fashion 10 years from now?” said President Nariman Farvardin. “They do not.” Instead, colleges have a “responsibility to teach students to learn for life,” he said.

“Wanting to know more today than you did yesterday.”

That’s a great way to go through life and this is a great story of someone who didn’t waste their time. The search for knowledge has given him an unexpected freedom to make a living doing what he loves. He read and listened his way to his path. He cuts away all the preconceived notions we have about teaching and learning. There’s even a list of some books that might intrigue you.

And Now….

Hope to see you next time. Check out our new t-shirt in the store. Keep reading, practice your gratefulness, and remember that whatever you do, make it matter. No matter how big or small. Be a good human.