Bridge the Cultural Gap

Once,duringthecourseofaconversationwithacolleaguewhowasawomanofcolor,IhappenedtorefertoherasanAfricanAmerican.Herresponseleftmeconfused."Dontcallmethat,"shesaid."IveneverbeentoAfrica;IdontknowthefirstthingaboutAfrica.YoucancallmeblackoryoucancallmeanAmerican,butdontcallmeAfricanAmerican."Shewentontoaskmewhy,ifawhitepersonfromSouthAfricabecameaUScitizen,noonewouldeverrefertothatpersonasAfricanAmerican.Ofcourse,Ididnthavearesponse.

Andnottoolongago,ImetamanwhobemoanedthefactthateveryoneautomaticallyreferstohimasAfricanAmerican,despitethefactthathehasonlyrecentlyemigratedfromGhana."ImAfrican,butImcertainlynotanAmerican,"hesaid.

"Forcensuspurposes,wereaskedtofitourselvesintooneoffivecategories,"saysCorneliaGamlem,presidentoftheGEMSGroup,ahumanresourcesconsultingfirmbasedinHerndon,Virginia.Theseracial/ethniccategoriesareasfollows:white,black,AsianandPacificIslander,Hispanic,andAmericanIndian,EskimoorAleut."Whilepeopleofthesameracemaysharesimilarities,therearemanyculturaldifferencesthatneedtoberecognized."

Forinstance,apersonwhochecks"black"onthecensusformmaybeAmerican-born,ormayhailfromelsewhere,suchastheCaribbeanoranAfricannation.Likewise,aHispanicpersonmaybefromplacesasdisparateasNewYorkCity,Mexico,CubaorBrazil."Theproblemisthattheremaybeatendencytomakeassumptionsaboutpeople,justbylookingattheirobviouscharacteristics,"saysGamlem."Iseeyourskinisblack,soIlumpyouintotheAfricanAmericancategoryandfigurethatyourejustlikeeverybodyelsewhogrewupinthiscountry.ButifyouwereraisedintheCaribbeanoranAfricannation,Ivemadeassumptionsthatareincorrect.Thisopensthedoortodiscriminatorytreatmentandunfairpractices."

Whileitmightsimplifylifeattheofficeifwecouldalljustmakeassumptionsaboutpeoplebasedontheirobviousphysicalcharacteristics,thatkindofthinkingjustdoesntfitthebillanymore(notthatiteverreallydidinthefirstplace)."Diversitygoeswellbeyondwhatonecanvisuallysee,"Gamlemsays."Itcanbehidden."Gamlemremembersthetimeshewasonabusinesstripanddiningaloneinarestaurant.Afterhermeal,thewaiterbroughtheracheckandtoldhertohaveaniceMothersDay."Hecategorizedmeinacertainway.Becauseofmygenderandagegroup,heassumedIwasamother."

Makingassumptionsbasedonapersonsracecanbeanevendicierproposition.Thefactisthat,censuscategoriesnotwithstanding,theUnitedStatesisavastlydiversepopulation,andgrowingmoresoallthetime.Andintheend,apersonsculturalidentityisatleastasimportantashisethnicidentity.Forinstance,theguyfromJamaicawithanofficenextdoortoanAfricanAmericanmayactuallyhavemoreincommonculturallywiththelight-skinnedCubanpersondownthehall.

Sowhatsapersonsupposedtodo?Theanswer,saysGamlem,isbothincrediblysimpleandenormouslydifficult:"Appreciatepeopleforwhotheyareasindividuals,notforwhatclassofpeopletheyareassumedtobeassociatedwith."Thatmeanscheckingyourbiasesandautomaticstereotypes--weveallgotthem--atthedoorandtakingsometimetounderstandyourcoworkersculturalbackgroundsandvalues.Gamlemisthefirsttoadmitthatthisfundamentalandnecessarychangeinthewayweviewourfellowhumanbeingswonthappenovernight."Itsaprocess,"shesays."Itneedstobenurturedovertime."

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