On July 16, 2009, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 58, the world-renowned Alphonse Fletcher University Professor of Harvard University became a statistic -- one of a million Black men in the prison system today. Professor Gates had just arrived home from a trip to China, where he was filming his latest PBS documentary entitled, “Faces of America.” Upon attempting to enter his rental home in Harvard Square, he found that his front door had jammed. Professor Gates and his cabbie together successfully released the door and carried the luggage into the home. Minutes later, Professor Gates was approached by uniformed Cambridge police officers responding to a neighbor’s 911 call about a possible breaking and entering in progress.
One of the officers that immediately arrived on the scene, later identified as Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley, asked Professor Gates for proof of identification. Professor Gates informed the officer that he lived there and was a faculty member at Harvard University and presented his Harvard University identification and valid Massachusetts driver’s license to the officer. Both of these documents included his photograph and current address. As Professor Gates stepped onto the front porch of the home, he asked one of Sgt. Crowley’s colleagues the officer’s name and badge number. No information was offered to Professor Gates. After repeated inquiries by Professor Gates, coupled with significant verbal exchanges between the two individuals, Sgt. Crowley, a Caucasian male, handcuffed Professor Gates and placed him under arrest for disorderly conduct. News reports indicate that Professor Gates was not even read his Miranda rights until after he arrived at the Cambridge Police Station to be fingerprinted and fully processed.
On Tuesday, July 21, 2009, prosecutors dropped the disorderly conduct charge against Professor Gates. The city of Cambridge called the arrest, “regrettable and unfortunate.” During his news conference on health care reform, President Obama stated that the Cambridge police “acted stupidly” in handling the situation with Professor Gates, whom he has known for many years. I call it an undeniable debacle, to say the least.
Here we stand in the 21st Century, the year 2009. We as a nation are still struggling with the very same stereotypes and prejudices that have plagued our society for decades. Despite the tragic incidents involving police and African-American victims like Rodney King, Amadou Diallo and the innocent 92 year-old Atlanta shooting victim, Kathryn Johnson – we have not yet learned any lessons. Even given historic decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade, we are regrettably poor students.
Similarly, those of us who work in Corporate America should view the Gates controversy as a real “wake-up call” and utilize it as an impetus for change in our respective working environments. The successful implementation of any diversity initiative requires a changing of the mindset. Lacking that, the biases that continue to permeate our organizations (whether conscious or unconscious) will take control and override any finely scripted diversity initiative. We have to ensure that our hiring practices are focused on being all-inclusive, with equitable representation across all levels of the organization. We need to be consistent in the implementation of company policies and procedures, as well as in each of our employment decisions.
Most importantly, we as professionals have to strategically reinforce one of the basic requirements of diversity: understanding and embracing differences. We are not a “melting pot” - a term commonly used to describe our society, but rather, a mosaic of individuals, who are each derived from different races, educational and socio-economic backgrounds, religions, marital status, work experiences, etc. These differences are significant to the organization and, regardless of size or industry, can dramatically impact a company’s bottom line.
Statistically, discrimination charges filed each year with the EEOC are at record high levels. This means that employment-related issues are not going to somehow disappear on their own. It also means that the supervisors and managers who work directly on the front line need to be properly trained in the EEO laws and work as a team to enhance the multi-cultural and social awareness among their constituents.
Let’s be honest. The election of President Obama was a truly historic moment – the first Black African-American man to be elected to serve as the 44th President of the United States. The same holds true in regards to the appointment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic female to serve as the 11th Court Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. These events have provided a new platform for which we as a society can again talk openly about the importance of diversity in America and all over the world. What these events have not done, however, is completely eradicate the “-isms.” Ostensibly, the overall concept of embracing diversity has evolved and race relations have progressed over the years. But as evidenced by the Gates incident, we have yet to attain the level of acceptance that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists envisioned.
Professor Gates is now considering filing a lawsuit against Sgt. Crowley, the city and/or the Cambridge Police Department on the basis of what constitutes racial profiling. President Obama has offered to step in and extend an invitation to the two to share a beer with him at the White House, representing a symbolic conciliatory summit. According to the President, the controversy over the Gates issue is a “teachable moment.” There are some who argue that perhaps each party simply overreacted to the situation, stating that had Crowley and Gates engaged in a more civil communication with each other on that front porch, we would not be talking about this travesty today. Hindsight is 20/20. Speculation aside, what we do know for sure is that it is imperative that we as business leaders get our arms around these issues before too long. The “teachable moment” for us today should be crystal clear.
Written by: Jennifer Melton, EEO/Diversity Management Consultant & Certified Facilitator - Leadership Development, F&H Solutions Group
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