Telling Grand Rapids, MI why diversity training doesn’t work

by Carmen Van Kerckhove

I was on “Radio in Black and White” this past Monday morning, on Grand Rapids’ Talk Radio AM 1230 WTKG. To listen, click the play button at the end of this post.

Among the things I talked about on the show:

  • Diversity training doesn’t work. But organizations do it anyway because they care more about mitigating legal risk than eradicating discrimination.
  • Much of diversity training is actually about teaching people to hide their racism, not educating them to overcome their racism.
  • Many organizations focus on “celebrating” diversity through events like ethnic food potlucks. But this kind of cultural tourism encourages people to turn a blind eye to racism by promoting the myth that we live in a happy-go-lucky, color-blind world.
  • Why we need to eradicate oppression olympics: when communities of color fight over who has it worse, instead of recognizing that it’s all part of the same system.

Hope you enjoy it!

Trackbacks & Pings

  1. Sunday blogging against racism–right here where we live! « I wanna love You better whatever it takes . . . on 15 Sep 2007 at 11:07 pm

    […] her wonderful blogs not too long ago. Imagine my surprise when I saw that she had been a guest on Grand Rapids’ own Radio in Black and White . . . which I had heard of, but haven’t […]

Comments

  1. Erica wrote:

    No they didn’t start the segment with “Black or White.” Heh.

    This conversation reminded me of the phenomenon wherein techie/internet people bounce around in their online world and forget that the vast majority of the general public doesn’t have any idea what is going on with the internet.

    You bring your well-informed point of view to a group, and they’re having this conversation on a completely different (lower) level. I guess you have to lay some foundation for the listeners.

    They redeemed themselves at the end, though, when they got to the Africa part.

    (I’ll admit this could possibly stem from my personal bias towards Grand Rapids/western MI, my being from Detroit.)

    Posted 14 Sep 2007 at 10:46 am

  2. Carlos wrote:

    I am not sure what Erica means by “lower level” probably her bias towards us.

    I think it was a great show, I happen to know both of them (I live in GR) and listed to the show every week.
    Carmen; next time you’re in town let us know.
    Congrats.

    Posted 14 Sep 2007 at 1:46 pm

  3. Erica wrote:

    My bias towards western Michigan is because it’s pretty conservative. I’m pleasantly surprised to hear that a show of this nature is coming out of Grand Rapids, and I think the show probably doesn’t do a lot of preaching to the choir. Or maybe it does, but I would expect the choir to be pretty small.

    My point was that when you bounce around in an academic circle or the part of the blogosphere that RIW (and Racialicious, etc.) does, you get used to talking about these topics in a way in which you assume that everyone else has the same knowledge base and experience of previous discussion that you do.

    Listening to Carmen sort of go back to basics at the beginning of her segment was a reminder that not everyone has that same knowledge base and experience of previous discussion.

    It’s like trying to explain email to your grandma. You have to remember that she doesn’t even use the computer and you have to get her to turn it on first.

    Fortunately, the interview was long enough that there was time to move on a little. Which the hosts (and Carmen) did quite capably.

    Posted 14 Sep 2007 at 3:26 pm

  4. Lorraine wrote:

    I agree that much of Grand Rapids is on a “lower” level. There are a few of us who “get” it, or at least are *trying* to get it, but we are certainly fighting an uphill battle.

    And yes, the choir is small–downright anemic!–but we sing with all of our hearts, even though we are quite used to people throwing tomatoes at us. (okay, the metaphor is officially dead, so I’ll stop now.)

    But I have heard at least one African-American pastor in this town say that he believes Grand Rapids African-Americans have a “plantation mentality”. As a white woman, I can’t pretend that I can speak to that, but I do think that, whatever you want to call it, there is something odd here.

    I had heard of this show from a friend of mine, but hadn’t listened to it before today. I’m glad that you posted this, Carmen!

    Posted 15 Sep 2007 at 10:01 pm

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