Recently, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas addressed students at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He discussed his faith, the issue of race, and growing up in the South. From his perspective, we as a nation have become too race- and difference-conscious. Unlike years ago, Justice Thomas feels that we have become obsessed with diversity and race in particular. As he said, everybody gets their feelings hurt at some point in time, that’s just “part of the deal.”
The question of whether we have become too conscious of diversity is based on a number of myths:
Myth 1: Consciousness (sometimes referred to as sensitivity) of differences equals obsession. They are not the same. One of my mentors once advised me to acknowledge race and then move on, just not too fast. Obsession would have us acknowledge diversity, and then stop dead in our tracks.
Myth 2: Differences are the problem. For too long, we have seen differences as the problem. If that is our point of view, then the way to bring us together and move forward is to ignore or keep our differences under wraps. This is a myth; the problems we encounter in society are not due to our differences or how conscious we are of them. Rather, these problems stem from the way we view and respond to these differences.
Myth 3: Diversity consciousness blinds us to our common humanity. This myth is common. For example, being conscious of race and the origin of this socially defined label makes me more aware of the biological insignificance of race. Similarly, I am mindful of the artificially constructed barriers that prevent us from seeing just how much we share in common. As one of my professors at Howard University once said, racial differences are miniscule. However, we take that miniscule difference and blow it all out of proportion.
Myth 4: Consciousness equals sensitivity. Consciousness, I believe, requires much more work and effort on our part than sensitivity. In my book Diversity Consciousness, I define diversity consciousness as awareness, understanding, and skills in the area of diversity. Sensitivity without understanding is incomplete, as is sensitivity without skills. You can never have too much understanding and empathy.
Myth 5: Slights are “part of the deal.” Just because we all encounter slights, does that make them any less troublesome? Does that mean that we should somehow just accept them as part of life and move on? This is a variation of the “blame the victim” approach that was popularized years ago. Yes, we can be taught to endure slights, and even grow stronger in the face of slights. But we can also teach ourselves and others to be more mindful of what we say and do, and to try to be more inclusive in our thinking and behaviors. Indeed, this is something I work on every day.