Finding Our Diversity
As a nation, America’s population is diverse and multicultural. We have always been, but how we have defined, recognized and portrayed that diversity throughout our history continually changes.
One way of portraying our collective diversity is through the data collected in the U. S. Census. And that data often gets overly relied on as a way to measure diversity.
No stranger to changes in collecting data for the decennial census, Cornelia served on a task force, along with other HR leaders, prior to the 2000 Census. They sat through hours of discussion and mind-boggling information, to determine the impact on EEO requirements and reporting if a category of more than one race were added.
That change led to separating race from ethnicity, and presenting Hispanic as an ethnic group rather than a race. Now, there is a proposal for the 2030 Census to move Hispanic back to a racial category and adding an ethnicity category for Middle Eastern or Northern African so individuals from that ethnic group no longer must identify as White.
Confused? Bored? Did I mention mind-boggling earlier?
When I read an article about the 2030 Census proposal, a number of things became clear. First, race is a social construct—an idea created and accepted by people in a society. How else can you explain moving Hispanic or Latino from race to ethnicity then back to race? As the U.S. Census Bureau Director explains, “The general public does not separate race and ethnicity. They think of it as one thing.”
Second, the 2030 proposal is grappling with the same complexities of individual diversity as the 2000 proposals did—indigenous populations within the Latino community, for example.
The answers to these complex issues aren’t easy because while the census count is important, it attempts to fit individuals neatly into singular boxes. But each of us has our own unique, multidimensional diversity, and we can’t be neatly, nor singularly labeled. The portrait the census data paints, doesn’t necessarily describe who we are as individuals.
Against the backdrop of the nonsensical discourse about critical race theory and wokeness, consider other examples of the multi-faceted diversity that exists within our population captured in other news stories.
A story about Native Americans showcasing their history and culture is one example. Of course, the history and culture of the Native American population in the United States is diverse because the population is geographically dispersed, just as the experiences of people growing up in cities differs from people growing up in rural areas.
An article about the firing of a chief diversity officer at New College of Florida is another example. That officer identifies as BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, people of color] and transgender.
Despite all the quibbling about what diversity, equity and inclusion means, diversity exists within each of us. Yes, racism is a problem that needs to be addressed. But beyond race and singular categories of representation, diversity includes characteristics like sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Additionally, other dimensions of diversity like age, ancestry and/or ethnicity, family experiences, education, geography, religious beliefs, work experience, or communication style, for starters, should be considered.
Discover, define and celebrate your own diversity and do the same for friends, colleagues, and other people who influence your life.
Remember, the Census is about counting people. Diversity is about making people count.