By Todd A. Heywood
EAST LANSING, MI — A gathering of statewide community leaders to discuss diversity and inclusion had many participants concerned about the event’s apparent exclusion of certain groups.
"It was billed as a statewide organization for diversity and inclusion for all," said John Roy Castillo, executive director of Cristo Rey Community Center in Lansing. Cristo Rey serves a mostly Hispanic client base. "It was just discussions about black and white, male and female. For an organization that has been around for over 50 years, they should have been more sensitive."
Castillo was discussing the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion Diversity Summit in East Lansing, which covered issues now that Michigan has Constitutionally prohibited certain affirmative action programs. The speakers generally addressed black and white race issues, and sexism. The event featured no speakers from the Hispanic, Asian Pacific, Muslim, Jewish, Native American or LGBT communities.
"I am sorry," said Thomas Costello, president and CEO of the Michigan Roundtable which sponsored the summit, to the crowd. "I was not part of the planning process, but it won’t happen again." Costello was responding to a question from Castillo asking about the exclusion of other groups speaking.
Also of concern were comments made by Linda Parker, the director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. Asked about the inclusion of the gay community in hate crimes legislation, Parker began her explanation to the crowd by saying, "If you want to join that movement…" Many Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender people in the room thought Parker was referring to the LBGT rights movement.
In an interview later, Parker clarified her statement. "I was speaking of the movement to amend the Ethnic Intimidation Act. I did not mean to imply the LGBT community was a separate movement."
Kate Runyon, interim executive director of Triangle Foundation, a Detroit based anti-violence and advocacy group for the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender community in Michigan, said she was uncomfortable with Parker’s statement, but she also felt it was important to show restraint.
"If we were going to jump up and demand that LGBT issues be addressed, we would lose people," Runyon said.
A presentation was made about additional anti-affirmative action ballot measures appearing across the country. It was not noted that all five states targeted this year have previously been targeted for anti-gay marriage initiatives. The five states are Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Arizona and Oklahoma. Michigan passed an amendment to the state constitution in 2004 banning same-sex marriage, and in 2006 the state passed an anti-affirmative action amendment to the state constitution.
"I think coming from our perspective, we see these as obvious," said Runyon, "but for people outside our community it might not be obvious. It is part of our responsibility to see the issues and bring it forward."
Todd A. Heywood is the Capitol Correspondent for Between the Lines newspaper, the statewide newspaper for the gay community of Michigan and a fellow for the Center for Independent Media, MichiganMessenger.com.
