Sandia Labs Says Views of Others Should Be Respected
Associated Press
Sandia National Laboratories is trying to diffuse anger over an announcement sent to workers this month that suggested all white people are racist.
The lab said it regrets any offense created by the April 2 announcement, which described an upcoming workshop entitled "White Privilege and Diversity.''
"Sandia is firmly committed to diversity and to an inclusive work environment, one in which we respect the views of others even if we do not personally agree with them,'' John Slipke, vice president for human resources, told employees in a memo Friday.
"In the spirit of inclusiveness and openness, we will continue dialogue with employees who have expressed concerns regarding this workshop,'' he said.
The workshop is one of 10 scheduled at an April 24 conference, "Beyond Tolerance to Inclusion.'' The description of the session said that whites "may learn through multicultural education, but are likely to persist in racist behaviors unless persuaded to abolish the privileges they receive as members of the white race.''
The conference is sponsored by the Diversity Leadership Council, a coalition of community leaders, business executives and others that has offered forums for 15 years.
About two dozen employees have criticized the blurb of the workshop, which the lab didn't write, lab spokesman Michael Padilla said Saturday. Two people have voiced their support for the workshop, he said.
The lab also took down an internal Web page Friday that included links to publications about white privilege.
"It's under construction to make sure it has a broader view of all diversity issues,'' Padilla said.
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