Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity existed in North America long before the first Europeans settled on the continent. Native populations included wide differences among Plains, mountain, and coastal nations. With the entry of Europeans, diversity continued in the form of religious, ethnic, gender, and other differences. Populations were segregated by differences, however, so that diversity and inclusion was only noticed, or considered, when someone violated the rules by trying to integrate a group to which they did not belong. It was not until the 20th century that integration and therefore diversity became something to consciously notice and attempt to include.

Early in the 20th century there was diversity in the workforce but it was still segregated: Women were generally relegated to clerical, nursing, and teaching jobs; people of color were relegated to service industries. Positions of authority and status and a wide range of options were still limited to white males. Women and minorities were also denied access to most educational systems.

Women gained a wider range of work experience during World War I and even greater options following World War II. Organizations like the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor, created in 1920, and the National Council of Negro Women, begun in 1935, lobbied Congress against racism, sexism, and job discrimination.

President Harry S. Truman integrated the military in 1948. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established affirmative action through an executive order. This order was followed by a plan for action that was a model for businesses to recruit and develop minority employees. In the same year, Kennedy established the Commission on the Status of Women. The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, and in 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. All of these acts were intended to remedy past and present discrimination in employment, education, and housing. This legislation also created a legal environment for diverse populations to succeed and to be integrated throughout U.S. culture.

Backlash was quick, however, and one of the most visible signs was the lawsuit by Allan Bakke, a white male who in 1974 sued the University of California at Davis for denying him admission [Page 724]while applicants of color with lower scores were admitted. Affirmative action became synonymous in many peoples’ minds with “reverse” discrimination, or with favoring applicants for jobs or education simply because they were minorities.

A member of the Navy's diversity senior advisory group provides diversity training to officers and enlisted and civilian personnel at a three-day diversity symposium in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 2008. Many leaders have the feeling they are exploring new territory when managing a team of individuals from different cultures. Originally aimed at white participants, diversity training has gradually adopted very broad definitions of diversity over time, including secondary differences such as communication, leadership, and thinking styles.

Expectations that diverse populations would be integrated into U.S. culture were not met, and following almost two decades of struggle to realize the dream of inclusion, people of color and women were still relegated to lower-status jobs, excluded from educational institutions, and struggled to attain economic equality. In addition, affirmative action efforts generally enabled white women to benefit substantially faster than women and men of color. Studies by Susan Reed indicated that in three separate years—1995, 2005 and 2009—Fortune 100 companies had gender diversity in their highest ranks but no minority diversity.

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