QultureMatters: Marching Toward King’s Dream

By Lily Qi

When NBC4 morn­ing news anchor Aaron Gilchrist commented at the end of a news sto­ry recently that black men who don’t want to be cast in stereotypi­cal roles are sometimes considered “not black enough,” I was taken aback by his openness in discussing a highly sensitive topic during morning news hours. After all, race is not something we casually comment on in this country. It is usually reserved for serious soul-searching moments in special pro­gramming or during primetime TV when commentators have scripted notes or care­fully rehearsed lines.

I have no doubt that the fact he is a young black man gave Aaron the ease and credibility to talk about being young, black and male in a way his white coun­terparts would not have done. The fact that the NBC4 broadcast features two young minority anchors, Aaron Gilchrist and Eun Yang, who is Korean American, doesn’t just change the look of the show, it also changes the dialogue.

A few years ago, when Tavis Smiley, host of Black Entertainment Television (BET), was a guest on National Pub­lic Radio, a caller asked why we need­ed a BET when we wouldn’t consider it right to have something called White Entertainment Television. Tavis’ reply was pointed. “Yes we do,” he said. “It’s called ABC, it’s called NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox…”

Fortunately, the same can no longer be said about many networks today. The day is already here when media outlets don’t need to be labeled Black, Asian or La­tino Entertainment Television, or “mul­ticultural,” something to serve or appeal to diverse communities. Perhaps the greatest symbol of so­cial integration is having a black president in the White House, something hard to imagine until it actually happened, even to some who voted for Barack Obama.

As our nation wel­comes another Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the second in­auguration of President Obama, we have much to celebrate regarding how much of Dr. King’s dream of America is being re­alized.

So are we there yet? Not when race is still a predictor of academic achievement, job opportunities and how far one goes in life. Not when “diverse” communities are expected to fit into a culture rather than being in leadership positions to institute meaningful, systemic change. Not when it continues to make headlines every time a woman or minority takes a top spot in a well-established organization, whether in government or in business.

Social integration doesn’t just happen. It takes deliberate work and a gradual change of attitudes. In the past, when or­ganizations considered diversity on their staffs or boards, it often seemed they were driven by “doing the right thing” or “being inclusive,” as if it was an act of charity. Now, more and more organi­zations and leaders realize that work­force diversity is a necessity that brings in new thinking and adds credibility to their knowledge and expertise, some­thing they cannot function without. In­deed, many times in group settings such as board meetings, I would say things that hadn’t been considered, leading me to wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t been present. Do we really know what we miss when we don’t have diver­sity at the table?

In the course of my hybrid career, I have held a couple of jobs focusing on minority and cultural affairs. But I have no delusion that while these positions and programs are still needed today, the ultimate answer to integration lies in el­evating the cultural competency of all organizations so that multiculturalism permeates culture and thinking. Civil rights organizations established decades ago to advance minority interests and social injustice have to keep up with the new dynamics and find new relevancy in a society that has moved beyond the ba­sics which made them necessary genera­tions ago.

Best intentions may not bring about the best results. A case in point is minor­ity friendly business programs at local government levels. Rather than creating more programs that minority businesses have to apply and qualify for in order to take advantage of them, it would be more effective to focus on making it easier to do business for all companies, including minority entities.

It’s a new year and a good time to usher in new thinking. To me, daily re­minders of social progress always bring smiles, whether it’s the morning news anchors’ comments, or the young La­tino man across the meat counter who serves customers in imperfect but impres­sive Mandarin in a Chinese supermarket on Rockville Pike. Or the fact that most high school students honored at a Mont­gomery County Dr. Martin Luther King celebration were Asians. Progress may happen in unexpected ways, but it’s al­ways a reason to celebrate. Here’s a New Year’s toast to progress!

Lily Qi can be reached at qulturematters@gmail.com or via her blog site at www.qul­turematters.com.