Diversity, inclusion, and tolerance are key buzzwords for corporate America in an age where bottom-line profits and revenue depend on the increasing numbers of people of color not only as customers but also as employees. Embracing difference is the foundation for capitalizing on a marketplace where “minorities”, and ill-defined term that once only meant either the darker-hued or non-English speaking percentage of the population, bring to the table a wealth of knowledge, creativity, and disposable income. Such was not always the case in this land of opportunity and justice for all. In every instance, in every conceivable indicium, there was a “first” African American that had to forge the way where no other had gone before, to pave the way and to break the stigmatic bonds of chattel slavery that rendered people of African descent as undesirable. It is on the shoulders of those brave individuals, those souls that dared to protest, “I deserve to be here,” that African Americans today must draw strength from and persevere. It is with an eye to the past and a vision towards the future that African Americans must come to understand that ours is a journey traversed by unsung heroes and indefatigable spirits.
The contribution and very presence of African Americans in the contemporary workplace is something that is becoming coveted by executives and boards of directors across America. It is almost certainly understood that the presence of African Americans as a customer base and as employees are favorable conditions to fiscal solvency. It wasn’t that long ago however that the very presence of an African American employee was seen as a liability and not as an asset to some companies. Obscured in the lost annals of unsung heroes and tales lost to the fate of time, are the accounts of individuals like Fleetwood Walker, the first African American major league baseball player, and others who endured egregious racism and unwarranted hostility to prove that they were as capable, if not more so, than their white counterparts. The very fact that most people, white or black, have never heard of Mr. Walker is testament to the fact that one must most assuredly know where he or she has come from to know where they are going.
Some critics object that bringing up the past is a self-defeating behavior that only serves to perpetuate a victim mentality. Victims are individuals that have had a crime committed against them. They are guilty of absolutely no wrongdoing and thus should not harbor shame at their status as such. Fleetwood Walker was a scholar and a pioneer that was victim to a society that inhibited his natural genius and ability with the pernicious racism of the day. His is a story of triumph and victory over the odds. African Americans must hold up and honor our ancestors as inspiration when times seem difficult. African American history serves as a bridge, as a link to the past that will light the way to a more constructive future.
The social clime of today has created an environment whereby minorities, more specifically African Americans, want to minimize their differences and be seen as acculturated pieces in the “we are all the same” pie. Homogenization does not foster diversity. The mindset of sameness is particularly shortsighted given the maleficent and odious treatment of enslaved Africans in this country that endured dehumanizing treatment for no reason other than perceived differences in color of their skin. The fallacious belief that enslaved Africans were inferior and the diseased mindsets and conditions that oftentimes continues to perpetuate such beliefs about their descendants must be brought into the light. The triumphant stories of the African Americans who pioneered, who paved the way, must not be dismissed as merely painful reminders to a past that some want forgotten, but they must serve as inspiration and stimulus to be seen as different—and competent. To minimize the difference is to deny the travails of Black men and women who wept, bled, and died for freedom and equality.
The vicious attack on Affirmative Action and the defensive position of those in the majority to maintain their stronghold of dominance can be interpreted as the very influences that might forever obscure the stories of great individuals like Fleetwood Walker and others like him. African Americans must stand up and say that our collective experiences are different, not because of genetic contributors that make our noses broad and hair nappy, but because of our ability to transcend the horrific injustices of our past and to excel despite those debilitating obstacles. It is in recognizing those differences and celebrating the transformative actions of brave pioneers that we must draw our strength. We must continue to fight in the workplace, in the healthcare system, and in education to diversify, to make our presence known and felt. We must stand proudly on the shoulders of those individuals that made a way out of no way to continue their legacy and create one of our own.
Copyright Scottie Lowe
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