Non-diversity?

A while back, a leader of an organization called me, inquiring about my availability to facilitate a workshop on diversity. As we talked, she made clear that her institution was not at all diverse.
Recently, a study by CareerBuilder examined trends in the workplace in the U.S. According to Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor, more than “1,300 workers were surveyed.” Among their findings, “more than half of non-diverse workers feel diverse workers have a better chance of landing new jobs; one third of diverse workers agree.”
In grocery stores throughout the country, certain aisles are devoted to ethnic or diverse foods; while logic tells us the other aisles must be for non-diverse or “non-ethnic” foods.
When someone comments about the diversity of their neighborhoods, what image comes to mind. A non-diverse worker? A diverse worker who speaks with an accent? This language is not only inaccurate, it serves to compartmentalize and separate us. Is it any wonder that many white males and other so-called “non-diverse groups” feel left out of the discussion on diversity?
All organizations are diverse, all of us are diverse, all of us live in diverse neighborhoods, and all of us speak with an accent. However, the nature and degree of diversity vary. It is interesting that we have been having this conversation for some time now. Approximately two decades ago, Roosevelt Taylor addressed the importance of expanding our definition of diversity in his book, Beyond Race and Gender.
Today, I teach at Baltimore City Community College, an institution that is predominantly African American and female. Is it diverse? You tell me.