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.

Public figures are weighing in with their dissatisfaction: Former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said, “I think [Obama] can do better;” and Congressman Charlie Rangel said the lack of diversity on Obama’s team was “embarrassing as hell. … He’s had four years to work the bench, to work the second team, so that in the second term, these people should be just as experienced as any other American.” Watch the video interview with Rangel.

Is There Really a Lack of Diversity?

The three people the President has nominated so far—John Kerry as Secretary of State, Jack Lew as Secretary of Treasury and Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense—are all white men. With two appointments still in the works, the 16-member Cabinet will be at least 69 percent white and at least 69 percent male. (Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, a Latina, and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, a Latino, have announced their resignations, but replacements have not been nominated.)

“I’m very proud that in the first four years we had as diverse, if not more diverse, a White House and a cabinet than any in history,” Obama says. “And I intend to continue that.” A diverse team, he added, “helps to create more effective policy-making and better decision-making for me because it brings different perspectives to the table.”

“Women are well-represented in the president’s senior staff here,” Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary, adds. “Two of the three deputy chiefs of staff are women. The White House counsel is a woman. A woman runs Homeland Security for this country, Secretary [Janet] Napolitano. … The Cabinet secretary in charge of the most important piece of domestic-policy legislation in a generation is a woman, [Secretary of Health and Human Services] Kathleen Sebelius.”

According to White House personnel data compiled by The New York Times, the Obama Administration has improved the number of women appointees by 10 percent to 43 percent, up from 33 percent in George W. Bush’s administration and about the same ratio as Bill Clinton’s (41 percent).

But with a campaign strongly based on a message of change—and diversity—Obama’s seemingly not happy with a meager 10 percent bump either. “Word from the White House is that the President himself is irritated, and demanding answers about the faces his staff is pushing forward. Unfortunately, he has only a bunch of white guys to offer an explanation of why the picture looks like a bunch of white guys,” writes New York Times Op-Ed columnist Maureen Dowd, a Pulitzer Prize winner. She notes that some women on the White House staff say they “are privately gratified at the latest kerfuffle, hoping it will shut down the West Wing man cave.”

Obama & Diversity: The Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Chatter about the Cabinet’s lack of diversity began building when Obama nominated several white men—Senator John Kerry as Secretary of State, Senator Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense and, most recently, Jack Lew as Secretary of the Treasury—and news surfaced of two female Cabinet members’ resigning: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Solis.

The controversy came to a head when The New York Times ran a photo of Obama sitting in the Oval Office with 10 of his advisers—all 10 were male, and all but one were white. Senior Adviser and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls Valerie Jarrett was also in the room—but only part of her leg was visible in the shot because she was upstaged by one of the white men.

Obama has been under fire since from a wide range of high-profile media sources: Bloomberg View’s Margaret Carlson says “He doesn’t look beyond his nose for more minority recruits”; The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus says, “About all those white guys: What a shame. Not an outrage, but a shame”; CBS News Political Director John Dickerson says, “Look, Mr. President, you won your election based on the votes of women and minorities, so you should respect that in your naming of the cabinet picks.” Fifty-five percent of women, 93 percent of Blacks and 71 percent of Latinos voted for Obama, according to CNN exit-poll data.

In May 2012, Obama similarly received disapproval for a photo of his majority white campaign staff; only two members were Black, which is far below the 13 percent representation in the national population and the 33 percent representation in Chicago.

The post Obama’s Cabinet Diversity Record ‘Embarrassing as Hell’ 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.

Are Voter ID laws racist? It’s a question that has touched a nerve in many of our readers. Here is the best response we’ve received to our coverage on this controversial topic:

I am of an age that recalls a significant lack of access to certain institutions, like hospitals, for a mother to deliver her child because of the color of her skin or the lack of means in her wallet. This means there are millions of seniors over the age of 60 still living in or near their place of birth who do not have a birth certificate. And don’t think that these people needed to present a birth certificate to register for school, apply for a job or enlist in the military. I can assure you none of these institutions asked for it.

I also know that there are thousands of young to middle-aged people who are earning low to moderate incomes who never obtained a copy of their birth certificates because no one ever asked for it before, and even if they were asked, they had to weigh the expense to obtain one against their next meal, bus ride or rent payment. These people would have to scrounge for the extra money to purchase a copy of their birth certificate for what? The right to vote every two or four years in the nation that they were born in, paid taxes to and sacrificed their lives for during wars.

I have traveled enough in the United States to know that in many regions of our country, people do not drive because they do not own a car or don’t need one because they rely on public transportation or their feet to walk to where they need to go. These same people never thought to get an ID from the DMV because where they live, people know one another.

There is an old saying: “Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.” Those of you who have ID and think that it is sooooo easy to get one need to open your eyes, really listen with your ears and walk away from your comfort zone to the outer rim. Then tell me what these new voter ID requirements are really all about.

There is no evidence of outcome-changing voter fraud in America. What there is evidence of is narrow-minded, life-inexperienced people who can’t think for themselves in the midst of manufactured clouds of fear and mindless screeching of impending doom by callous extremists. The need for voter IDs in the United States is baseless, has no merit and is extremely cruel in its intent. Just because people do not live their lives like you does not mean that they are less human, less deserving of the rights of all citizens, and without need for each of us to stand firm for all of us to fully participate in the processes that shape this nation.

Let’s move on to what really matters: saving this country for everyone who is here. We cannot afford to waste one human life or to trample one person’s rights so that a narrow but vocal few can scream fire while they are in the middle of a theater.

DiversityInc.com comment

For more on the election and racism, read:

Is Jim Crow Back? Racist Voter Laws Exclude 5 Million Blacks, Latinos From Polls

Are Voter ID Laws Racist?

‘Racist’ Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Struck Down

Racist Obama Facebook Pages & Your Office: What Do You Need to Know?

Why Obama & Romney Aren’t Connecting With Women

Are Obama & Romney Ignoring Latinos?

The post The Voter-Fraud Myth: What Racist Voter ID Laws Are Really About appeared first on DiversityInc.

Many observers have said these laws are the 21st century version of Jim Crow. There is a likelihood the Supreme Court eventually will rule on the legality of these laws, which now exist in some form in 30 states and have become more prevalent in the last two years in states with Republican-dominated legislatures.

“Fortunately, the Justice Department, courts, and voters have blocked or blunted many of these laws. Many, but not all. And those who would curb the franchise are fiercely fighting in court, going so far as to insist that the Voting Rights Act is in fact unconstitutional,” writes voter-ID-law expert and Brennan Center President Michael Waldman in a comprehensive study done. Read more about the impact and racial targeting of voter ID laws.

Particularly restrictive voter ID laws, which require all registered voters to produce a government-issued form of photo identification like a driver’s license or other state-issued ID in order to cast a ballot, have been established in these 11 states.

Watch the video below for more information or see the original clip on NBCNews.com.

Read these articles for more of DiversityInc’s coverage on voter ID laws and the election:

Are Voter ID Laws Racist?

Romney’s ‘47%’: Racism or ‘Insensitive’ Rhetoric From ‘Out-of-Touch Man’?

Racist Obama Facebook Pages & Your Office: What Do You Need to Know?

The post ‘Racist’ Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Struck Down appeared first on DiversityInc.