When communities talk about diversity? Some start to "hide-out" or "hold-back" on their personal intake on this issues. It is a topic that needs to be talked about before "something bad happens", which was part of a conversation that ended a recent Safety & Security Focus Group Community Meeting (Thursday, October 14th) at the Otter Tail Bldg: Minnesota Room. I attended earlier this month (October 2004). This is my personal results from some research I did:
Q: Why should we learn about ethnic diversity?
Valuing Diversity
(taken from Blandin Foundation Partnership-Community Assessment on June 1999)
Current Status Summary
"...Dealing specifically with racial issues will be difficult because of lack of exposure for the residents in the community....There is not a broad exposure to different ethnic and racial backgrounds so peoples views are based on whatever limited experience they have had, which may not always be positive...We strongly believe that valuing diversity should play a significant role in any endeavor this group takes on and that learning to value differences is very important"
Preceptions Team
"People of race fell like they do not "belong", however, they fell "tolerated". They only slightly agree they will be welcomed."
Future Trends Group
"As the young people move away, employers may recruit workers of different ethnic backgrounds creating a need for Cultural or Racial Diversity Programs"
Racism History
1993-Halloween Incident
UMM Football players play a practical joke on an African-American teammate that becomes more of a serious incdent. They take a football player out in the cornfields out of town torwards Alberta/Chokio. Some football players hiding comes out dress in KKK outfits and scare their "Black" teammate.
1996-PFM Incident
Filipino-German female freshmen gets into a racial heated debate on Native American Indian Free-Waiver Tuition at Food Service-Proffesional Food Management
2002-Asian-Korean Student "Unwelcomed" at Old #1
Korean American student enters Old#1 with some peers celebrating some int'l student's birthday. As he enters the bar, he gets greeted with Caucasian American Men making squinty eyes. Then they walk out as the dance nears to an end towards their car along W. 5th St. (across Don's Cafe). Some mid-20's Caucasian men start singing "God Bless America"
2003-African American Kids called the "N-word"
Morris resident writes in the Morris Sun Tribune editorial that she head some Caucasian kids called young African American kids at a local park be called the "N-word". (Fall of 2003)
2004-Asian Student Association Posters Graffitti: ASA put posters throughout campus advertising their annual "Taste of Asia (supper)". After being put up, posters were found to have racial remarks written on it.
2006-"Stop Racism, Stop Sexism, etc..-Kill All White Males/Men" posters put up throughout campus by Caucasian College Male Student, which causes controversy. Dispute between students because of uncertainity of the message and messanger.
There has been countless ignorant racial remarks overheard in the community over the years:
-"They are taking all the jobs from US Americans" [home setting]
-"I'm not going to be a N-word to you (implying being a slave-pertaining to washing the dishes)" [home setting]
-"I hate to be cotton-picking for this, etc.. [work setting]"
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