Black women’s activism a blueprint for equity struggles BY FORREST C. CRAWFORD Special to the Standard-Examiner The juxtaposition of February (National Black Heritage Month) and March (Women’s History Month) provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the enduring contributions of African-American women to our great democracy. This often unheralded segment of the population has had a profound influence in shaping today’s complex and diverse society, yet in many cases their contributions. have gone unsung or unrecognized. The legacy of black women has been a mixture of sorrow and joy, considering the many barriers they have overcome and the new and ongoing obstacles they continue to confront. The 2004 Women’s History Month theme “Women Inspiring Hope and Possibility” elicits a dualism remi- niscent of the experiences of early slaves’ preordained life on American soil. During that time, “masters” commanded their “overseers” to “create in these people a habit of perfect dependency,” especially targeted toward those who offered for- midable resistance. African women and girls were beholden to the ultimate indignation of gratuitous sexual assault and rape, as they were sold into the colonial abyss of slavery. Yet from this ria dark institution Crawford emerged a steadfast but magnanimous activism among female slaves, a legacy that ulti- mately would transcend race and be embraced by all woman seeking equality. Discussing the emergence of black women’s activism, noted author and scholar Toni Morrison suggests, “... she had nothing to fall back on; not maleness, not whiteness, not ladyhood, not anything. And out of the profound desolation of her reality she may well have invented herself.” Against the backdrop of the Antebellum South, black women’s lives speak volumes about their unwillingness to yield to the peculiar institution of slavery. Isabell Baunfree, known better to us as “Sojourner Truth,” was famous for her fiery, abolition rhetoric during the 1850s. A friend and ally to women’s suffrage and anti-slavery proponents like Harriet Beecher Stowe, Lucretia and James Mott, in 1851 Baunfree lamented to a group of men marginalizing her positionon women’s rights and African enslavement, “Ain’t I a woman?” Most are familiar with Harriet Tubman’s “Underground Railroad” work. Ida B. Wells’ and Mary Church Terrell’s anti-lynching and women’s rights campaigns are cited frequently in numerous anthologies and history lessons. Far fewer know of Maria Stewart’s drive for liberation during the 1830s, in part because it was viewed as short lived (by some accounts, less than a few years). Though she lacked formal education, Stewart rose to prominence not only speaking to temperance societies and literary clubs of the day, but also, as one scholar noted, with a “chastening tongue” she gave speeches and published articles on women’s activism and civil rights within the context of a well-defined patriarchal ethos — even castigating free blacks for not doing enough toward their own liberation. Historian Paula Giddings places Stewart’s contributions in perspective, suggesting, “... though her public career was short, Stewart articulated the precepts upon which the future activism of black women would be based.” The inherent lesson: We can make a difference, regardless of how limited our time or resources. By the latter part of the 20th century it was clear that women in general had carved a notable place in the fabric of society. Fannie Lou Hamer, a Mississippi civil rights worker and leader of the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, quipped at the Democratic Party convention that year, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am going no place ... with all my parents and grandparents gave to Mississippi, I have a right to stay here to fight for what they didn’t get.” Ina few short sentences, Hamer’s sentimental battle cry had bridged the injustices of post-Civil War reconstruction era to the modern civil and human rights struggle. But even with the gains that have = - mG te WHOSE / . , }< | been made against perennial social, political, and economic barriers and imbalances, black and other women are still inspiring hope and possibility through their ongoing efforts to achieve equality. As we reflect on the contributions of women, and black women in particular, perhaps words penned more than 200 years ago sum it up best. Mary Wollstonecraft, an English writer and political philosopher, warned in her famous piece “A Vindication of the Right of Women” (1792) “... let not men then in the pride of power, use the same arguments that tyrannic kings and venal ministers have used, and fallaciously assert that women ought to be sub- jected because she has always been so. But, when man, governed by reasonable laws, enjoys his natural freedom, let him despise women, if she does not share it with him; and till that glorious period arrives, in descanting on the folly of the sex, let him not overlook his own.” Forrest Crawford is assistant to the president for diversity at Weber State University, where he is also a professor of teacher education. / 4B Monday, April 26, 2004 Annika Christina Myers Ogden - Our beautiful. Nappy ray of sunshine has broken forth from mortality on earth to a heavenly realm above early Saturday morning True to her cheerful personality, Annika was born with a smile and joyful glow about her on a beauti- ful, sunny and warm morning, the last day of June in 1994. The sky was its brightest blue, just like her Swedish blue eyes. She is the cherished daughter of Shaun and Christina Lonn Myers. Annika was blessed with a zest for life and an endearing passion for family, friends, animals and nature. She loves her fluffy cheerful little puppy, Marshmallow; her active, furry little bunny, Smooches; her gentle dog, Jaffa; all the neighborhood cats and especially horses. She loves to swing in the family’s big tree swing, ride her bike, sing songs, make movies, swim, ski, ride horses and play with her sl, friends. Her favorite colors are yellow and blue because they are the colors of the Swedish flag and they make her happy. Annika is an excellent fourth grade student at Polk Elemen- tary School She loves her Surviving are her father and mother, Shaun and Christina Myers: her sisters and brothers, Kjerstin, Katarina, Zack, Daniel and Thomas, all of Ogden; grandparents, Richard and Gloria Myers, Joe and Linda Boyd, all of North Ogden: SvenGoran and Elsa Lonn, Vislanda, Sweden; two great-grandmothers, Roseann Myers and Annette Jor- gensen; 11 uncles and aunts, and 15 cousins of Utah, California and Sweden. _ Annika fought a good fight. She finished the course. She has kept the faith. -uneral services will be heldon Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Myers teacher, Mrs. Lynda Allen and all Wash Mortuary in Ogden, 845 ington Blvd. Friends may call of her classmates. at the mortuary on Tuesday from She is an honorary member of 6 to 8 p.m. and on Wednesday the Coldwater “Shoot-out” Gang from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. and the National Funeral DirecInterment, Myers Evergreen | tors Association. Memorial Park. Annika loves her Heavenly Our heartfelt thanks to all the Father and her Savior, Jesus medical and health professionals Christ. She is an active member who so compassionately cared for of the Taylor Canyon Ward Pri- Annika. mary of the Church of Jesus Memorial donations may be Christ of Latter-Day Saints. made in Annika’s name to the Annika has an infinite capaci- Make-A-Wish Foundation, 771 ty to love and influence the lives E. Winchester, Murray, UT 84107. of many people. She leaves us Online with a legacy of faith, hope driving guest book, obituary and instructions may be found endurance and love, with a desire at Www.myers-mortuary.com. to be our best and to live eact moment of everyday to the fullest King’s visit to Utah: Footnote or anchor-point By FORREST C. CRAWFORD & Guest commentary y the time Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated in 1968, he was arguably noted as one of our nation’s most eloquent if not prolific leaders in the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and ‘60s. It was customary among activists during that time to avail themselves to a number of established venues and audiences; hopefully gaining some traction on one of the most pressing dilemmas of that time, namely the disparaging treatment of the poor and segregating practices that carved deep divides between southern black and white Americans. The nature of King’s work would eventually take him far beyond the borderlands of the southern United States to geographical areas throughout the north and eastern seaboard. Equally significant was his visit to places like India, Africa and throughout Europe, establishing him as an emerging voice on the world stage. By 1960, the charismatic young leader that would help eventually carve a centerpiece of the civil rights movement was known to most geographical domestic regions. But few people knew about a trip made to the Rocky Mountain West Utah in 1961. Against the backdrop of impressive achievements like the 382-day boycott of the Montgomery city bus system, his cofounding role in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and authoring numerous books, essays and public speeches, King took his non-violent passive resistance message on the road as a way to draw attention to the debilitating impact segregation and “Jim Crowism” had on society in general, the south in particular. Most significant was King’s God-driven passion for equal justice that compelled him to stand before students, faculty, staff and community members at Salt Lake City’s University of Utah on Jan. 31, 1961. Invited by the Associated Students of University of Utah Officers as part of its traditional public speaking bureau programs, King had agreed to address the audience on “the future of integration.” Delayed by a scheduled flight into Salt Lake from Denver, Colo., the student government had asked a popular professor of political science, Dr. J.D. Williams, if he would fill the time sharing some thoughts to an anxiously awaiting audience of more than 1,700 people. Graciously agreeing, Dr. Williams, in his well-known and classic professorialStyle quipped, “Does three/fifths equal one?” It was a reference to the 1820 Missouri Compromise agreement that gave slave states political advantages B over free states when considering congressional representation; by counting slaves as three/fifths of a human being, where before they were viewed largely as property with no citizenship status. Williams, speaking for more than an hour, Crawford | methodically making his case relative to the earlier question he raised, concluded, “. I submit that it didn’t then and [referring to the 1961 Negro plight] it does not now ..” Shortly after Williams’ address, King appeared before a crowded ballroom, having been quickly escorted by local law enforcement officers from the Salt Lake Airport to his date with the University of Utah and Salt Lake City community. With his signature rhetorical preacher-like cadence, King asserted,“ Iam convinced | opponents of segregation are fighting a losing battle. While the reactionary forces are busy crying “never,” segregation is gradually crumbling aroundthem ” King went on to outline several instructive arguments as he forged forward toward concluding remarks by suggesting, “ above all, the determination of the negro himself would be a major factor ... the present new era in race relations has driven the negro to re-evaluate himself and in doing so the Negro has found a new gin¥: dignity and self-respect. ” Jan. 31, 2011, will mark the 50th anniversary of the King visit to Ut people today barely recall this eve have forgotten or never believed h ever come to this state. | More sadly, the towering intolieet and booming voice of the late Dr. J.D. Williams is no longer with us, to share his compelling account of the King visit. In short, should this event be viewed as significant, do we have other pressing matters of state business that dwarf this concern with a little known; perhaps benign visit? Should King’s visit be viewed as a footnote equal to other anecdotal events that helped define our communities? I believe that King’s visit was at least the establishment of a firm legacy and anchorpoint of reference that our state should reflect on and embrace, thus deriving inspirational meaning from a holiday that over time has found itself grappling for a place of relevance within our Utah communities. Crawford is a professor of teacher education and assistant to the president for diversity at Weber State University. Dr Crawford was also founder and chair of the state Martin Luther King Jr Human Rights Commission from 1991-1995. By FORREST C. CRAWFORD Guest commentary f all our human conditions, injustice continue to intertwine into Or a mosaic of cultural life, leaving us to ponder its vexing presence. “had little to dywith their progress and opportunities... that was then, this is now!” Last week, during one of my class meetings, a student told of a sobering quip she experienced when tutoring a youngster struggling with learning German. After asking why he was failing, he said,“ ~ King legacy must ifortn, inspire youth | my parents said don’t worry, you're not a Since the early origins of Nazi anyway!” our history, European explorers I believe the above incidents are set out to reconcile their new rare than normative. I have more world exposure that parts of the with and observed the interacted human species they encountered y of meaningful actions consistenc differed significantly from that to me is quite youth our among themselves. Through the prism might see on the we what to contrary tion of colonial determina and TV and elsewhere. Yes, we do have a justification that manifest way to go ay.d much learning needs destiny affords, scientific, to take place. King often referred to thinkers, scholars and leaders Crawford young people who were involved in of the time sought to demystify social and institutional change during these “unusual” human and ’60s as “foot soldiers.” Today’s ’50s the characteristics by classifying indigenous rediscover what that context must youth le people as sub- human with no redeemab in contemporary society. meant truly qualities. Once set apart by the experts, The historic evolution of Barack Obama whether through biological or sociological as our next president was a compelling determinism, a flood of compelling questions statement that his ascension was largely due and theoretical assumptions opened the door to the youth vote and getting involved in the to unspeakable exploitation, subjugation democratic process. and stereotyping, giving rise to a litany Finally, I liked the tenor of a thoughtof human atrocities underscored by the poem by two children’s book provoking institution of slavery. authors when they outlined the following If past deeds inform future actions, we charge, “Who will answer freedom’s call?” have much to learn, thus much to do. As “Mirror mirror on the wall, who will -a society, for example, our progressive answer freedom’s call? Who will fight in ideologies to reconcile the role of race and freedom’s ring, stained by the blood of differences have been met with perennial Reverend King? The ring where Medgar complexities, leaving us either embattled or Evans fell, fighting till the final bell. fatigued, if not silent. Malcolm X and Rosa Parks, Nelson Where Taken further, whether we’ve used Mandela made their marks. Where Douglass race to explain one’s genetic inferiority, challenged slavery, in the battles marked disabling condition, propensity toward by bravery Determination, tears and pain, impoverishment, violence or predestined to of lives destroyed for selfish gain. Here so high intelligence and achievement, we have many fought and died, so many wept, so yet to argue away that this social construct many tried. So many struggled for so long, has little or nothing to do with any of the to live the dream, to right the wrong. But, of above; yet we unjustly apply it vigorously the future what will be? Who leads us now to prove an inevitable faulty position. These to victory? Tell us mirror where to turn, attitudes, when treated highly, profoundly who can teach us how to learn? To live with influences our youth of today and eventually justice, honor, truth, quell the violence, free find their place in our schools and the youth? Who will show what right, drive community settings. the hatred from the night? Who will protect In a recent Martin Luther King Jr. the poor and the weak? The sil¢nt mirror Community Colloquium, a noted community does not speak, and yet it holds the answer leader expressed her concern about the true, look into it, the answer is You!” attitudes of a group of school-age kids joking Crawford is a professor of teacher about the assignation of President-elect education at Weber State University and Barack Obama. Communicating with a group assistant to the president for diversity. He of young adults was revealing upon posing can be reached at fcrawford@weber.edu. the question: “How has past civil rights work Crawford will be blogging at StandardNET influenced your future?” They felt that the from the Obama inauguration. efforts of King and other historic figures — Weber County attorney named 2nd District By TIM GURRISTER judge Standard-Examiner staff tgurrister@standard.net OGDEN — Gov Jon Huntsman has named Weber County Attorney Mark DeCaria to fill Parley Baldwin’s vacancy in 2nd District Court in Ogden. “Mark’s tremendous Support from the local community makes him a true ass et to the stat e,” Huntsman said in a news release announcing the appointment Friday afternoon. “We need people who have a strong understanding of the issues facing this community, and Mark has been an integral part of law enforcement in the district for decades.” Baldwin retired last week after more than 21 years on the bench. DeCaria, an Ogden native, has DeCaria practiced law here for 28 years. He served as the county attorney the past 15 years. Before that, and after working as an Ogden city prosecutor and in private practice, he was a deputy county attorney. “I am honored to be appointed to the 2nd District Court bench by Governor Huntsman,” DeCar- ia said. “IT am excited to have the opportunity to serve in this important role in our justice system.” See JUDGE Page 5A Judge From 1A DeCaria’s appointment has to be ratified by the Utah Senate following a hearing before the Senate’s Judicial Confirmation Committee, which makes a recommendation to the full Senate. The process of replacing DeCaria as county attorney requires the Central Committee of the Weber County Democratic Party to come up with a slate of nominees. The Weber County Commission will then formally appoint the new county attorney from the candidates selected by the central committee, said County Commissioner Ken Bischoff. The appointee would have the option of running for election to the post after finishing out the remaining two years of DeCaria’s term, he said. “It’s a partisan process outlined in the state code,” Bischoff said. “It will be interesting to see how the process unfolds now. I’ve been kidding him (DeCaria), calling him ‘judge’ for a while now. We’re happy for him.” DeCaria graduated from the University of Utah and completed his juris doctorate at Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minn. “Mark’s wealth of experience as a county attorney, looking at civil and criminal cases, brings a unique and well-qualified perspective to the bench,” Huntsman said. “He has worked tirelessly on the issues that debilitate his community, serving as a founding member of both the Weber-Morgan Domestic Violence Coali- tion and the committee that created the Weber County Drug Court.” The 2nd District has 14 district judg: es and six juvenile judges in Weber, Day vis and Morgan counties. DeCaria’s appointment completes ‘ rare stretch of turnover in 2nd District Court that started in July when Diane Wilkins, a juvenile judge in Farmington, announced her retirement effective in November. ; Judge Roger Dutson, Baldwin’s col: league in Ogden, in August announced he was stepping down Jan. 1, with Bald: win announcing his retirement in Sep: tember, effective Jan. 9. The governor named Janice Frost, | of Centerville, to replace Wilkins, and Mike DiReda, of Kaysville, a deputy Da; vis county attorney, to replace Dutson: They, like DeCaria, still face confirma, tion by the state Senate. | | Monday, November 7, 2005 9A- Standard-Examiner BY FORREST C. CRAWFORD AND LOUISE MOULDING Guest Commentary s Weber State University celebrates the 10th anniversary of its popular Storytelling Festival, it is a good time to also pay tribute to a storytelling icon, the creator of some of our most familiar and enduring fairy tales: Hans Christian Andersen. Andersen has been a welcome guest in our homes and classrooms for generations. His stories continue to transform the imaginations and hopes of children and adults throughout the world. We extend a renewed sense of gratitude for how storytelling in general, and this man and his stories in particular, have transcended time, age and geographic borders well past a century since his death. In many ways, Andersen’s | stories paralleled his own life, revealing many of the triumphs and shortfalls A bicentennial tribute to the ‘perfect wizard’. experienced by citizens locked in the cycle of early Copenhagen’s economic underclass. Born in Odense, Denmark, on April 2, 1805, Andersen was encouraged early to develop his creative talents and curiosity by listening to ‘his father read aloud from “Arabian Nights” and other books, according to Karen McPherson, an Andersen scholar. His mother, in contrast, could not read and was highly superstitious, projecting these phobias and fears onto her son. By age 11, Andersen had endured a significant dose of ridicule from his peers, and teachers found him increasingly difficult as he attempted to cultivate his unrefined skills in acting. Rejected on many occasions as a young adult, Andersen eventually found a position at the Copenhagen Royal Theatre, playing small roles and writing in his spare time. After subsisting on meager resources, enduring illness and psychological Crawford Moulding and emotional deprivation, in 1822 Andersen befriended a local patron who agreed to pay for his schooling. He managed to self-publish a play and a small volume of fairy tales in 1835: “The Tinder Box,” “The Princess and the Pea,” “Little Claus and Big Claus” and “Little Ida’s Flowers,” setting him on a course of persistent storytelling that would prove to be “his path to fame and fortune,” according to McPherson. Over the next two decades, Andersen emerged as Denmark’s most revered citizen-storyteller, creating tales like “Thumbelina,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Snow Queen” and a perennial favorite, “The Ugly Duckling,” which some scholars suggest was biographical. Andersen was admired by British author Charles Dickens and others, such as noted Swedish writer August Strindberg, who dubbed Andersen as a “perfect wizard.” John Dunn, the great literary scholar, once said, “The mind is its own place, and in it you make hell of heaven or heaven of hell!” It is clear that even in the darkest hour of anguish, Andersen believed in his own genius, that despite debilitating odds surrounding each of us, we all have a story to tell. Andersen’s legacy emerges aS a reminder that within all of us, poised for revelation, is the creative spirit that has compelled humankind to climb the highest peak, probe the depths of an unforgiving sea and walk the surface of the moon. Simply put, we all have the gift of “the teachable moment.’ a Hans Christian Andersen, at some point, must have written knowing his tales of endearment highlighting good and evil, self-worth and triumph over adversity, would prevail — that even the biggest, baddest literary bully who might mock these stories as meaningless psychotic episodes would go down in meekness and sound defeat at the sight of a child’s smile. Today’s storytellers share the same arduous yet noble charge of affirming that this tradition is not a lost art, nor has it lost its value in our modern, technological society We must cherish the need to communicate, faceto-face, creating connections to our past, our present and our future in any genre. Through story, our deepest emotions are transmitted, providing a powerful connection through which others learn, grow and gain the opportunity for selfexamination, thus advancing culture. Building on the rich oral ———__” traditions of ancient Asia, Africa and Middle Eastern mysticism and storytelling forms, Andersen’s tales transformed human characters, animals and inanimate objects in a way that infused cultural values with clarity; making growing up more meaningful in the midst of a complex world. He is, indeed, the “perfect wizard,” worthy of a bicentennial tribute. Crawford is a professor of teacher education at Weber State University, serves administratively as its assistant to the president for diversity and is a board of trustee member for the Utah Humanities Council. Moulding is assistant professor of teacher education and is a member of the executive committee of the 2005 WSU Storytelling Festival. WSU is holding the 10th annual Storytelling Festival today through Wednesday. Visit weber.edu/storytelling for event and ticket information. eatin” till toy is ppienior * Siandard-Examines Le"ytehtenerees ri& ¢ To our Readers Please keep letters to 300 words or less and include your name, address and daytime phone for verification. Letters must be signed and may be edited and condensed. r te in d re ve li de be st mu n io at Educ our hum ‘(] Teachers must use sound ‘rationale when appiveching ‘racially charged material By FORREST C. CRAWFORD * Guest Commentary For a brief moment, I identified with Ruth Sherman’s dazed confusion related ‘ to a recent experience she had while ‘ teaching in Brooklyn's Public School ' #75 It reminded me of an experience I ‘had growing up in a small, largely segre: gated town in Oklahoma, where there ' were many occasions for me and my Af- rican-American pecrs to fend off the ' much-hurled word “nigger” (or as we ‘ say now, the “N” word) by my white, ' scrappy teen counterparts. It seemed inevitable that each time ‘ ' we heard the word a skirmish, if not an ' all-out fight, would ensue. The least of ' what we would reciprocate was an equally derogatory name or just go home mad. One day in the midst of boiling anger I went home and askea my mother why we get mad every time white people cail us nigger. She responded, ~ They just don’t say it right.” The answer was fol‘lowed by a perplexing silence. It wasn’t until later that my older siblings and el- .ders in the community filled in the gaps to help me fully understand what she _meant. _~ In the spirit of building self-esteem a —— and as an entree to academic success, Ms. Sherman, a white teacher whose third-grade class was made up of mostly blacks and Latinos, selected a textbook to read to her class entitled “Nappy Hair.” Written in classic gospel call-andresponse style, the story. is about a young girl “with the kinkiest, the nappiest, the fuzziest, the most screwed up, squeezed up, knotted up, tangled up, twisted up, nappiest hair.. you've ever seen in your life.” Sherman thought this was a good selection for her students; some of their parents Crawford In fact, the uproar wise. thought other removed from her was was such that she class and ultimately left the district because she said parents had threatened her life. Though some parents subsequently encouraged hex to return, the damage had been done. Moreover, in addition to the social, political, legal and cultural implications that cases like this manifest, one particular area surfaces an equally disturbing trend impacting classroom teachers throughout the United States (i.e. the censorship of selected books and systematic attacks on freedoms to learn.) - Over the past several years public ed- Despite to be more mi resources W ucators have become inc cerned about the growin sorship. The National C Teachers of English (NC ported 475 attacks on ct and textbooks during th year. Books like “I Kno Caged Bird Sings,” “Th Mice and Men,” “Nativ Color Purple” were am frequent challenges. Upon completing the programs, most teacher room armed with a vari and materials they eage learning activities. Mor they must be aware of « ponent in curriculum d application — context. Outlining this notior Willie Mae Crews, a m Standing Comn NCTE Censorship asserts, “I from the teacher: Why this work? What do yo plish? Where do you w when it is over in relati are now? What issues ¢ discuss, for what purp< * > Coach Alex Salvo on Effiong: “She’s the main captain and Is our forward. She does a great job on defense. She was one of the main players to hold Grand to only one goal. Also, her | l the leadership Is essentiafor team. She’s avery outspoken leader, but the best thing is that she leads by example. It's not just talk and talk. She’s really good at encouraging her teammates. She’sa brilliant gir! and she’s able to think about the game very well. Tobea sweeper, you have to be one of the fastest and smartest players on the field. If the other team has an excellent player, then she’s usually the one that will mark her up, but the sweeper’s job is also to help anyof the defenders that need it.” > Goals for season: “My goal Is to beat (three-time defending region champion) Waterford. That’s the only thing that | want. It would be nice to win a region championship, too." » After high school: “I'd like to go to college, hopefully ona track scholarship.” — Chad Pritchett Standard-Examiner . w@ Trek toward a more perfect union that human equity is not only desirable despite its complexities, but it can only be achieved when citizens are genuinely full and active iversity has become a political hot participants. D potato on the national stage. While Has diversity and multicultural discourse some view it as a mandate to remove all been the instrument that’s transformed racism from society, those opposed to diversity society? No. Has it shut down institutions that argue that rather than unify, the concept has practice disparaging bias whether hidden or instead sparked tension and division. Revisiting revealed? Hardly. In fact, numerous scholars the evolution of diversity may create a better have outlined serious limitations from understanding of its intended role in today’s institutionalizing diversity: Faulty corporate society. training models that created The origins of diversity can be traced to more tension than harmony, the post-Civil War reconstruction era. Firmly school curricula that celebrate entrenched ideology and practices allowed ethnic holidays and food segregation to thrive as a de facto way of life, carnivals while ignoring key in effect granting free access and privilege to pedagogical methods and some and placing debilitating restrictions on critical skills, and affirmative others. This occurred despite constitutional actions that purport to rights that extended so-called equal “dummy down the quality of opportunity, access and protections to all. students and institutions.” While a host of activists, scholars and social Crawford Heather McDonald, in her theorists had noted this glaring contradiction, essay “Why Johnny’s Teacher it was an outsider’s rebuke that prompted Can’t Teach” says of diversity-type efforts that further discussion. Gunnar Myrdal, the “teacher education in America has been in a Swedish economist, assailed in his 1944 book, grip of an immutable dogma, responsible for “An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem endless educational nonsense.” and Modern Democracy,” that America was Is it immutable dogma to train corporate essentially operating as two separate and leaders to use fair and equitable hiring unequal societies. Myrdal’s perspective gave practices? Is it immutable dogma to factor into credence to the notion of “self-help” and “selfeducational methods authentic and appropriate determination” as a first step to assisting the ways that English language learners process disenfranchised in an increasingly myopic knowledge to optimize comprehension? Is it society. not a fundamental tenet of higher education Brown v. The Board of Education (Topeka, to expose students to new knowledge while Kan., 1954) was a landmark ruling that struck promoting critical inquiry as a life skill? down the concept of “separate but equal” as Those who advocate for equity and unconstitutional. The Brown decision was a diversity don’t pretend this is the only solution significant step in what some educators refer to closing achievement gaps, creating full to as the “Intergroup Education Movement.” opportunity and access or eliminating human Efforts were made to reduce tensions at prejudices. Rather, diversity encourages more a time when Southern families of varying effective teaching and learning methodology, ethnic, racial and language backgrounds and a greater understanding of how to solve began migrating to Western and Northern problems. Diversity encourages stakeholders industrial areas seeking a better life. Gordon in our democracy to actively participate, Allport’s 1954 landmark research on “The while reminding us we are part of a global Nature of Prejudice” helped inform a body of society. History repeatedly demonstrates scholarly works that placed high value on not that individuals acting equitably can only understanding prejudice, its impact and transform justice. Equity must be protected place in society, but also how we should reduce as a providential tenet of human dignity, not discrimination — an early 1960s shift to what a political construct subject to uninformed some referred to as “sensitivity training,” or insensitive tinkering. Human nature compels “human relations education.” us to name social phenomenon in order to As public schools, colleges and universities better understand its context in a dynamic began to desegregate and open doors in the society. Whether it’s called “self-determination” 1960s and early ’70s, students demanded or “diversity,” the name doesn’t really matter. more relevance in their school experience. At some juncture we'll likely coin some other Intercultural Education drew attention to concept that will displace diversity. learning continuums, especially long-held As Robert Kennedy stated in 1966, “It is myths and stereotypes about individuals and from numberless diverse acts of courage and groups that had gone largely unchallenged. belief that human history is shaped. Each time This prompted a call for the formal a Man or woman stands up for an ideal, or establishment of Ethnic Studies curricula, acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out particularly in college settings. Multicultural against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of Education emerged out of Ethnic Studies hope, and crossing each other from a million with significantly different aims. As the study different centers of energy and daring, those of separate groups’ heritage and American tiny ripples build a current that can sweep experience was important, multiculturalism down the mightiest walls of oppression and called for a more integrated curriculum model resistance.” Diversity is the latest in a long line of educating citizens. Starting as a means to of tiny ripples toward a more perfect union. reform school practices, multiculturalism Independent of political posturing and agendas, became a tool that fostered systemic diversity stems from a noble quest for equity organizational change. within society; a concept that echoes America’s Today’s “diversity” initiatives are the founding principles. latest in this evolutionary line. They embody Crawford is a professor of teacher America’s call for “huddled masses yearning education and assistant to the president for to breathe free.” Diversity has emerged diversity at Weber State University. He also in the post-modern lexicon as a principled serves as an executive committee member template for meaningful relations and equitable for Utah Humanities Council’s board of practices. The Diversity Imperative argues directors. BY FORREST C. CRAWFORD Guest Commentary WSU professor to take Gandhi award Man gets recognition for promoting peace By JESUS LOPEZ JR. Standard-Examiner staff “I want my students they can be a critical source of enabling stu-| For his work |@ and Gamble-Hovey, 900 West, Salt Lake a pastoral counselor so will receive the award. and words presenting ford tries to live by They are drawn from a quote by Mahatma Gandhi and have helped Crawford, professor of education and assistant to the president for diversity at Weber State University, become involved in hate-crime legislation, socialjustice causes and teaching. South and social worker in Salt Lake City, al- Those C. Craw- 1060 manner,” he said. efforts, the Salt Lake Forrest Jordan Park’s southwest amphitheater, dents to be able to act | @ in a fair and equitable It is action, not the fruits are that City. Nancy Hedrick, a teacher at East High school in Salt Lake City, and Pat OGDEN - of action, that matters when trying to foster change. to know aa City-based Gandhi Al- | “ig liance for Peace is 9 “a. with a Crawford] Mahatma dhi Peace Award. Gan- rape -= a “There’s lots of people, and Forrest is one of them, who are doing things all of the time to make the world better,” alliance President Deb Sawyer said. Crawford and two others will receive the award at 3 p.m. Sunday at The event is part of a celebration to mark Gandhi’s birth 134 years ago. Although he is not a member of the Gandhi Alliance, Crawford is responsible for naming the organization about five years ago, Sawyer said. Crawford refused to take full responsibility. “It’s probably more accurate to say there was a team of us in the early > See GANDHI/8B Top of Uta Gandhi From 1B phases of the alliance who tossed around a lot of names,” Crawford said. “I wouldn’t want to take mate credit for that.” ulti- Some of the accomplish- ments Crawford can take full credit for are cofound- ing and serving as chair- man of the Utah Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission and helping to establish and serve as the first president of the Utah Coalition for the Advancement of Minorities in Higher Education. “We’re about it,” member very excited alliance board Alan Smart said. “We think he’s an excellent example of the type of person we're trying to honor.” Crawford, along with Gamble- -Hovey and Hedrick, will receive plaques with an image of Gandhi. The event also will include a tree-planting ceremony and a peace run. | Reporter Jesus Lopez Jr can be reached at 625-4239 or jlopez@standard.net. | WHITNEY CURTIS/Standard-Examiner Kent Williams registers to vote as Michele Tyson (center) and Wendy Campbell (right) help during a party held by the Second Baptist Church in Ogden. Baptist ap community grow and be suc- “This is a place people where, to invite people to can shine the light, continue serve the Lord and live their lives right,” said Lucretia to do His work,” Petty said. The church offers a McQueen-Hayes, 44, of Ogfriendship that is especially den. “There is a place for evappreciated by Baptists who eryone in this_ church,” are new to the area. Some have relocated here for McQueen said. “You come as you are and love Christ. school or military “They are here by them- Anyone is welcome who is willing to come and serve selves. We extend to them and welcome them as a fam- the Lord.” church. also offers ily,” Petty said. pa sl Gene eee activities. Members enjoy meeting | family-oriented at one another’s homes for Children come and enjoy Sunday dinner, home cook- their Sunday School lessons. “My children have fun at ing that can help cure a church and they come back homesick individual who happy They look forward to may be craving something going every week,” said like Cajun cooking, he said. Orlando “We’re there for support. church member Some families are even clos- Hayes, 38, of Clearfield. He er to them than their biologi- and his three children attend services and activities. cal families,” Petty said. The Second Baptist Befriending others and sharing the light of Christ is Church in Ogden is a local independent church. a goal of the members. It’s affiliated with the In“We as Christians are the light of the world and should termountain General Baptist Association of Churches, be pace setters,” Petty said. Members also celebrate Inc.; the Golden Spike Association; and the Southern in good works. can be appreciated.” not From 4D doesn’t endorse any specific candidate. “We want our church members and others to be well-informed on the candidates’ goals, objectives and platforms, and to determine their own opinion,” Petty said. , | | Zachary Williams, 27, who is running for Ogden City Council, said he enjoyed visiting the group. “I wish there were more opportunities to do this. I think it’s important for people to cross religious boundaries,” Williams his speech. said after He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but said he has many strong friendships with people who are of other religions. “What we all have in com- mon is a desire to see our cessful,” he said. “Diversity The mission statement of the Second Baptist Church is: “Reaching People for Christ, Maturing People in Christ, Mobilizing People Through Christ.” “Light and co-exist,” darkness Petty can- said. “When light shows up, darkness must leave and find an- other place to hide.” Church members do a lot to help the community “We go to the jails, every- Baptist Convention. The church’s doctrine is grounded in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. For information, call Petty at his office, 777-9428; the church 547-5041. 393-4814; or home