Luke Visconti’s Ask the White Guy column is a top draw on Fair360.com. Visconti, the founder and CEO of Fair360, formerly DiversityInc, is a nationally recognized leader in diversity management. In his popular column, readers who ask Visconti tough questions about race/culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability and age can expect smart, direct and disarmingly frank answers.
Question:
I read articles off of Fair360.com all the time and I have often wondered what some of them have to do with diversity. It seems to me that if it is news and it has something to do with a minority then it gets to Fair360, formerly DiversityInc. My fault, I was under the assumption that diversity was about differences that can and cannot be seen, not just about minority/majority.
Answer:
I think you may be reacting to a different view of the news than you’re used to seeing. Most newsrooms are overwhelmingly male and white. They present a white view on the world, even though they might describe themselves as having “all the news that’s fit to print” or “fair and balanced” coverage.
Regarding your definition of “diversity”: Many people are confused about this. Yes, “diversity” is more than just race and gender. However, in my opinion, you can’t move beyond race and gender until the most egregious biases in our society have been resolved.
If all people are created equal, why does just about everything regarding leadership in our country look awfully white and male
Shouldn’t at least half of our senators be women Where are the roughly 28 percent Fortune 500 CEOs who are people of color
“Doing the math” can only lead to one conclusion: If people are created equally and, therefore, talent is distributed equally, the most talented people are not in the right spots. There are a lot of reasons for things being the way they are, but in my opinion, they stem from racism and sexism.
That’s why you’ll see us primarily focus on race and gender. We’re also very concerned with orientation, age and disability.
No doubt other aspects of diversity are important; however, because we’re a business publication, we focus on the most effective route to change and improvement..
