Pam Y. Fields

What follows is part of an article on the website for the Harvard Business Review (https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter).

Striving to increase workplace diversity is not an empty slogan — it is a good business decision. A 2015 McKinsey report on 366 public companies found that those in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their industry mean, and those in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to have returns above the industry mean.

In a global analysis of 2,400 companies conducted by Credit Suisse, organizations with at least one female board member yielded higher return on equity and higher net income growth than those that did not have any women on the board.

In recent years a body of research has revealed another, more nuanced benefit of workplace diversity: nonhomogenous teams are simply smarter. Working with people who are different from you may challenge your brain to overcome its stale ways of thinking and sharpen its performance. Let’s dig into why diverse teams are smarter.

You might wonder where I am going with this, so I’ll tell you.

If workplace diversity equals better products and increased company performance, then I suggest the same could be said for communities, cities, and yes, even countries. While the recent events from the Supreme Court seem to not model the concept of diversity = progress, I think it does show how flawed our society has become.

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Are you seeing what I am seeing? If you are seeing the push on all the gains that have been accomplished for impoverished people and BIPOC/LGBTQ+ (B&L), then yes, you are. If you think that all of this will magically go away, then just look at US history. Many B&L advocated, protested, and even died for all these rights and privileges that are now being stripped away.

How far back are you willing to let this slide before you speak and do something to counteract this unhealthy wave? Will it be too late? Too late for what?

• Too late for our nation to be a true democracy?
• Too late to accomplish healing and unity for all?
• Too late to avert another civil war?

I’m not trying to scare anyone but seeing all the things that we have witnessed over the past several years has me scared. I am scared for mine and other B&L families. An example:

There is a black dad and a white mom who have had several children. The mom does not understand all about the experiences of growing up as ‘the other’ in the US. Thus, she raises her children as she was raised. She is overprotective and lax in discipline. Her children will soon find out that while their mom is white, society sees them as black. They will be ridiculed, held to a harsher standard, and punished more severely. If involved in a fight, they will be expelled while the white student will be sent back to class. Their lax and protective upbringing will not have prepared them to stand up for themselves, to fight for justice and to stand proud.

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Our nation’s future prosperity, vitality, and unity depend upon America becoming a truly healthy multiracial democracy — an aspiration that requires racial equity and diversity in higher education, housing, prison reform, and every system in our society. Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, my foundation will not waver in my commitment to those making the nation’s high ideals a reality for all communities and all people.

If you have been a previous participant, you know we have had some great conversations. Now it is time to put into practice what we have learned. Beginning this fall, we will periodically go on outings as a group so that we can model for others what healthy diversity can look like.

Examples of outings (Some of these events will be followed by discussion.):

• Eat at different restaurants in different parts of town.
• Go to movie or theater.
• Go to community events.
• Go on a Dallas black tour.
• Go on a Dallas regular history tour if there is one.

I would love to have you join us whenever you are available. Also, I would love your suggestions for events.

Doctor Pam