Shameless diversity starts with you

I haven’t been posting to the Shameless You! Blog often. I recently had a conversation which brought me back to my group of Shameless advocates.

In a discussion about diversity in the workplace, a group of business professionals and I were exploring diversity in leadership. The topic happened on what to do when people don’t take you seriously because of race, gender, beliefs, or other non-mainstream factors. Many people related their personal experiences. A few of the minorities felt that the whites in their business engagements do not take them seriously.

I have found that in my case, it’s minorities who usually don’t take me seriously. I don’t fit the profile of what it means to be a black American woman. I have unconventional tastes and my attempt to “talk black” sounds forced at best.

I shared this with the group. One of the professionals commented that I would be taken more seriously by the black community if I learned some Ebonics. According to him, I enunciate my words too clearly.

I call this hypocrisy, or even reverse racism. I had just been told that diversity is imperative, as long as the diverse people in the group align with the stereotypes associated with their ethnicity, religion, or gender.

Is it diversity if all the people of one ethnicity in the room speak the same way and listen to the same music?

Reflecting people’s speech patterns and finding common ground makes for stronger relationships. But people know when you’re not being authentic. To change who you are is not being Shameless. It says to people that “I am ashamed of who I am and am going to cover it up by adopting your style and deny what feels right to me.”

It is important to be you. Never compromise your integrity by pretending to be someone you’re not. It comes off as false and no one will take you seriously, whether you’re a minority or not.

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life so that the individuals and institutions in our great country would judge each of us by the content of our character, not the color of our skin. If you are asked to change the content of your character to conform to the stereotypes associated with the color of your skin (or any other distinguishing characteristic over which you have no control), ask yourself if you’re surrounded by the types of people who value you and take you seriously.

I hope that each of us will take the time to get to know the content of a person’s character in order to determine if his words and actions align and should be taken seriously. Skin color can only offer a clue. But if that person does not fit with the stereotypes, recognize and celebrate those differences, and acknowledge that you have encountered true diversity.

Be you. Be Shameless.