By Charles Becknell
Chairman, Diversity Leadership Council
As the 2008 Chair of the Diversity Leadership Council (DLC), I write to clarify what the DLC stands for and what we promote.
Formed in the early '90s, the DLC is a group of organizations and individuals who are committed to leveraging diversity as a resource in business, education, government and communities. Our charter is to provide education, individual development, networking and service to our community and advocate the elimination of barriers to inclusion while promoting respect and dignity of all people in our workplaces and communities.
A recent article in the Albuquerque Journal stated that the council, including myself, is promoting the notion that all white people are racist. This is completely false and not a concept that we as a council or as individuals support. As a pastor of a multicultural church, I would never be a part of any organization that would place a negative label on any race or culture.
Over the years, I have learned some very valuable lessons regarding human relations. When faced with an uncomfortable topic or situation, my experience has taught me that some people will assume the worst possible interpretation for another person's motives and without dialogue, miss the true intent. This can lead to hurtful misunderstanding and wrong conclusions leading to damaging choices with far-reaching consequences, including negating progress made in diversity.
Whether we agree with the subject matter or not, the DLC Forum is a place where broad diversity issues are presented, knowledge is shared, and a safe platform for dialogue is provided. Without dialogue, this leads to further division— and those crucial issues that we tend to avoid will never be resolved.
We must come to the table and talk, and I firmly believe that the longer we stay at the table, the greater the opportunity to understand another person's point of view.
I am not an employee of Sandia National Laboratories, and I cannot speak for the company. Sandia is most likely no different than most major corporations that are struggling to address the issues of diversity within its workforce.
The language in the promotion material stirs interest and allows participants to engage in healthy dialogue on current national topics. I invite others to join us and see for themselves what a unique opportunity this forum is— to learn, share and build a strong community and, above all, to come to the table and discuss those issues that might make us feel uncomfortable.
We will probably discover that our differences do not have to be divisive.
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