National Women’s History Month can trace its roots back to March 8, 1857, when women from New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn’t until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History Week to be commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month.

Emphasizing the increasing value of having women in leadership positions can help you increase cultural competence among your employees. It’s important to note how women’s roles have evolved, how flexible work arrangements allow more women to combine family and professional responsibilities, and how many glass ceilings still have not been shattered.

The timeline shown here illustrates significant dates in women’s history and major historic figures, while the facts data we have chosen to present here represents information of relevance to corporate America, such as education (available labor pool), business ownership, and progress in gaining executive and management positions.

Click the images to view and download the Women’s History Timeline and Women’s History Factoids.

The post Women’s History Month Timeline & Diversity Facts appeared first on DiversityInc.

Changing racial demographics in America also are affecting society’s attitude toward politics, elections and the view of our government drastically. King discussed the challenges of charting these “attitudinal” shifts as populations become increasingly diverse.

The post Young, Diverse Crowds Celebrate Obama: Neil King Jr., The Wall Street Journal appeared first on DiversityInc.

Black History Month is a time to commemorate achievement. DiversityInc provides a list of the important dates and relevant demographics you need to know.

“Negro History Week” was established in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, an NAACP leader, educator and historian, to recognize the central role Blacks played in the development of the United States. The second week of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, the federal government expanded the celebration to Black History Month.

Download the Black History Month Timeline and Black History Month Facts & Figures by clicking the images below.

 1600s – 1700s

• 1619 Dutch ship brings 20 Africans to Jamestown, Va., the first enslaved Africans in the U.S.
• 1793 Eli Whitney’s new cotton gin increases demand for slaves
• 1793 Congress passes Fugitive Slave Act, making it a federal crime to assist a slave trying to escape

1800s

• 1808 Congress bans importation of slaves
• 1820 Missouri Compromise bans slavery above the southern border of the state
• 1831 Nat Turner leads largest slave rebellion prior to Civil War
• 1849 Harriet Tubman escapes to Philadelphia and subsequently helps about 300 enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad
• 1857 In Dred Scott v. Sanford, U.S. Supreme Court declares that Blacks are not citizens of the U.S. and that Congress cannot prohibit
• slavery
• 1859 John Brown leads raid of U.S. Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
• 1861 South secedes from Union and Civil War begins
• 1863 President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring “all persons held as slaves within any State or designated
• part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free”
• 1865 Civil War ends
• 1865 Thirteenth Amendment is ratified, prohibiting slavery
• 1868 Fourteenth Amendment is ratified, allowing Blacks to become citizens
• 1870 Fifteenth Amendment guarantees that right to vote cannot be denied because of race, color or previous condition of servitude
• 1870 Hiram Revels becomes first Black member of Congress
• 1896 U.S. Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation doesn’t violate the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection clause as long as conditions provided are “separate but equal”

1900s

• 1900 William H. Carney becomes first Black to be awarded Medal of Honor
• 1909 NAACP is founded
• 1940 Hattie McDaniel becomes first Black to win an Academy Award
• 1947 Jackie Robinson becomes first Black to play Major League Baseball
• 1950 Ralph J. Bunche becomes first Black to win the Nobel Peace Prize
• 1953 Willie Thrower becomes first Black to play quarterback in the National Football League
• 1954 In Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, U.S. Supreme Court rules that racial segregation in public schools violates the 14th Amendment
• 1955 Two white men who confessed to murdering a 14-year-old Black boy, Emmett Till, for allegedly whistling at a white woman are acquitted by an all-white jury
• 1955 Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Ala., leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott
• 1957 Little Rock Nine integrate Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas
• 1960 Four Black students stage famous sit-in at a whites-only Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C.
• 1961 Freedom rides begin from Washington, D.C.
• 1963 Four young Black girls are killed in the bombing of a Birmingham, Ala., church
• 1962 James Meredith becomes first Black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Violence prompts President Kennedy to
• send in 5,000 federal troops
• 1963 More than 200,000 people march on Washington, D.C., in the largest civil-rights demonstration in U.S. history; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gives his “I Have a Dream” speech
• 1964 President Johnson signs Civil Rights Act of 1964, giving the government more power to protect citizens against race, religion, sex
• or national-origin discrimination
• 1965 Malcolm X, former minister in the Nation of Islam and civil-rights activist, is assassinated
• 1965 Thousands participate in three protest marches from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., for Black voting rights
  President Johnson signs Voting Rights Act of 1965
• 1967 Thurgood Marshall becomes first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice
  In Loving v. Virginia ruling, Supreme Court declares law prohibiting interracial marriages to be unconstitutional
• 1968 Dr. King is assassinated
  Johnson signs Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing
• 1972 Shirley Chisholm becomes first major-party Black candidate to run for president
• 1983 Vanessa Williams becomes first Black Miss America
• 1984 Reverend Jesse Jackson becomes first Black to make serious bid for presidency
• 1986 First observation of Dr. King’s birthday as a national holiday
• 1990 Douglas Wilder of Virginia becomes first Black to be elected governor
• 1991 President George H.W. Bush signs Civil Rights Act of 1991, which strengthened laws on employment discrimination
• 1993 Dr. Joycelyn Elders becomes first Black Surgeon General

2000s

• 2001 General Colin Powell becomes first Black Secretary of State
• 2009 Barack Obama becomes first Black president

The post Black History Month Facts & Figures appeared first on DiversityInc.

Read “Cleveland’s Economic Development: Investment in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Dividends” in the DiversityInc digital issue.

* This is an advertorial.

Not many cities can say they’re better off after the recession than they were before. Cleveland is a notable exception, thanks to focused diversity management. Despite the economic turmoil of recent years, the GCP and its members have been taking the economic development to the next level by promoting diversity and inclusion and economic investment in the region’s underserved communities.

The city of Cleveland itself is more than half (53.3 percent) Black and 10 percent Latino. Leveraging this diversity through diversity management is key to Cleveland’s economic success. In 2010, Ohio had the fifth fastest growing economy of any state. And local manufacturing output is expected to grow nearly 30 percent by 2015, outpacing the nation by almost 10 percentage points. It’s clear that the greater Cleveland area is poised for continued economic growth. Recognizing the region’s economic-development potential, the GCP and its Commission on Economic Inclusion are committed to making sure that traditionally underrepresented groups help fuel continued growth.

Along with the more than 100 corporate members—including KeyCorp (one of DiversityInc’s 25 Noteworthy Companies and headed by the first woman CEO of a major bank), Cuyahoga Community College, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cleveland Public Library, MetroHealth, the Cleveland Clinic (one of the DiversityInc Top 5 Hospital Systems), Forest City Enterprises, University Hospitals (one of the DiversityInc Top 5 Hospital Systems), Mercy Health Partners, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and Cleveland State University—the GCP acts as a community anchor.

Cleveland Economic Development: Community-Focused Healthcare Through Diversity & Inclusion

An impressive array of community-outreach programs focused on health, education and cultural competency is the backbone of these organizations’ strategies forCleveland’s urban renewal and economic development. Community health centers are often the base for outreach programs. The idea is to target Cleveland’s traditionally underserved groups where they live and work.

MetroHealth is catering to the region’s population with 16 specialized Cleveland community health centers, including the Asia Town Clinic, the Pride Clinic (serving the LGBT community), the Latina Clinic and a Senior Health and Wellness Center. The healthcare system also launched Partners in Care, a program that offers comprehensive treatment to the uninsured. Download a PDF of MetroHealth’s diversity report.

Winnell Mason, MetroHealth’s director of diversity, calls this community-based model a “team approach” to healthcare. And it’s working. The program has documented 35 percent fewer hospitalizations for its enrollees, while reducing costs. In 2011, MetroHealth made substantial efforts to better serve Cleveland’s growing Latino population, adding bilingual staff to its call center. To date, nearly 30,000 calls have been fielded in Spanish. The organization also launched a bilingual newsletter and an annual family day with free health screenings for the Latino community.

The Cleveland Clinic is also reducing barriers to healthcare through diversity-and-inclusion management with its Minority Men’s Health Center. Established in 2004, the center provides direct care, education and outreach primarily to Black men suffering from prostate cancer and kidney disease. “It continues to be one of the first and only programs of its kind committed to providing comprehensive, culturally sensitive health access, treatment and education to minority men,” says center director and Cleveland Clinic urologist Dr. Charles Modlin. “It is all about eliminating healthcare disparities.”

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the center’s Minority Men’s Health Fair has provided more than 5,000 health screenings to men in the region. In addition, the clinic sponsors annual health fairs that target Black women and Latinos and has a presence at Cleveland’s cultural events including the Puerto Rican Parade and the Cleveland Asian Festival. Spanish courses for physicians are offered on campus to improve patient relations.

For the past six years, Mercy’s Health Partners’ Rising Stars Program has worked with the Lorain County Urban League to expose Cleveland’s high-school students from traditionally underrepresented groups to careers in healthcare. “Our goal is to create the next generation of healthcare leaders for our community,” says Sascha Chatman, Mercy’s regional diversity officer. With its Parish Nursing Programs, Mercy teams up with predominantly Black and Latino churches to provide education, outreach and health screenings. They also partner with the Urban League to educate at-risk men about diabetes in a program called Save Our Sons.

Watch: DiversityInc Innovation Fest! Presentation by WellPoint, Empire BlueCross BlueShield: Community Ambassador Program

Educating the Community

Educational programs also offer an important arena for Cleveland’s outreach and diversity management, as well as future economic development. As a community hub, the Cleveland Public Library is a public space for cross-cultural connections. “We share in the vision of a sustainable Cleveland transformed by the collective impact of determined people and organizations working together,” says Madeline Corchado, the library’s director of human resources. “Our role in this transformation is the work we do at the center of the city’s culture of learning.”

That role as an educational center is substantial. The library is on target to reach its goal of doubling the number of computers available to the public in 2012. A state-of-the art computer lab is slated to open at the downtown branch in May, offering access to cutting-edge equipment and a variety of technology classes. The library also encourages small businesses to sponsor and host branch events.

“It’s transforming library programs into networking events where there is a free exchange of practical business information that directly speaks to the needs of our community,” says Corchado. One of the most tangible outreach efforts is the Bookmobile, a 32-foot full-service mobile library that visits all of Cleveland’s neighborhoods year-round. Demand for the program is strong: Participation in the Bookmobile was up 500 percent in 2010.

KeyBank is also dedicated to reaching out to community members where they live and work. Many of the bank’s outreach efforts revolve around financial education through the Underserved Initiative Program. “As a core component of our underserved strategy, this investment assists individuals in becoming better educated about their options to improve their financial capabilities,” says Poppie Parish, Key’s client education manager. “More than 400 KeyBank employees volunteer as financial educators in their communities.”

For example, Super Refund Saturday, a volunteer event in Cleveland, processes low-income residents’ tax refunds without charge. More than 20,000 people have received free financial services and education. These financial-literacy programs empower Cleveland’s traditionally underserved populations to manage money and achieve goals such as homeownership and college education, ultimately, improving the potential for economic growth in the region.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is also committed to financial education in the community. Its Learning Center and Money Museum features 30 free interactive exhibits. Modeled on state educational benchmarks, the museum’s programs book seven months in advance. The Cleveland Fed Mentor Program offers educational and networking programs to a predominantly Black high school in East Cleveland. Bank leaders meet with traditionally underserved students to share career advice in the Leadership Dialogue Series. Last spring, the bank inserted a financial-literacy workbook for kids in a regional Black newspaper.

The Cleveland Fed has distributed more than 320,000 copies of the pamphlet, available in both English and Spanish, to families, schools and community groups in the last several years. “We have developed programs to assist students, including those in underserved communities, in building critical-thinking skills, an attribute that complements financial literacy,” says Diana Starks, assistant vice president in the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion.

Read: Rutgers Future Scholars Enhances Talent Pipelines With Corporate-Student Outreach

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) places an emphasis on cultural literacy, offering an array of programs to celebrate its diverse student body. Tri-C is the first community college in the nation to join the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network, a student-led initiative promoting diversity and inclusion on campus through weekly public dialogues.

“Sustained dialogue equips the next generation of leaders with tools to effect change in schools, workplaces and communities,” says Judi McMullen, vice president of human resources at Cuyahoga Community College.

Its Workforce and Economic Development Division also recruits Blacks, Latinos and Asians for fast-track programs, which provide career training, interview skills and job-placement assistance. The Economic Development Division has a goal of placing 80 percent of program graduates with jobs.

Cleveland State University (CSU) sees its diverse student body as an extension of the local community. “The contribution that CSU is making is actually educating the future workforce,” says Dr. Njeri Nuru-Holm, the university’s vice president for institutional diversity. “We know what the demographics are … and we’re going to see even greater diversity” and inclusion.

CSU provides social, cultural and academic support for students from a variety of backgrounds through initiatives such as the African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American Peer Mentoring Program (AHANA). As a result of programs like this, the university has “significantly boosted minority student retention through aggressive multicultural mentoring,” according to its 2010 Diversity Action Plan.

“So many are first-generation college-goers who have a parent who is pushing them to do better than they achieved,” says Dr. Nuru-Holm. “We are able to motivate students beyond what they can even see.”

First-Generation College-Goers: Cleveland Diversity & Inclusion

Across the university, there are more than 50 scholarships aimed at traditionally underrepresented students. Events including multicultural seminars, an annual diversity conference and the Minority Career Fair, which drew 150 area employers this year, reinforce commitment to an increasingly diverse student body.

With a service area that spans 62 local communities, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) also sees its future workforce in today’s students.

“Student programs are a huge part of our community outreach,” says Kim Jones, community relations manager at NEORSD. Through a series of scholarships geared toward students from underrepresented groups, NEORSD seeks students that represent the community in order “to stimulate their interest in technical or scientific careers and perhaps an eventual career here at the sewer district.” The district has hired several scholarship recipients and pipeline-program graduates as full-time employees.

Diversity Management: Coordinating the Effort for Cleveland’s Economic Development

None of these community programs would be possible without first reaching out to local businesses to emphasize the importance of diversity management and inclusion in driving economic change. The Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Commission on Economic Inclusion has a number of programs including regular CEO briefings and a conference for diversity professionals to address issues of inclusion in the regional economy.

In an effort to bring corporate leaders to the table and familiarize them with the commission’s work, Cleveland real-estate company Forest City Enterprises partnered with Cleveland-based national law firm Thompson Hine to sponsor a series of Senior Executive Forums. Here, business leaders learn about the commission’s annual Employers Survey on Diversity, and they talk about ways to improve outreach to traditionally underrepresented groups. Three forums have taken place already, with an average of 90 C-level executives attending—and two more are slated for this year.

“It’s exciting because it really has started to build momentum,” says Charmaine Brown, director of diversity and inclusion at Forest City. “It has really touched those folks who truly have to do the work within the organization. It’s operationalizing diversity.”

The Greater Cleveland Partnership sees these forums as a vital exchange of ideas for diversity management and inclusion and a bridge toward cultural understanding. Other initiatives include the Boardroom-to-Boardroom program, co-sponsored by The Presidents’ Council, an association of Black business owners. These sessions bring together CEOs of different backgrounds to discuss the challenges faced by businesses owned by Blacks and Latinos.

“Diverse teams produce greater outcomes,” says Deborah Bridwell, senior director of inclusion initiatives at the Greater Cleveland Partnership. “Practicing cultural competency within our employers directly supports the region’s efforts to stay competitive.”

Financial Investment in Cleveland’s Diversity & Inclusion: Economic Development

Many area businesses have committed to spending dollars locally, providing a much-needed shot in the arm to area firms, many of them minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MBEs and WBEs). Last year marked the grand opening of the Minority Business Center, operated by the Minority Business Development Agency. One of about 30 nationwide, the center came to Cleveland with the help of the GCP and its partners, including the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE); JumpStart; the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; the Northern Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council; Team NEO; and the WECO Fund.

The Commission’s Minority Business Accelerator 2.5+ will support the efforts of the new center. Made possible by financial support from the Fund for Our Economic Future, Jones Day and the Cleveland Foundation, the accelerator will focus on growing the size and scale of Black- and Latino-owned enterprises. Since its inception in 2008, the Minority Business Accelerator 2.5+ has brokered a total of 182 deals with Black- and Latino-owned businesses valued at $142 million and creating nearly 400 jobs.

“The Commission focuses on strengthening the regional economy by strengthening all businesses,” says Andrew Jackson, senior vice president and executive director of the Commission on Economic Inclusion. “MBEs hire MBEs, and the growth of minority businesses of all sizes increases competitiveness and attractiveness of the region.” With the help of corporate sponsors KeyBank, PNC Bank and the Cleveland Foundation, the GCP also administers the Working Capital Loan Fund. The fund provides collateral to Black- and Latino-owned businesses in Northeast Ohio to help them secure lines of credit.

Greater Cleveland Partnership’s corporate members are rebuilding Cleveland’s economic development, giving special attention to neighborhoods that have been traditionally ignored. “At Key, the most significant investment we make is in our communities,” says Chairman and CEO Beth Mooney. “Our deep commitments to diversity and community drive our strategy of helping to strengthen lower-income and underserved communities.”

The first of the nation’s largest banks to earn seven consecutive “outstanding” ratings for its lending under the Community Reinvestment Act, KeyBank takes its role as a local lender seriously. The Key Community Development Corporation provides loans for affordable housing, businesses in low-income areas and community services. Currently, KeyBank has more than $2.2 billion invested in underserved communities.

“Our philanthropic efforts follow a strategic plan to provide grants in three areas that foster economic self-sufficiency in the communities we serve,” says Margot Copeland, chair of the KeyBank Foundation. Over the last three years, the foundation has given more than $54 million to nonprofits nationwide to support financial education, economic development, workforce development and workforce diversity and inclusion.

University Hospitals is an active player in downtown Cleveland’s renaissance. As an active participant in the Cleveland Foundation’s Greater University Circle initiative, the healthcare system and its partners have invested $14.5 million in real estate, small-business loans and housing incentives around the University Hospitals Case Medical Center. University Hospitals also gave $1 million to the NewBridge Cleveland Center for the Arts, a nonprofit that prepares adults for careers in healthcare. Ohio’s Latino newspaper, La Prensa, called the center “a shimmering beacon of hope in downtown Cleveland.”

Another major player in the regional economy, the Cleveland Clinic has deep pockets when it comes to supporting residents. Much of the clinic’s community investment is providing care to those who cannot afford it. The clinic spends roughly $350 million in the community annually, including $92 million in charity care, free health screenings and patient education forums.

Forest City Enterprises also has a robust charitable-giving program. Twenty-two percent of the dollars it donates to the United Way go directly to organizations that focus on traditionally underrepresented groups, including LGBT people and people with disabilities. Forest City also actively supports community organizations such as Plexus, Cleveland’s LGBT chamber of commerce.

Cleveland Emphasis on Supplier Diversity for Economic Development 

The members of the Greater Cleveland Partnership share a commitment to supplier diversity. Responding to increases in enrollment, Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is in the midst of a massive, 10-year expansion plan that will grow the college by 30 percent. And the college has committed to spending 15 percent of its construction budget with minority-owned business. Tri-C is on target to reach that goal thanks to a series of networking programs including a Construction Diversity Outreach event.

“Despite the economic downturn, the college has been committed to providing equitable and fair procurement and construction opportunities to a broadly diverse group of suppliers,” says Tri-C’s McMullen. “They bring a variety of backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values, and beliefs as assets to the college’s commitment to serve its community.”

Tri-C also has contracted with Minority Business Solutions to track supplier diversity, recruit new vendors and verify MWBE certifications. And a newly formed Supplier Diversity Advisory Committee is helping the college to tap vendors for advice on how to improve its outreach efforts.

Cleveland State University’s goal is to spend 15 percent of its annual procurement budget with minority-owned businesses. “For the first time,” says Dr. Nuru-Holm, “we have a percentage of our investment portfolio managed by an MBE.” Dr. Nuru-Holm credits this to Stephanie McHenry, the university’s new vice president for business affairs and finance. “As a Black female, she brings a special perspective and voice to the table.”

KeyBank also has worked to diversify its supply chain. The company has met its supplier-diversity goals for six years in a row and has exceeded its goals of 15 percent spent with MWBEs for the last two years. That’s more than twice the amount the average company spends with traditionally underrepresented vendors. As the first female executive at a top-20 bank, Mooney is committed to women’s promotions through the Key4Women program, which offers resources and networking opportunities for women in business.

Since the program began in 2005, Key has lent more than $6 billion to women business owners. Read Diversity Management: When Will There Be More Women CEOs? for more on women in management.

After launching an ambitious supplier-diversity program in 2009, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland increased its annual spend with MWBEs from less than 2 percent to 11 percent in 2011 (8.6 percent with women-owned businesses and 2.4 percent with minority-owned businesses). The bank also changed its procurement policy to require that at least one MWBE be considered for all contracts greater than $10,000. “A lot of growth in the economy comes from small businesses, and minority small businesses are an important part of that fabric,” says Sandra Pianalto, president and CEO at the Cleveland Federal Reserve.

In 2009, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) spent 12 percent of its regional budget with MWBEs, also more than double the amount spent by its peer organizations, according to the GCP. Its $8-million investment included roughly $30,000 in advertising specifically designed to recruit MWBEs. After investing half a million dollars in a comprehensive disparity study in 2009, the district launched the Business Opportunity Program to make improvements in strategic sourcing. Today, 26 percent of the District’s 827 certified firms are women-owned enterprises and 30 percent are minority-owned enterprises.

NEORSD has steadily increased its spend with such firms over the past few years. The district spent $13.3 million with MBEs last year, up 25 percent from 2010, and $12.2 million with women-owned business enterprises, up 72 percent from 2010. NEORSD’s Jones notes that these suppliers mirror the district’s client base. “The business case is addressed by including the perspectives and opinions of all of our employees so we are better able to communicate with our customers,” she says.

For more on supplier diversity best practices, read DiversityInc Innovation Fest! Presentation by AT&T: Power Up! Training for Suppliers.

Healthcare Industry’s Importance in Cleveland’s Economic Development

Recognizing the impact the healthcare industry has on the local economy, the Greater Cleveland Partnership is working with the Center for Health Affairs, the largest group-purchasing organization in the region. “The commission is currently collaborating on a single-source listing of local and minority vendors to be accessed by all of their hospital members in the region,” says Jackson. MWBEs have a lot to gain from contracts with the area’s healthcare operators. University Hospitals recently completed a $1.2-billion strategic plan with an eye toward boosting the local economy and working with firms that reflect the region’s diverse demographics.

“A first in Northeast Ohio, two of the top positions in construction services at UH were held by African-American female architects,” says Donnie Perkins, vice president for diversity and inclusion at University Hospitals. Roughly 90 percent of the companies that received contracts were based locally and more than 30 percent are minority- or women-owned businesses. “The impact is huge,” says Steven D. Standley, University Hospitals’ chief administrative officer. “Every dollar we spend with a local firm gets spent again and again in Cleveland.”

Last year, 21 percent of the Cleveland Clinic’s construction dollars went to MWBE contractors, and the sourcing department is using a new online system to track and communicate with vendors from various backgrounds. “We recognize that incorporating diversity reinforces our commitment to the community and strengthens our position as a good community citizen,” says Le Joyce Naylor, the clinic’s executive director of diversity and inclusion. “This work is core to Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to the economic vitality of Northeast Ohio.”

Similarly, Mercy Health Partners has committed to spending 10 percent to 15 percent of its annual budget with MWBEs by 2014. They’ve also set a goal to spend 25 percent of their construction budget with women- and minority-owned firms. In April, Humility of Mary Health Partners and Mercy-Lorain Hospital planned to host the Northeast Ohio Healthcare Supplier Diversity Event to reach out to local suppliers and build new partnerships. “Our primary goal is to identify companies that can support our efforts in increasing our diverse spend,” says Mercy’s Chatman. “We believe that being inclusive will lead to more productive partnerships in the community and help grow our local economy.”

These companies aren’t alone in their dedication to supplier diversity. Overall, companies in Northeast Ohio increased their spend with MBEs by 33 percent between 2010 and 2011 (from $339 million to $450 million); nationally, supplier-diversity spend increased by 21 percent during the same period, from $2.23 billion to $2.71 billion. “The inclusion of MWBEs is vital to the future of the region,” says Perkins. “It’s an investment in taking care of the community you serve.”

Read: Roadmap for Hospitals: Culturally Competent Patient Care

Cultivating an Inclusive Workforce With Diversity & Inclusion

Part of championing diversity and inclusion in Cleveland means developing an inclusive workforce by emphasizing cultural competence. “Building cultural-competency skills in business leaders, managers and supervisors directly supports the attraction and retention of diverse talent,” says Bridwell.

Job recruitment is picking up in Cleveland and is stronger than it was pre-recession. In February, the city posted a 16 percent jump in managerial hiring activity, according to the JobSerf Employment Index. And the GCP’s members are working to ensure that their employees reflect the demographics of the community. Blacks, Latinos, Asians and American Indians make up 30 percent of Tri-C’s employees and are 36 percent of the college’s new hires.

Watch: Diversity Web Seminar: Recruitment/Hiring Gaps

“The more diverse the faculty and staff of Tri-C, the more likely all students will be exposed to a wider range of scholarly perspectives drawn from a variety of life experience,” says Andre Burton, the college’s director of diversity and inclusion. “This better prepares students to succeed in an increasingly global marketplace.”

Fifteen percent of Forest City Enterprises’ employees in the region come from traditionally underrepresented groups. The real-estate company worked hard to bring a training program for Black professionals to Cleveland. Beginning this fall, the Real Estate Associate Program (REAP) will present a 13-week curriculum taught by industry leaders. “It’s consistently opening up those doors that quite truthfully have not been as readily available to minority professionals in the commercial real-estate industry,” says Forest City Enterprises’ Brown. She adds that in addition to building skills, the potential for networking and business contacts is promising.

At MetroHealth, 29 percent of the employees and 19 percent of physicians are Black, Latino, Asian or American Indian. Since 2009, MetroHealth has partnered with El Barrio, a workforce-development center run by the West Side Ecumenical Ministry to provide a monthly seminar on healthcare careers. “El Barrio provides a great pipeline of talent at MetroHealth,” says Mason.

Read: Increasing Diversity in Talent Development

A unique series of pipeline programs helps the Cleveland Clinic recruit talent from underrepresented groups. The Charles R. Drew Saturday Academy is a 12-week program designed to empower traditionally underrepresented high-school students to pursue careers in the sciences. In its fifth year, the program provides mentorship, hands-on learning and career advice for Black, Latino and Asian students. Other programs, including the Northeast Ohio Research Education Medicine Alliance and the Young Business Leaders Internship Program, provide similar resources for minorities who may not otherwise have access to healthcare careers.

“The programs offer structured educational enrichment experiences and mentoring designed to foster student achievement in higher education,” says Rosalind Strickland, senior director of the clinic’s Office of Civic Education Initiatives.

At Cleveland State University, diversity is a way of life: 40 percent of students are Black, Latino, Asian or American Indian, nearly 60 percent are female and 20 percent of the faculty is Black, Latino, Asian or American Indian—the largest percentage in the state. The university has been named a top producer of Black master’s graduates by Diverse Issues in Higher Education for 20 consecutive years. Students’ exposure to the university melting pot is an asset in the working world.

“Employers are seeking individuals who can work on and lead a diverse team,” says Dr. Nuru-Holm. “You can’t attend CSU and be successful without engaging with diverse individuals.” Last year, the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) increased the percentage of Blacks, Asians and Latinos in its summer internship program by 73 percent (from 11 percent in 2010 to 19 percent in 2011).

Overall, 23 percent of the bank’s new hires in 2011 were from traditionally underrepresented groups, up from 18 percent in 2009. In 2011, FRB Cleveland wrapped up a three-year diversity-awareness training for all employees. The same year, the Federal Reserve announced the creation of diversity and inclusion offices in each of its 12 branches.

According to the bank’s annual report to Congress, “the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion is poised to develop, implement and monitor standards related to workforce diversity and the inclusion and utilization of minority- and women-owned businesses in FRB Cleveland programs and contracts.”

About 27 percent of employees at the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District are Black, Latino or Asian. After an extensive in-house diversity and inclusion survey, the district has established goals to build cultural competency through diversity management. They’ve expanded their nondiscrimination statement to include LGBT people, hosted a series of diversity dialogue sessions, launched resource groups and implemented mandatory diversity training. So far, more than 70 percent of employees have been trained.

Cleveland: Diversity & Inclusion From the Top Down

Companies also are keeping an eye on the makeup of their senior leadership. The Commission on Economic Inclusion teamed up with Business Volunteers Unlimited to create a Board Minority Pipeline Initiative focused on increasing the number of Black, Latino and American Indian professionals on corporate boards.

KeyCorp also has committed to diversity in the C-suite. In 2010, 15 percent of the company’s upper management was Black, Latino or Asian, nearly double the rate of its peer groups. “We actively recruit new employees from historically Black colleges and universities, as well as from schools with highly diverse student populations,” says Johnni Beckel, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Key. “We also network in our communities to identify diverse new talent.”

Mercy Health Partners has more than doubled the percentage of Blacks, Latinos and Asians on its senior leadership team (from 4.2 percent to 9.3 percent) in the last year. In an effort to promote diversity management in senior leadership, Mercy’s goal is to have a candidate from a traditionally underrepresented group in at least 60 percent of its executive searches. This year marked the launch of the Mercy Minority Mentoring Program, which offers access to training and networking opportunities for employees to move ahead in the company. “We firmly believe that we need to grow our own people in order to continue to retain them,” says Chatman.

Read: Mentoring Roundtable: How Mentoring Improves Retention, Engagement & Promotions

When companies support diversity financially and through their hiring practices and corporate culture, the results reverberate throughout the regional economy. Women- and minority-owned enterprises are an important part of the community, and their economic vitality contributes to Cleveland’s impressive turnaround. It’s a matter of seeing the region’s changing demographics as an asset and a tool for economic renewal.

“Leveraging the power of our differences serves as a catalyst for delivering value and quality in all we do,” says Cleveland Public Library’s Corchado. “Leveraging our differences is our way of doing business.” And business is booming, thanks to diversity management and the efforts of the Greater Cleveland Partnership and its members to include all groups in the region’s revitalization.

“Whether it’s healthcare or higher education, the objective is to have an environment that leverages all of the organization’s talents,” says Perkins of University Hospitals. “It promotes innovation, creativity and equity for everyone, particularly those that have been underrepresented for so long.”

The post Cleveland’s Economic Development: Investment in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Dividends appeared first on DiversityInc.

This time, it wasn’t about the excitement of “hope” and “change.” It was a campaign that seemed to me to be rather uninspiring and visionless, in the middle of a searing, aching, endless recession that is destroying more household wealth than anything in 80 years. And in who won lies a lesson for business.

This election was about diversity. As I watched John King go over the election map on CNN the night of the election, it was clear to me that there were key counties in key states that were going to determine the electoral college—and that diversity was determining the trends overall as well. Of the nine battleground states, the President Obama lost only North Carolina.

If you look at who voted for each candidate, the demographics shaped up as older and whiter versus younger and multiethnic. I think Neil King’s analysis in the above video is exactly right. One amazing number is that Asian voters went from 2 percent of the total votes four years ago to 3 percent on Tuesday—but almost 75 percent of Asians voted for the president. In the end, youth will win over age and our country will become more than 50 percent nonwhite by 2043. (This year was the first time there were more nonwhite births than white births.) What most people fail to comprehend is that the rising trend influences the declining demographic: As families become more diverse, as recognition and respect of LGBT relatives becomes a part of more family realities, as the less-diverse old realize they need to have the support of the more-diverse young to pay for their Medicare, the demographic shift becomes a seismic psychographic shift.

Going beyond just the presidential race, there were remarkable wins for women candidates and same-gender marriage initiatives, and stunning, complete losses for male candidates who decided their opinions on rape and pregnancy were important to discuss. This election is a clear mandate from the voters.

Here are major victories to note:

Women Candidates Elected at Historic Numbers

At least 19 women will occupy seats in Congress, increasing the total number of women by 12 percent (from 17 to 19). This marks a new high in United States history.

Women that won reelection were: Sens. Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.). Deb Fischer (Neb.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) will join the Senate. Additionally, according to the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers, about half of all Senate races had at least one female candidate.

• Tammy Baldwin and Elizabeth Warren Win: Record Number of Women Running in Election 2012
• Women In Senate: 2012 Election Ushers In Historic Number Of Female Senators
• Exit Polls: Obama’s Winning Coalition of Women and Non-Whites
• ‘War on women’ may have helped Democrats; Senate has record number of women
• Another year of the woman

Openly Gay Candidates Gain Seats in Senate & House

It was a landmark election for LGBT candidates, as seven of the eight running for seats won. Baldwin became the first openly gay person elected to the Senate; two openly gay Congressmen (Jared Polis of Colo. and David Cicilline of R.I.) won reelection; and as many as four other first-time candidates—including openly bisexual Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona—could be sworn in come January.

• Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin is first openly gay person elected to Senate
• Mark Pocan will be next openly-LGBT member of Congress
• New York sends openly gay candidate to U.S. Congress
• Openly gay Congressman Jared Polis cruises to re-election in Colorado
• Out Congressman David Cicilline re-elected in Rhode Island
• Openly gay Asian American first LGBT person of color in U.S. Congress
• Sinema widens lead, but CD9 race remains too close to call

Same-Sex Marriage and LGBT Rights

Referendums showed that voters are ready for a change, as attitudes toward same-sex marriage begin to shift.

• Election 2012: Same-sex marriage passes in Maryland, Maine
• LIVE BLOG: 2012 election results important to LGBT Americans
• Gay Rights Groups — Mostly — Celebrate Obama’s Re-Election

Healthcare

President Obama’s win means that the Affordable Care Act should stand.

• Obamacare survives — now what?
• Culturally Competent Care: How Diversity Creates Better Patient Outcomes

‘Legitimate Rape,’ ‘God Intended Pregnancy,’ & Other Male Politician Gaffes

These male politicians decided to make rape and abortion “their” issues—and they suffered at the polls.

• Analysis: Todd Akin can blame his own words for Senate race loss
• Donnelly triumphs over Mourdock in Indiana Senate race

Lack of Diversity in Mainstream Press

72% of Newspaper Articles About The General Election Written by Men

For more on the election and a look back at the candidates’ campaigns, read DiversityInc’s coverage:

DOMA Rejected by Federal Court in N.Y.

President Obama Supports Marriage Equality

Ruling Against Defense of Marriage Act Is Major Diversity Victory

Diversity & Inclusion Includes Gays & Lesbians: Is Black Church Getting the Message?

Ask the White Guy: What Changed Obama’s Mind About Gay Rights?

Can You Prevent a ‘Todd Akin’ Moment at Your Organization?

‘God Intended’ Pregnancy After Rape, Says Romney’s Candidate

The post Diversity Wins: Demographic, Psychographic Shifts Decided Election appeared first on DiversityInc.

A new study from the Pew Research Center reports that Asian-Americans are now the fastest-growing group of immigrants within the United States. Asian immigrants in 2010 totaled 36 percent; Latinos totaled 31 percent. It is the first time that Latino immigration was not No. 1.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows similar trends: Between 2000 and 2010, Asian populations experienced the most growth, a 43.3 percent increase to total 14.7 million, or 4.8 percent of the overall population.

Comparatively, the Latino population grew 43.0 percent, the Black population grew 12.3 percent and the white population grew 5.7 percent.

Latinos today make up a significant portion of the current population: They are the second largest group (16.3 percent of the total population) after whites (72.4 percent). By 2050, the Census Bureau projects both Latino and Asian populations to increase. Latinos will total more than 30 percent of the population and Asians will total 7.8 percent.

Trouble viewing the video? Click here to watch the clip at www.usatoday.com.

What It Means for Diversity & Inclusion

The benefits of this demographic shift present companies with several unique benefits to consider in their overall diversity and inclusion strategy:

• Talent Development: Asian immigrants are highly educated, according to the Pew Research Center: 61 percent of adults ages 25–64 have at least a bachelor’s degree, about double any other immigrant group. Look to improve Asian employees’ retention through talent development and cross-cultural mentoring to increase their skillsets. For more on talent-development best practices, watch our diversity web seminar.
• Unique Values: A larger share of Asians (69 percent) believe that hard work will help them get ahead than the overall population (58 percent), and 93 percent describe their group as “very hard-working” people, compared with 57 percent of the general population. Make sure to give these individuals opportunities for growth, such as through resource groups, where exposure to senior management is more likely. For more on resource groups, read New Resource-Group Research: Hourly Workers, Finding Leaders, Counting Membership.

• Buying Power: Median household wealth ($83,500) and median annual household income ($66,000) are the highest among this group. Companies that extend diversity and inclusion to their marketplace strategy and show cultural competency with consumers stand to considerably improve their customer base. Overall median income in the United States is $49,800: whites total $55,000, followed by Latinos ($40,000) and Blacks ($33,000). For more on marketplace connectivity, watch our Diversity Web Seminar on Resource Groups: Connect With Customers for Top Sales Results.

Read our Asian/Pacific Islander American Facts & Figures for more information on Asian-American history and demographics.

The post Asian-Americans Are Fastest-Growing Racial Group appeared first on DiversityInc.

The study marks the first time in our country’s history that white births were in the minority (49.5 percent). View an interactive map of the population.

The data coincides with the Census Bureau’s projections for a rapid rise in population diversity over the next 40 years. By 2050, whites are expected to total 46 percent of the population, with Blacks (about 13 percent), Latinos (more than 30 percent), Asians/Pacific Islanders (approximately 9 percent) and American Indians (almost 1 percent) comprising the majority.

The demographic shift is a significant one that will affect diversity and inclusion in many sectors—corporate, political and educational. Watch the video below for more on these implications.

The talent in the workforce is changing dramatically, and many colleges and educational institutions are already experiencing the increasing diversity among students. The number of bachelor’s degrees obtained by Blacks and Latinos increased 32 percent over the last decade, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2000, Blacks and Latinos accounted for 11 percent of the total 31,256,000 degrees received and 15 percent of the 41,289,000 degrees in 2010.

How This Impacts Your Business

• Diversity Recruitment: As the educated workforce becomes more racially diverse, it’s essential for companies to be able to hire and retain the best talent. Studies have shown that younger people, including straight, white men, want to work for companies that are known for their diversity and inclusion. Additionally, as our recent diversity web seminar on recruitment shows, on-boarding and engaging people from underrepresented groups is vital to ensuring their retention and promotion.
• Talent Development: If you aren’t representative of the population, the talent will leave or fail to maximize individual potential. No one wants to be the first “anything” in an organization; that’s why diversity and inclusion is so important. DiversityInc research from The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity shows a direct correlation between formal cross-cultural mentoring and talent development of people in underrepresented groups. Watch our diversity web seminar on talent development for more insights.
• Market Share: A culturally competent workforce that is representative of the marketplace reaches customers and suppliers and increases market share. DiversityInc features many case studies of resource groups that have been able to help with market research and customer connections. For example, at our Innovation Fest! in February, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (No. 13 in the DiversityInc Top 50) discussed how it saved $1 million by using its seven ethnic resource groups to vet marketing campaigns. Watch our diversity web seminar on innovation for more unique solutions to leverage your diversity and inclusion.

The post Diversity & Inclusion Milestone: More Than Half of U.S. Babies Are Black, Latino & Asian appeared first on DiversityInc.

DiversityInc’s Luke Visconti was the keynote speaker at The Skanner Foundation’s 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast in Portland, Ore. More than 1,200 people attended:

What would King say?

Bernie Foster built a bridge by asking me to speak at this event–a white publisher invited by a black publisher to speak to an audience about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s quite an honor.

Bernie and I met at another event where I was discussing “the business case for diversity.” That the business case for diversity is a reality and not just a theory is directly due to Dr. King and the civil-rights era.

The business case for diversity is based on two factors: changing demographics and corresponding changes in economic power.

In Dr. King’s time, there were roughly nine white people for every one person of color in our country. Immigration had ended in the late 1920s and would not resume until the mid-1960s, so our racial demographics were relatively stable. African Americans were our largest demographic of people of color, and access to college and corporate America did not exist for them. Most African Americans did not even have the right to vote.

Shifting Demographics

Today we live in an era of more immigration per capita than any time in American history. For Americans under 40 years old, there are less than 1.5 white people for every person of color. White people will probably be the minority by 2040.

People of color are increasing educational attainment more quickly than their rise as a percent in our population. Households of color are increasing their household income at more than double the rate of white households–and have been doing so since 1990.

In essence, people of color are our country’s engine of growth. When you factor demographic changes with household-income changes, people of color have an eightfold higher growth rate than white people.

This has caused a group of companies to take notice and become more progressive. My company runs a competition once a year to determine The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity. This year more than 600 companies asked for a survey, and we expect over 350 to compete–participation is up over 100 percent from three years ago.

We ask over 230 questions on four areas: CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Supplier Diversity and Corporate Communications. Just so you know, there is no connection between our list and business conducted with my company. The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies are very different than typical companies. For example:

• Although they employ 5 percent of the work force, they employ 17 percent of college-educated people of color
• They hire 43 percent people of color even though the U.S. work force is only 28 percent people of color
• 7.5 percent of their procurement budget is spent with minority- and women’s-business enterprises. The national average is 2 percent.

And perhaps the most important business indicator, the DiversityInc Top 50, expressed as a stock index, outperforms the DJIA, Nasdaq and S&P 500.

What this tells you is not that diversity is driving stock price, but that diversity is a core management practice of superior companies. It also tells you that diversity brings sustainability to a company. The numbers show that companies which have diversity in their DNA will dominate competitors which do not.

Despite the compelling business case, 80 percent of the Fortune 1000 does not practice diversity management. By diversity management, I mean disciplined, measured, accountable management–not just Mexican food in the cafeteria on May 5.

Why the lack of attention? Most corporations are run by straight, able-bodied white men. The luxury of being in the majority culture is never having to think about race.

Now that doesn’t make all white people bad. Some of my best friends are white and they’re OK. But being in the majority makes most white people oblivious, and we miss a lot of opportunities because of that. For example, the median worth of a black household is one-tenth that of a white household, and at the current rate of closure, it will take 1000 years for black households to catch up.

However, if you caught black household wealth up to the median of white households today, it would be like injecting the entire gross domestic product of Japan into our economy–over 4 trillion dollars. How many houses, office buildings, schools, cars, plasma TVs would we have to build with all that new capital in our economy?

So, who is being hurt most by this kind of a program not being implemented at once? White people. Why? There’s more of us.

If the facts are so clear, why are a minority of companies practicing diversity management? Why isn’t there an emergency program to enable black households to build wealth?

One reason is that we all have counter-productive human tendencies, like the feeling that if another group gets something, we’ll lose something–this is called the zero-sum argument. It works when we’re all hunting antelope in the jungle with spears. If the other tribe gets the antelope, our tribe goes hungry. However, zero-sum doesn’t work in an economic model as you can see with just this one household-wealth example.

There’s another reason for a lack of progress: People will do a lot to avoid feeling guilty. To look at our society and effect programs to build an equitable situation would cause us white people to really look at ourselves more clearly. It’s far easier to blame the victim.

But let’s look more closely at the cost of disparities. If you believe that all people are created equally, then you have to assume that talent is also distributed equally. Unfortunately, we can tell by graduation rates that a vastly disproportionate percent of the black and brown talent in this country is dashed on the rocks of a poorly funded public-school system. This can be fixed, but it would require a huge commitment of resources.

In his August 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. King spoke of our country’s obligation to live up to the promises made by our founders–that “black men as well as white men would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable Rights’ of ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’”

He spoke of a check that had been returned marked “insufficient funds.” He did that before he got to the often-taken-out-of-context parts like “my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

The “I Have a Dream” speech isn’t about being colorblind; it’s about the obligation that had to be paid before our society could move forward together.

The check still hasn’t cleared. Have we cashed other checks? Is it worth it to pay this long overdue bill, or should we continue to ignore the knocking at the door? Let’s look to history.

Following World War II and Korea, millions of veterans went to college for free on the GI Bill. Due to the implementation of this program, white veterans disproportionately benefited, so let’s focus on white people. Before WWII, less than 7 percent of white people attended college. Today, 44 percent of white people attend college. Our country’s workers went from industrial and agrarian employment to knowledge-worker employment. The corresponding generation of wealth from white people working to the true extent of their potential was unprecedented in human history.

I think you can make the case that the $4 trillion in missing black household wealth is a drop in the bucket compared to what we’re sacrificing to maintain a society of “them” and “us.”

This is where it gets scary for our country.

White people will be the minority by 2040 in this country; however, 75 percent of the planet is already not white. The elimination of information barriers–most importantly the Internet–has liberated the talents of billions of people world wide. The Chinese now have as many people on the Internet as we have citizens–and they are building colleges faster than any country on the planet. People in India can call the U.S. for less money than it costs for us to call them.

Talent can now flow from where it is to where it is best treated. There are six billion people on the planet and only 300 million Americans. Unleashing the talent of formerly oppressed Americans has made our market robust. As the world’s formerly oppressed people have been able to exercise the talent they were born with, the global economy is surging. Investors in this country have already reacted. According to the current issue of Barron’s magazine, an amazing 90 percent of inflows to mutual funds went offshore in 2006.

By non-violent protest, Dr. King forced our federal government to action in the 1960s. I don’t think you can say that Washington is any more visionary today. Last June, my magazine ran a story in our Top 50 Companies for Diversity issue titled “The Worst Company for Diversity? The United States Senate,” which described the almost total lack of diversity in key senate staff positions. In that article we ran a photograph of the Alito hearings. Out of roughly 300 people in the room, there wasn’t a single black person. Not one.

In this environment of malignant neglect, there is a concerted effort in this country to enter a new era of oppression.

Bigots like Linda Chavez and Roger Clegg of the Center for Equal Opportunity along with sad souls like Ward Connerly are actively working against affirmative action and diversity. They say we should be “colorblind”–that all things are equal and affirmative action is wrong. They have worked to end affirmative action in California, Texas and Florida and most recently in Michigan, where the recently passed “Civil Rights” initiative eliminated affirmative action.

Their arguments disregard the lasting effects of racism and ignore the obvious disparities in our society. The fact is that we don’t have a colorblind society. It takes the blinders of the majority or the deception of evil people to not deal with the obvious:

• A colorblind society would not have more segregation in schools today than ever before in our history.

• A colorblind society wouldn’t foster a prison industrial complex and incarcerate people disproportionately by race–and have highest incarceration rate per thousand in the world, even surpassing the former record in the Soviet Union.

• A colorblind society would have rebuilt New Orleans by now.

• A colorblind society would understand that not having universal healthcare is the equivalent of wealth redistribution–from poor to wealthy.

• A colorblind society would have 50 percent women senators and roughly 28 percent senators who are people of color.

• A colorblind society would have equal rights for both straight people and gay people.

• A colorblind society would keep track of Iraqi civilian deaths as carefully as we’ve tracked our own soldiers’ deaths.

• A colorblind society with the mightiest military in human history wouldn’t stand by as 2 million people are herded to their execution in Darfur.

• A colorblind society would understand that “unalienable rights” were not limited in our Constitution only for those with the right documents.

• A colorblind society would not allow admissions to public colleges to be determined by tests which have different results by race, like the SATs.

• A colorblind society will have an equal chance of a white publisher inviting a black publisher to speak about America.

Ward Connerly and Linda Chavez are well funded and working nationwide. They have attacked affirmative action at the state level and have attacked diversity programs at the corporate and university levels. Be aware. Dr. King taught us that we have the obligation to forthrightly address the practices that preserve racism. For more on affirmative action, read “Why We Still Need Affirmative Action.”

We also have the obligation to act.

Vote your ethics. Most eligible people of color are either not registered or do not vote. The reality is that your elected officials look at who votes and portion their attention accordingly.

Be careful about who you do business with and work for. Reward companies that share your vision.

Become financially literate. Build your family wealth through homeownership.

Read other accounts on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

Before MLK, None of My Accomplishments Would Have Been Possible
DiversityInc’s Denyse Leslie, senior vice president of consulting, draws a parallel between Dr. King’s firsts (first arrest, first book published, first Black man to win the Nobel Peace Prize) and the firsts of Blacks still alive (or recently deceased) as they live out Dr. King’s vision.

Taking Risks for Your Brothers: The Power of Martin Luther King’s Words
Human-rights activist Raymond Brown learned about the need for humanity from Dr. King.

Civil-Rights Progress: Helping LGBT Youth
GLSEN’s Executive Director Dr. Eliza Byard notes how Dr. King’s message that Black people would eventually reach the promised land is a reminder today that progress, no matter how slow, is crucial.

How Has Dr. King’s Legacy Changed Lives?
While Hurricane Irene hit during the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial dedication, R. Fenimore Fisher reflected on how Dr. King’s actions changed the law that changed society.

The post What Dr. King Really Meant: The Obligation That Benefits Everyone appeared first on DiversityInc.

Question:
In a previous question you talked about whites being a minority in 2050. Will there be a redistribution of wealth and power by 2050 so that there is equitable wealth and power among all groups? Or is the issue of diversity management in 2050 really about the white minority managing a non-white majority?

Answer:
In my opinion, the gaps in education, household income, professional achievement, etc. between people of color and white people will continue to close under market forces. For example, people of color are achieving high-school and college degrees at a faster growth rate than their representative growth in the population.

However, this organic growth will not redress past wrongs (such as slavery, the Chinese Exclusionary Act, the current state of 12 million undocumented workers, red lining, etc.)

Although it is counterintuitive to many people, I feel the case can be made that not actively redressing past wrongs is detrimental to all Americans. For example, black households have one-tenth the wealth of white households. If society enabled black households to catch up, it would be equivalent to injecting the entire GDP of Japan into our economy. Although blacks would certainly benefit, the majority of people benefiting from this enormous injection of capital into our economy would logically be white, as white people are the majority. In my opinion, the superior stock performance of our Top 50 list is a good indication that my theory is correct (expressed as a stock index, the Top 50 beat the S&P 500, Nasdaq and DJIA on a 10-, five- and one-year basis).

This is the business case for affirmative action and reparations. Unfortunately, I do not see the courage in our current politicians to have an honest discussion around fulfilling General Tecumseh Sherman’s General Field Order Number 45.

In my opinion, managing diversity in 2050 will have the same foundation as managing diversity in 2006. Strategic diversity management is about creating a culture of true meritocracy that allows talent to rise to its appropriate level–regardless of race, age, culture, disability, gender, orientation or other factors that make us human. As a part of outstanding diversity management, pipelines to aid education are a critical factor in developing sustainability. We see this already being done by many of the progressive companies in The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity.

There may be a delay between white people becoming the minority in the general population and also becoming the minority in corporate management–but perhaps not. I think global competition, the rapid growth of BRIC economies as well as the dramatically lower barriers to talent flow facilitated by technology will change the corporate competitive landscape much more rapidly than most people think it will.

The post When Whites Are the Minority by 2050, Will There Be Real Changes? appeared first on DiversityInc.