Diversity Statement

Larry MacPhee

 

One of the greatest innovations of the Founding Fathers in the American Declaration of Independence is the phrase, "All men are created equal." As time went on, we expanded that notion to include not just wealthy white men, but women and people of color as well. All people are created equal, and have equal rights under the law to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This founding principle was unique to America, and while we have not always lived up to this ideal, it is a worthy goal and we must continue to strive for it.

From a biologist's perspective, diversity is the key to evolution. From a diverse population, natural selection favors those best suited to survive and reproduce, increasing the frequency of these heritable differences in the next generation. While monocultures make it easy for diseases to take hold, diverse populations can better handle adversity and find ways to thrive.

Diverse populations of people bring unique ideas to the table. When they work together, they are capable of more creative problem solving than a group of like-minded people with similar educations and experiences. Outside the box thinking is the result of diversity.

It is important to acknowledge though that, while we all have equal rights, at least in theory, we didn't all start out in the same place, with the same set of advantages. The race was rigged from the start. Sometimes, people of privilege don't like to admit that. But it's only fair to try to level the playing field in the ways that we can, recognizing that no matter what we do, it may not be enough. We must not forget the injustices of the past, or pretend they didn't happen in order to assuage our guilty consciences. If we did, we would be more likely to repeat these mistakes. But we can try to make the world better today.

Attacks against diversity, equity and inclusion are misguided. Supporting diversity isn't about favoring less qualified minorities over more qualified non-minorities. In reality, it's making sure that diverse candidates who are equally qualified or more qualified get equal consideration rather than be being passed over because they are different.

Sometimes the differences among us are are obvious; other times those differences are hidden or at least not immediately visible. It's easy to react negatively towards people who are different, especially when we feel that they are competing with us, or taking things to which we think we are more entitled. We need to resist those tribalist instincts, because they don't work in the modern world. There are probably times when we have benefited from our appearance rather than from our efforts or abilities, and we might not even know when those benefits were bestowed upon us. Most of us have, however, had experiences that can help us understand what it's like to be discriminated against.

Many of us have been negatively judged by someone because of our place of origin, our age, our physical appearance, our accent, our customs, our beliefs, our sexual orientation, our income level, or our level of education. At first glance, you might conclude that a person has every advantage. Getting to know them, you will probably learn otherwise. Here are some things about me that are not visible from my appearance. I am an immigrant to the United States. We are a nation of immigrants, but we sometimes we forget that. I am a cancer survivor, and I carry the burden of an incurable illness. And yet, my health is good and I am fortunate to have had excellent medical care. In my family, I was a first generation college student. I am adopted, but I had parents who loved me, and a stable, supportive household. Things could have gone a lot worse for me, and I try to remind myself of that.

After Barack Obama was first elected president, we frequently heard the claim that, "Affirmative action is no longer necessary because we now live in a post-racial society." But white supremacy and anti-semitism, fear of LGBTQ people, and fear of immigrants are all on the rise. I have not experienced the world as a person of color, or a woman, or as a gay or trans person, so I can't truly know what that's like. It would be presumptuous of me to speak for those groups. But we all want to be treated fairly, and not to be discriminated against. It's hard to argue with that.

The diversity of our population is one of America's greatest advantages, as long as we can learn to live together with people who are different from ourselves. We should do what we can to help people who are struggling. Rarely is anyone in a bad situation only because they made bad choices, and even those who did are still deserving of our compassion and relief from suffering. We must also remember that nobody in an esteemed position got there purely on their merits, without any help, encouragement, or good luck. Whether someone is like us, or different from us, that doesn't tell you much about who we are as individuals, or what we are capable of being. We are all part of a rich tapestry that comprises the human condition; equally deserving of opportunity and fair treatment.

We are all in a struggle, and we can all, at one time or another in our lives, use someone's help. Diversity gives us insights based on perspectives that are different from our own. This has immense value. Every one of us is unique and yet, paradoxically, we all have so much in common. Everyone is somebody's baby. Every person has worth. Diversity is beautiful. Diversity makes us better.