Diversity means recognizing and acknowledging that each individual is unique, it could be in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. Bringing together a variety of ideas employs an increase in creativity and productivity thereby improving performance especially in the corporate world. The major beneficiaries of diversity are the corporations themselves, they tend to boost their brand reputation which looks great in the public eye, which gets them more profitability and allegiance from a wider demographic but it leaves the black Americans in the pool of other people of color finding a fit for a measure of economic well-being.
Reparations are actions taken to make amends and atone for a wrong or damage. In the past, various groups have received reparations, including payments made to Holocaust survivors and Japanese-Americans after their forced captivity in internment camps. For 250 years of slavery, black Americans were enslaved and forced to work in brutal conditions as agricultural, domestic, and service workers. Fostering diversity in every ramification is not enough to compensate for the free labor blacks were forced to render and the epigenetic trauma that has left a chemical mark on black people’s genes, which then is now passed down to subsequent generations. Issues like a high number of black Americans over-diagnosed with illegal drugs, a high level of unemployment and children in foster care, adoption, and transitional housing have created an inferior and dependent culture in the black community.
The U.S. economy was built on the exploitation and occupational segregation of people of color. It is time that everyone is made aware of the fact that although diversity is necessary and effective, it is imperative that companies, institutions, individuals, etc, are consciously accommodating and accepting of black people before other races as a compensation. Reparation should not just stop at the allocation of funds for education, subsidized healthcare, the building of assets for black Americans, but our perception of black Americans in our community also in ensuring that the full scope of slavery is taught through educational programs so as to bring the future generation apprised of their history and still imbibing the culture of giving back to the community. Conscious actions should be made in employing more black Americans in the workplace in American and also be sensitive towards letting go of black Americans when downsizing.
People usually think that progress consists in the increase of knowledge, but progress consists only in the greater clarification of answers to basic questions of life. I know it seems biased that black Americans should be given an upper hand over other people of color, but you should ask yourself; should the one who is most injured not get the most urgent and comprehensive care?
