Diversity, Inclusion and the “Naïve Offender”

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It is very easy in today’s complex multi-cultural world to inadvertently offend someone. (graphic from wikiHow)

When I hold a diversity and inclusion workshop with a client, early in the discussion, I ask people to think about where they may be on the “diversity spectrum” when considering this subject. I assert that people generally fall into four categories. Where are you?

• Change Agent. These are the leaders on the diversity subject. They are full vocal supporters of diversity and inclusion, and are often the leaders within their organizations on this subject. They may teach workshops, are not afraid to initiate discussions with other leaders and employees, and are adroit at articulating the business case and value of diversity.

• Active Supporter. These people “get it.” They understand the value and importance of diversity and inclusion and seek to grow in their knowledge. They take steps in their daily work to assure diversity and inclusion is a component.

Hopefully we can all aspire to be change agents or at least active supporters in terms of diversity and inclusion (photo from Plays-In-Business.com)

• Neutral. These are people who most likely have not given the subject much thought, and simply go along with the flow in their areas. Often, they may not have been educated on this subject.

• Deliberate Offender. These are people who can do quite a bit a damage within an organization. They are anti-diversity and often ostracize or criticize diverse groups or constituencies within the enterprise. They may even go as far as to spread false information and fear about others.

But in addition, there is a fifth category where even those of us who are change agents and active supporters may find ourselves from time to time – the naïve offender.

What is a naïve offender? This is a person, who on occasion, unintentionally makes an error or a misstep in terms of some aspect of diversity. Often a person may even have good intentions, but accidentally say something offensive to someone else. Frequently these missteps simply come from a lack of knowledge.

What are some examples of a naïve offender?

• Using a word or phrase that is offensive to the hearer. For example referring to sexual orientation as “sexual preference,” which is used by those people trying to perpetrate that gay people chose to be gay and can change, or an older white man, who calls all younger men “boy” addressing an African-American man as “boy,” which conjures up cultural references to slavery.

• Saying something in jest which can offend certain hearers. Examples could be taking about how you are going to party it up and drink tequila and eat tacos to celebrate Cinqo De Mayo, or making reference to nooses or chains with African Americans.

• Speaking more loudly and raising your voice to someone who does not speak English fluidly. Simply slowing down and avoiding complicated words and idioms would be helpful instead.

• Treating all Hispanics or Asians as collective groups and not appreciate that Latin America and Asia are comprised of dozens of countries with their own distinct culture.

• Unknowingly referring to a transgender person or a gender fluid person by the wrong pronoun.

Even as a diversity trainer, I make mistakes as a naïve offender. I was presenting some material that was 3-4 years old using the terms “hearing-impaired” and “sight-impaired” when those communities now prefer using the words deaf or blind. The word impaired connotes that someone has a fault or is not capable.

What should you do if someone “naively” offends you? I would think that based upon your past relationship with someone and their body language and tone of voice, you can discern if the person is making an honest mistake or is truly belligerent, e.g. a deliberate offender. If you sense the person is a naïve offender, turn it into a learning moment and graciously point out their error. Lashing out at the person or ostracizing them will not be helpful to them, nor your community.

And what are some hints and tips for the naïve offender? How can you continually improve in this area?

• When you make a misstep and realize it, immediately and sincerely apologize.
• When someone points out a diversity mistake that you made, thank them for pointing it out.
• Continue to educate yourself about diverse communities you interact with, especially those you may be less familiar with.
• Think of ways where you can grow more as an active supporter or change agent of diversity and inclusion.

May we all be gracious and continue to grow in building a world where all diversity is fully understood, respected and included.

The below closing graphic illustrates these categories of people in regards to diversity and inclusion, along with another graphic sharing that effective diversity and inclusion training needs to incorporate the mind (business logic), the heart and taking action. Read my other blog about these components of diversity and inclusion training.

Five steps to reduce mass incarceration of African Americans

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It is quite telling that this photo of a prison reentry training program looks very heavily “people of color.”

Last Month, I introduced my cousin Brandon Garrick, Masters of Social Work Candidate at NC State, who will be a regular monthly guest blogger writing about key social issues connected with my field of diversity consulting.

His first blog was “Three Key Impacts of the Mass Incarceration of Black Americans” – Link, and now he follows up with some proposed solutions with “Five steps to reduce mass incarceration of African Americans.”

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Mass incarceration of African Americans cripples our society in so many ways. I explained in a earlier blog (link included), on how it negatively affects our country from an economic and sociological perspective. As a country we need to reduce mass incarceration, especially when it comes to non-violent offenders who are serving mandatory sentences. I have come up with five steps we can take as a country to reduce mass incarceration among African Americans.

1) Increase Drug courts. Drug courts are a federal expanded program that offers offenders an alternative to incarceration. Drug courts provide substance abuse treatment within a court setting, with the goal of reducing recidivism or incarceration . Drug courts were developed in response to the growing number of drug cases crowding our courts and prisons. Drug courts have been studied since its creation, and positive results are evident.

2) Increase Mental Health Courts. Mental health courts were created to assist criminal defendants who have a mental illness that significantly contributes to their criminal offense. Mental health courts provide court mandated treatment programs instead of prison. Mental health courts provide an excellent alternative to incarceration while providing mental health treatment.

Effective prison reentry programs and employer incentives can provide productive jobs for people instead of them living on the street.


3) More Effective Re-Entry Programs. Returning to the community from prison is a complex transition for most inmates, as well as for their families and communities. Upon reentering society, former offenders are likely to struggle with substance abuse, lack of sufficient education and job skills, inadequate lodging options, mental health problems, and other various issues. Therefore, as a country, we need more effective Re-entry programs to help reduce recidivism.

4) Reducing Mandatory Minimum Sentencing. Mandatory minimum sentences a major contribution to the spark of mass incarceration. Horrendous public polices and awful crime bills can be liable for destroying African American communities throughout our country . As a nation, we need to fight these mandatory sentencing as they are very problematic for over-crowded our prisons. One organization that is fighting hard against these is Families Against Mandatory Minimums(FAMM). You can find out more information at http://famm.org/

5) Increase incentives for employers to hire ex-convicts. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program is a excellent program that leads to former inmates finding employment. Employment can go a long way in reducing recidivism. One of the main problems former inmates have is finding employment when released. Re-entry services can only help so much when it comes to guiding released individuals to employment. As a country we should provide more incentives to companies that hire ex-convicts, the same way we offer incentives for hiring ex-military.

This blog enumerates some ideas on how to reduce mass incarceration among African Americans. If you have any other ideas and would like a more detailed paper on some of these alternatives, feel free to email me @ [email protected]

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Guest blogger Brandon Garrick is a Masters of Social Work Candidate at NC State University

Brandon Garrick is my second cousin who I enjoy spending a lot if time with. He recently completed his Bachelor of Sociology at North Carolina State University, and has now entered their Master’s Program of Social Work. He worked full time at North Carolina’s Central Prison as a corrections officer while completing his bachelor’s degree, and has a deep concern about the many social issues facing our nation and the world. He will now be a regular guest blogger discussing these various issues.