by Carmen Van Kerckhove

Watercooler is the section of the blog in which we share with you real-life horror stories from the frontlines of race in the workplace. This week, we have a story from M:

I work for a government human services agency and we have a diversity council here at work. I served on it for a few years, but I got so frustrated and pissed off most of the time that I didn’t serve on it anymore.

One time, this group of people decided that they wanted to develop “cultural competency” guidelines for human services work. I do honestly think these people were well intentioned, but I think some of these guidelines tend to stereotype groups and lump them into the same category. For example, the implication that there is a “Pan-Asian view” of things or “Hispanic view” of things when in fact there are people in these groups that come from different countries which may have very different beliefs.

Also, a few years ago, the assistant commissioner had this big interest in diversity so she started to go to our diversity council meetings. (She seemed like one of those touchy feely 1960s flower type children.)

Anyway, so I’m at work one day and the assistant commissioner sends an email to everyone on the diversity council about this great idea she has: that all of us people of color can dress up in “traditional dress” and people can come around and we can describe our culture to them. <big eye roll> I suppose since I’m 1/2 Peruvian I’m supposed to dress up like one of the indigenous people of Peru and bake a potato dish for them.

It never happened at work, but the fact that our assistant commissioner — someone who thinks she’s so “diversified” and “informed” and “liberal” thought that this would be a good idea just killed me!

I mean, if part of the mission of the so-called diversity council was suppose to dispel stereotypes, I don’t know anything more stereotypical than having people of color (a term I hate by the way) dress up in “traditional dress” and share our traditions with all the white folks.

Aren’t “people of color” part of America too? When are “people of color” going to stop being perceived as “the other” or “foreign?”

Please email team@raceintheworkplace.com if you’d like to send in a story, put “watercooler” in the subject line, and let us know what name we should use for you. Pseudonyms and first names are totally fine. You can read more Watercooler stories here.