Can we do away with the following months or at least change the way we commemorate them: Black History, Women’s History, Asian Pacific American Heritage, Hispanic Heritage, National Disability Employment Awareness and Native American Heritage? Why. Rarely do these observances focus on what executive orders, public laws, federal regulations and Presidential proclamations require- the improvement of equal opportunity and program delivery.
The last Hispanic Heritage Month event I attended focused on salsa dancing and how to make quesadillas. The last American Indian Heritage Month event I witnessed featured powwow dancers and Indian tacos. Both of these communities suffer from chronic long-term under-representation and disengagement in the federal government and yet these 2 observances missed out on opportunities to improve the equal opportunity and program delivery to these under-served constituencies.
If we can’t end them can we mend them? When these events focus on what I call food and entertainment, they actually reinforce bias by convincing participants that various subordinate groups and cultures are no more than culinary delights and tickle me theater.
I have attended dozens of these events and planned numerous more. I would try to tailor my programs to the equal employment or program needs of my community. If it is under-representation, bring in some folks to speak about recruitment of the under-represented group. If it is invisibility at the leadership level, talk about why the pipeline for these positions excludes members from the affected group. If it is program delivery, get some external representatives from the distressed population on the agenda to share best practices.
Many of these observances miss opportunities to cross-pollinate other special emphasis programs. One year to the dismay of many American Indians, I held a program on Black Indians. Another year to the consternation of the same group, I sponsored a program on the Two Spirit People in conjunction with Gay Pride Month
As the federal government becomes populated with multiracial Gen Y’ers and Z’ers, these mono-racial celebrations do not make sense for these post-racial Feds. As our customers change so should our special emphasis events.
Even though these observances are supposedly based on fairness and equity, a pecking order exists dependent on the month of the celebration. Hispanic Heritage Month spans portions of two months, September and October. While its counterpart, November National Native American Heritage Month, falls victim to Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and use it or lose it leave which essentially leaves only two weeks for its commemoration. It is also a period when many American Indians take leave to attend their own Tribal fall harvest ceremonies. Other celebrations like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Black History, Women’s History and Asian Pacific American Heritage, National Disability Employment Awareness Months have month long remembrances.
Let’s change the way we do these important events as we move them from our digestive tracts to our nervous systems; from cultural food fests to equal opportunity strategy sessions; from invitation only gatherings to sold out venues that welcome everyone.
