DIVERSITY SPEECH

JANUARY 14, 2011

THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME. I AM HONORED TO SPEND

TIME WITH YOU THIS AFTERNOON TO CELEBRATE MARTIN

LUTHER KING JUNIOR DAY.

YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHAT I, A WHITE, MIDDLE CLASS

WOMAN RAISED IN SUBURBIA HAVE TO OFFER ON THE

SUBJECT OF DIVERSITY? IT’S CLEAR THAT I CARRY WITH

ME EVERY SINGLE DAY THE “PRIVILEGE” OF WHITE SKIN

AND WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT ITS LIKE TO

EXPERIENCE RACISM.

I DO KNOW, HOWEVER, WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE ABSOLUTELY

TERRIFIED GOING TO WORK EVERY DAY AFRAID THAT I

MIGHT LOSE MY JOB BECAUSE SOMEONE DISCOVERED

THAT MY PARTNER WAS A WOMAN.

1
AND I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE TREATED

DIFFERENTLY AND PAID LESS, SUBSTANTIALLY LESS, THAN

A MAN, EVEN THOUGH I KNEW I WAS DOING A BETTER JOB.

SO I AGREED TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY BECAUSE I KNOW

THAT EACH OF US CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, FOR THE

BETTER. I ALSO KNOW THAT IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR

ALL OF US TO WORK TOGETHER TO DEVELOP A

WORKPLACE THAT REFLECTS THE GROWING CHANGES IN

THE FACES OF OREGON.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT MEANS YOU’RE NOT OFF THE

HOOK JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS. THIS IS

LEADERSHIP NOT FROM THE TOP DOWN BUT FROM THE

BOTTOM UP. WE ALL HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO LEAD.

THIS AFTERNOON, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT

DIVERSITY IS AND WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO STATE

GOVERNMENT.

2
I ALSO WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME LESSONS THAT I

LEARNED IN MY YEARS OF SERVICE IN THE OREGON

LEGISLATURE.

FIRST, SO THAT WE ALL UNDERSTAND JUST WHAT WE’RE

TALKING ABOUT, LET ME SHARE MY DEFINITION OF

DIVERSITY. DIVERSITY IS AN ORGANIZATIONAL ETHIC

WHEREBY INDIVIDUALS STRENGTHEN THE WORKPLACE BY

EMBRACING A VARIETY OF CULTURES, BACKGROUNDS,

STYLES, PERSPECTIVES, ABILITIES, VALUES, AND IDEAS AS

ASSETS.

AS MOST OF YOU PROBABLY KNOW, OREGON’S DOESN’T

EXACTLY HAVE A STELLAR HISTORY WHEN IT COMES TO

RACIAL HARMONY. TRUE, WE OUTLAWED SLAVERY IN 1844,

BEFORE STATEHOOD, BUT WE ALSO REQUIRED FREED

SLAVES TO LEAVE THE TERRITORY.

3
WE MADE SURE TO TARGET THE CHINESE WITH

EXCLUSIONARY LAWS.

AND EVEN AFTER STATEHOOD, IN 1862, OREGON REQUIRED

ALL ETHNIC MINORITIES TO PAY A $5 TAX. NOT A SIN TAX,

MORE LIKE A SKIN TAX.

AND THIS IS JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE.

I SHARE THESE EXAMPLES BECAUSE WE ARE STATE

GOVERNMENT AND THIS IS OUR HISTORY; KNOWING WHERE

WE STARTED CAN TEACH US A LOT AS WE MOVE TO

REDEFINE OUR INSTITUTIONS IN A WAY THAT TRULY

HONORS THE TALENTS OF EACH AND EVERY OF US.

LEE PELTON, THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT OF WILLAMETTE

UNIVERSITY, SAYS THAT “AMERICA’S FUTURE DEPENDS ON

THE CAPACITY OF PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT CULTURES,

BACKGROUNDS AND SKIN COLOR TO LIVE, STUDY AND

WORK TOGETHER.”

4
HE’S RIGHT. THE NATIONS THAT WILL PROSPER IN THE 21ST

CENTURY ARE THE NATIONS THAT CAN MOST EFFECTIVELY

COMMUNICATE AND DO BUSINESS ACROSS CULTURAL

LINES.

THIS IS WHY EVEN THE DARKER ASPECTS OF OUR HISTORY

INFORM US WHY DIVERSITY IS SO IMPORTANT FOR STATE

GOVERNMENT. AND FOR SO MANY REASONS.

FIRST AMONG THEM BEING THAT WE PRODUCE BETTER

RESULTS WHEN WE HAVE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES AT THE

TABLE.

THERE ARE NUMERSOUS EXAMPLES OF THIS, BUT I’D LIKE

TO HIGHLIGHT ONE FOR YOU.

5
IN THE PAST, HEALTH INSURANCE MODELS WERE BUILT ON

WHAT A HEALTHY MALE NEEDED. IT WASN’T UNTIL

WOMEN LEGISLATORS FOUGHT TO MANDATE COVERAGE

OF GYNECOLOGICAL EXAMS AND MAMMOGRAMS, THAT

OREGONIAN WOMEN GOT THE HEALTH INSURANCE

COVERAGE THEY NEEDED.

SECONDLY, DIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT TO STATE

GOVERNMENT BECAUSE OUR INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING

OUR REPRESENTATION, MUST REFLECT THE EVER-

CHANGING FACE OF OREGON IF WE ARE TO MAINTAIN OUR

CREDIBILITY AMONGST THE PEOPLE WE SERVE.

AS THE 2011 LEGISLATIVE SESSION HEATS UP, YOU WILL NO

DOUBT BE HEARING A LOT ABOUT THE REDISTRICTING

PROCESS, WHICH DETERMINES THE LEGISLATIVE AND

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES. THESE

BOUNDARIES DETERMINE WHO WILL REPRESENT YOU IN

OREGON AND IN OUR NATION’S CAPITOL.

6
THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO

ENSURE THAT EACH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT DRAWN HAS

THE VOICE IT DESERVES; A VOICE WITH A LOCAL FLAVOR.

SO THIS IS HOW WE HAVE DEFINED WHAT DIVERSITY IS AND

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US THAT SERVE THE

PUBLIC IN STATE GOVERNMENT TO EMBRACE IT. NEXT, I

WANT TO SHARE A COUPLE OF LESSONS THAT I HAVE

LEARNED ABOUT RELATING TO PEOPLE THROUGHOUT MY

LEGISLATIVE CAREER AND DURING MY TIME AS

SECRETARY OF STATE.

FIRST OFF, I HAVE LEARNED THAT AS LEADERS, THERE ARE

TIMES WHEN WE HAVE TO STEP ASIDE AND LET OTHERS

LEAD.

LOOKING BACK ON MY CAREER, I’M REMINDED OF A GREAT

EXAMPLE OF THIS. I HAD THE HONOR OF SERVING AS A

LEGISLATIVE MEMBER ON OREGON’S COMMISSION ON

INDIAN SERVICES THROUGHOUT MY LEGISLATIVE CAREER.

7
MY JOB WAS TO ACT AS A LIAISON BETWEEN THE NINE

FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES IN OREGON AND THE

LEGISLATURE. BUT AS I GOT A SENSE FOR WHAT THE

TRIBES REALLY NEEDED, I LEARNED THAT IT WAS BETTER

FOR ME TO GET OUT OF THE WAY AND GIVE THE TRIBES A

VOICE AT THE TABLE.

THEN-GOVERNOR KITZHABER AGREED, AND PASSED AN

EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRING STATE AGENICES TO

CONSULT DIRECTLY WITH THE TRIBES. WE GOT THIS

LANGUAGE CODIFIED IN 2001 WITH THE PASSAGE OF SENATE

BILL 77O.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT LESSON I LEARNED IS THAT WE MUST

GET PAST OUR ASSUMPTIONS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE

MUST NOT LOWER OUR EXPECTATIONS BASED ON OUR

ASSUMPTIONS.

8
IN 1995 THE OREGONIAN DID A STORY ABOUT THE LGBT

MEMBERSHIP OF THE OREGON LEGISLATURE. I WAS

PROMINENTLY FEATURED. THE NEXT WEEK I WAS IN THE

HOUSE LOUNGE AND I RAN INTO A COLLEAGUE, A

CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN MALE OVER THE AGE OF

SEVENTY AS HE WAS EATING LUNCH. I WAS TERRIFIED.

SO I GOT MY PLATE AND SAT DOWN NEXT TO HIM. HE SAID

TO ME, “READ IN THE OREGONIAN THAT WERE YOU WERE

BISEXUAL”

I SAID “YUP”.

AND THEN HE FOLLOWED “WELL, GUESS THAT MEANS I

STILL HAVE CHANCE.”

MY LESSON, DON’T ASSUME THAT STRAIGHT, WHITE, RURAL

REPUBLICANS DON’T GET IT, SOMETIMES THEY DO. BUT

THEY NEVER WILL IF WE DON’T EXPECT THEM TOO.

9
AND ONE LAST LESSON THAT I WILL SHARE WITH YOU

TODAY, AND THAT IS WE HAVE TO BEWARE OF THE TRAP OF

“MULTICULTURALISM”.

ON THIS POINT I’M REMINDED OF SOMETHING THAT

BARBARA DAVIS ONCE SAID:

“WE DON’T ACHIEVE MULTICULTURALISM BY TAKING A

BUNCH OF CRAYONS AND DUMPING THEM ON THE TABLE,

WE BEGIN TO ACHIEVE MULTICULTURALISM BY GOING

INTO THE CRAYON BOX AND SAYING, “HEY RED: WHAT

WOULD MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER?” OR “HEY BLUE: WHAT

WILL WORK FOR YOU?”

DURING THE 2003 BUDGET DEFICIT THE LEGISLATIVE

LEADERSHIP WANTED TO CUT THE BUDGETS FOR

OREGONIANS’ ADVOCACY COMMISSIONS -- LIKE THE

COMMISSION FOR ASIAN AFFAIRS -- AND CREATE ONE

UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION CALLED THE HUMAN RIGHTS

COMMISSION.

10
WE FOUGHT THAT EFFORT BECAUSE WE KNEW THE ISSUES

FACING THESE COMMUNITIES WERE DIFFERENT.

THE CHALLENGE IN 2011 IS EVEN MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT

WAS THEN. IT’S FINDING A WAY TO MAINTAIN ADVOCACY

FOR OUR MINORITY INTERESTS IN THE FACE OF THE WORST

BUDGET CRISIS TO EVER HIT THE STATE OF OREGON.

WE ARE, IT’S BEEN SAID, MORE A SALAD BOWL THAN A

MELTING POT; A PLACE WHERE A DIVERSE BUNCH OF

INGREDIENTS COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER WITHOUT

LOSING THEIR IDENTITY.

EVEN WITH AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN AS PRESIDENT AND A

LATINA SITTING ON THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT,

WE KNOW WE ARE STILL A LONG WAY FROM A

GOVERNMENT THAT TRULY REFLECTS THIS NATION’S

DIVERSITY.

11
I THINK WE ARE AT SUCH AT CRITICAL MOMENT: IT IS

WHEN WE BEGIN TO LOOK AROUND THE ROOM AND

REALIZE WHO IS NOT HERE, WHO IS NOT INCLUDED IN

DECISIONS THAT WE BEGIN LOOK OUTSIDE OF OURSELVES

AND TOWARDS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OTHERS.

THIS IS THE STARTING POINT FOR VALUING OUR

DIFFERENCES. AND NEVER HAS UNDERSTANDING THESE

DIFFERENCES BEEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR OUR FUTURE.

THANK YOU.

12