Diversity is here to
stay . . . Now, to make it work
Delivered by Janis F. Kearney at
Chicago's Truman College
March, 2003
Good afternoon. It's wonderful being here with
you at Truman College. And, it's a special honor to
serve as lecturer for your annual African American
Heritage Celebration. I'd like to especially thank
President Phoebe Helm, as well as the Chicago City
College administration for affording me this
opportunity.
I can't think of a more appropriate place to
talk about the importance of honoring our history,
than at a college named for President Harry S.
Truman - who contributed so much to this country's
civil rights effort …and, I will touch on that
a little later.
Today marks the fifth in a series of lectures
I'm doing at Chicago City Colleges this
spring…and each time I speak to one of the
colleges I learn more about the important role this
institution plays in this state and this region. I
am greatly impressed by the fact that Chicago City
Colleges, and especially Truman College; has taken
a leading role in educating such a diverse group of
students, from so many varied backgrounds; and, I
applaud Chicago city colleges for their mission and
the very important need they are fulfilling in this
state.
And, on that note; let me , for just one minute,
touch on a subject that, in one way or another, is
effecting all of us, today. As we move into the
21st century, America and the world is facing
tremendous challenges. It began with the 9-11
tragedy; and escalated into our own war on
terrorism.
And, now, today, unfortunately - we stand on the
brink of a war with Iraq. So, yes, there are major
challenges before us, and none of us can say for
sure what will happen from one day to the
next…but, as someone who tries to be an
eternal optimist, as well as a realist, as one
great author said, these are "the best of times and
the worst of times." The September 11 tragedy
forced us as individuals, and this nation, to
reflect upon where we go from here…what a
quality life really means for us; and what we do,
from this point on, to leave a better world for
those who come after us.
And, while most of your most pressing concerns
are passing your core courses, cramming for finals,
and graduating on time; there will certainly be
roles for each of you to play in this new world.
Today, not just American history, but world history
is at stake here…and, both are now so much
more important to your education if we are to be
successful participants in this new global
society.
Many of you will be looked to as important links
in this effort to improve upon our environment, to
increase our quality of life, and to enhance our
relationships abroad. And, the more about this
country and this world's history you understand --
whether your education ends, here, or you move on
to the next institution … the better prepared
you will be to contribute to this new world.
Many of you will take part in shaping this new
world, take part in "fixing" some of the things
that went wrong. Hopefully, with young people such
as you, we will be better prepared mentally,
militarily, and technologically, than we were two
years ago on September 11, 2001.
And, finally -- on this point: just as 9-11
must not be America's excuse for forgetting
its promise to all Americans; or using this time as
an opportunity to ignore individual rights; none of
us must allow this new environment to serve as an
excuse for us to forget our heritage, our pasts,
and those who lived and died, for the freedoms and
opportunities we now enjoy. One great historian
said, Those who fail to remember their pasts,
are destined to repeat it. those very values
that moved our ancestors from slavery to full
citizenship; are time-tested values that don't
depreciate or change depending on what else is
going on in this world.
Still, in this 21st Century, there are those who
ask the question: Is there still a need for a black
history month, or the need for any month
recognizing a people or a culture's heritage?
Should there be? Probably not. But, in America
there remains a need, because the age-old problems
of racism, inequality, and racial prejudice remain.
Unfortunately, those same questions were asked
almost 80 years ago when Dr. Carter G. Woodson
founded Black History Month. An, the answer then is
the same, today.
We are a long way from resolving the problems
that come with a diverse population here in this
country. The fact that America, now, is home to so
many different cultures, does not erase the need
for acknowledgement of America's long, often
troubled and complex relationship with African
Americans. Neither, however, should we stop
recognizing the progresses, the many contributions
of people like Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman,
Carter G. Woodson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Supreme
Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and so many
more.
Remembering and honoring those hundreds of
thousands of heroes whose shoulders many of us now
stand on, is what Black History Month is about; and
what it should be about. And, I don't foresee that
need ever ending.
I mentioned earlier that this institution is a
perfect venue to speak about the importance of
honoring our past -- given the man for whom this
college was named. Harry S. Truman was like a lot
of great leaders, whose legacy is realized later,
rather than earlier. I think I can probably say
that will be true for the man I worked for --
during the last presidential administration, as
well.
But, America and the world remember Harry S.
Truman as a president who stood for integrity and
courage -- and those values are color-blind. One
indication of this man's courage is the fact that
he was 64 years old when he ran for president --
and 55 years ago, that was much older than it is
today. Harry Truman's courage was never more
evident than when he made the decision to integrate
the military -- against the judgment of his friends
and advisors.
As was mentioned earlier, I am currently
completing two book projects -- one is a personal
memoir, entitled Cotton Field of
Dreams, about my experiences in the
pre-civil rights south, and my journey from the
cotton fields of Gould, Arkansas, to the white
house. It is a bitter-sweet tale of under-educated
parents who had the vision to allow their children
to dream…and how my dreams took me to amazing
places in my life. It is, in many ways an American
success story, where two sharecropping parents,
without high school educations produce 17 college
graduates -- from colleges such as Yale, Harvard,
Stanford, Brown… 9 lawyers, two judges, and
two aides to a U.S. president. All of this was done
within the confines of dire poverty, but through
hard work, vision, love, a profound understanding
of the power of children's dreams.
But, the other book, entitled
Conversations: William Jefferson
Clinton… From Hope to Harlem, is a
book of narratives, essays and interviews
chronicling President Bill Clinton's lifelong race
journey, his unique relationship with the African
American community, as well as his lifelong passion
to resolve America's race issue - beginning long
before he became president of the united
states.
While William Jefferson Clinton was the first
president to address the race issue as specifically
and comprehensively as he did; he was the fourth
president to address the issue in a broader sense.
The first was Abraham Lincoln who signed the
emancipation proclamation in 1863, thereby
abolishing slavery; the second, was Harry S.
Truman, who put an end to the segregated armed
forces; the third was Lyndon Baines Johnson who
fought for and won passage of the civil rights and
voting rights bills; and lastly, William Jefferson
Clinton. President Clinton should certainly be
credited for taking this effort to a different
level, when he used his bully pulpit of the oval
office to encourage Americans to work to get to the
root of our age-old racial problem.
And, just as important, was his urging America
to talk about this problem that effected our past,
and dims our future; to confront the issues
stemming from racism; and try -- one step at a
time, to rid this country of this horrible cancer.
And, I use the word cancer, because racism effects
every facet, every limb of our government and our
society.
in one speech, former President Clinton gave in
San Diego, California as he announced his race
initiative, he said: "There is no magic wand the
government or organizations can wave to bring about
lasting racial conciliation…it will require us
to close the book on our past, and turn a new page
in history…. this is primarily, now, a journey
of the heart…"
And, I truly believe that diversity is as much a
matter of the heart, as it is a matter of laws and
government policies. When Americans fail to embrace
the law - from somewhere inside us - it becomes
highly unlikely the law will ever be fully
implemented or fully effective.
But, speaking of President Harry Truman, I'm
going to shock many of you when I say that I feel a
special kinship to this Irish-American who may have
never known a black person he would call friend.
And, it's not just because we both have Irish
surnames, but, because in many ways, his heritage
mirrors my own.
Like President Truman, I was born and raised in
a rural, farm environment. Like me, I believe he
was taught early on the values of integrity,
personal courage, hard work, and most of all:
taking responsibility for your own destiny. He was
also taught the value of a solid education, and,
that it is the foundation of one's future success.
And, lastly, like me, he was a bookworm -- who,
throughout his life, found solace inside the cover
of a book.
As I read about this great man, I have decided
that his parents must have been much like mine, who
instilled in me the importance of seeking one's
destiny through education. Never mind that his
parents never knew the poverty, the segregation,
the oppression that mine did…I believe their
core values were much the same.
Certainly, his parents believed as mine did,
that: destiny is not a matter of chance, but a
matter of choice. Not a thing to be waited for, but
a thing to be achieved through hard work,
persistence and unwavering faith.
It is my understanding that Harry Truman grew up
in Grandview, Missouri just a few hundred miles
from Arkansas, where my parents were sharecroppers
in the southeast Arkansas Delta. I'm not sure what
Mr. Truman was doing at seven -- but, at that age,
I joined my family chopping cotton each summer; and
picking cotton each fall. I was luckier than many
of my siblings who missed a quarter of the school
year, picking cotton. What was amazing; and
attributable to my parents' teachings -- was that
when my siblings returned to school in the winter,
they quickly moved resumed their spots at the top
of their classes.
But, Ii do believe the African American
community owes President Truman a great debt, for
his role in desegregating the armed forces, against
the advice of both friends and colleagues.
According to David McCullough, a Truman biographer,
when Harry Truman was threatened by his party that
if he persisted with this push for military
integration he would likely lose the election in
1948; President Truman replied, that losing because
of this, would, indeed, be a "a good cause."
Unfortunately, such courage, and high principles
-- are too often the exception, rather than the
norm, when it comes to our leaders…and,
especially, when it's not for a "popular" cause. I
can say that from experience. I have been involved
in politics, from the sidelines, and from inside
the white house, and, have witnessed on a daily
basis that sometimes principals are not what
America receives from its leaders, but "sound
bites," and more of the same. It is people who dare
to step out of the box, who truly "cares," that
makes the difference in good government.
The more I learn about Harry S. Truman, the more
I come to the conclusion that my former boss, Bill
Clinton, and Mr. Truman were alike as much as they
were different.
Alike in some very important ways. And, let me
just say this -- before I'm asked about it later: I had the honor of knowing former President Bill
Clinton for many years -- as an attorney general,
as a governor, then, as President of the United
States of America. And, if you can get past human
frailty called a lapse in judgment, a sexual
scandal that was made into a soap opera by the
media and the opposing party…for two years
straight -- you find no more principled leader.
No president was ever more devoted to spreading
America's riches and opportunities to the masses,
than Bill Clinton was. I am devoting much of the
book on Bill Clinton to interviews with African
Americans who have known Mr. Clinton for a very
long time.
But, you might be interested, as I was, to learn
that; when I asked interviewees: What U.S.
presidents affected the most change in the African
American community? President Harry Truman's name
was one of those listed by most of those I
interviewed. Many African American historians'
understand this president's contributions, and view
his role in the desegregation of the military, as
pivotal in the civil rights effort -- that
continues to be used as a model of how integration
and diversity can work.
I might also add that President Clinton viewed
President Harry S. Truman as one of America's three
greatest presidents. If you are into history and
study presidents as I do; you'll find that these
two leaders are indeed alike in some important
ways. They both epitomized the true American dream
-- gaining the presidency and the white house by
sheer grit and hard work; they weren't born with a
silver spoon in their mouths; and few people -- not
even Mr. Truman's mother-in-law - believed they
would get the nomination.
both men operated within a philosophy that said,
above all else, their white house, and their
government would serve the people -- All
Americans;
Their strongest and most endearing strengths,
were their abilities to understand, and talk with
the common man. Though neither might label
themselves as such, they were closer to populist in
their leadership than most other presidents.
Amazingly, and just as an aside: Both Presidents
Clinton and Truman embarked upon an extensive train
ride, making stops throughout the country, to meet
Americans and the voters face to face.
I had the wonderful and once-in-a lifetime
opportunity to travel with President Clinton on his
amazing train ride, in 1996; and I cannot tell you
how many stops we made where people would talk
about the historical 1948 Truman train ride.
Biographers have said that younger men who joined
Harry Truman on his ride, in 1948, described it as:
a terrible physical ordeal, with unrelenting work.
The only reason they continued on, biographers
write, was because of their loyalty and belief in
Harry S. Truman.
So, while I'm here today at Truman College,
allow me to salute this great president, leader and
trailblazer. Certainly, he deserves a place of
honor in the archives of Black History, for his
courage in moving black America closer to a level
playing field; and, a role of full citizenship.
I want to talk for a minute about diversity, and
how it has affected my life's journey -- from the
cotton fields of the Arkansas delta, to the White
House. While diversity is the "buzz word" for the
day; America is wrestling with the reality that
America is no longer just black or white…this
country is well on its way to having no distinct
minority.
This is only my second year in
Chicago. My husband and I moved here from Washington, D.C., in
2001; and eight years before that, we were living in our home
town of Little Rock, Arkansas. I can tell you that I am most
impressed with the work this city, and this college is doing
to embrace the diversity here. You, here at Truman College are
doing the very important work of introducing so many new
Americans into our society and our world.
My journey attests to the wonders of a diverse
society. My mentors, my guides, my teachers have
represented a vast mixture of ethnicities and
cultures, and my life has been richer because of
that. Just a few months after my husband and I
moved to Chicago, I noticed the difference between
my old home town, and Chicago. It was the diversity
of this great city. You see, growing up in
Arkansas…I very rarely saw any ethnic group
other than white American or black American. I
might add that the demographics of our state is
changing at an alarming rate, now; as it is in most
parts of the country.
But, I was first introduced to another race for
the first time, during elementary school when a
family of migrant workers arrived in our small town
of Gould. It was during the winter, and they
remained there through the spring semester. They
were passing through, awaiting the next migrant
season to roll around.
What was important for me during that time was a
friendship that was forged between a young Mexican
girl and myself. She happened to be in my class and
for some strange reason we gravitated toward each
other. I learned more about diverse cultures than
I'd learned in my whole nine years. Though I never
saw her again after that one semester, because her
parents left, our friendship left a lasting
impression on me, about diversity, about how
people's differences does not make them less human,
or whole -- but makes relationships richer.
The next time I encountered a person of a
different race, I was a teenager. My parents
traveled to a town 10 miles from my home, to shop
at a grocery store that happened to be owned by the
lee family -- whom turned out to be Asian
Americans. Ii can imagine my eyes must have been as
round as saucers, for the only other time I'd seen
Asians was on a war movie -- and, I never in a
million years would have imagined that we had
Asians living in Arkansas!
I also would never have dreamed at that, one
day, time that two of my very dearest friends in
life would be Asian Americans -- one, now resides
in Arkansas, after traveling to this country as a
child from Taiwan; and the other resides in Canada,
with her family who migrated years ago, from
Japan.
When I went away to college, I quickly realized
just how much more diverse the academic environment
usually is, than the general community. There were
students representing just about every ethnic group
imaginable. My interest in learning more about
diverse cultures expanded greatly during my college
years.
Ironically, one of my mid-career jobs in state
government was with an agency called -- the Migrant
Student Data Bank, whose primary responsibilities
were to keep track of migrant students' educational
and health records as they traveled from one school
district to another throughout the country. This
was a very gratifying role, in my journey.
Also, Arkansas had a very active student and
visitors cultural exchange program which brought
students and civilians from countries all over the
world, to learn about our culture. I served as a
full-time volunteer and coordinator for this
cultural exchange program for many years, hosting
foreign groups, students and individuals visiting
our state. I made many lifelong friends through
this program.
I can't begin to measure how much richer my life
has been because of these experiences --
particularly for a person who grew up in an
environment where diversity for so many years,
meant either black or white. The first step in this
whole life experience, I believe, began with an
open heart and an open mind. A sincere desire to
learn cultures other than my own, and the belief
that diversity is a good thing.
It is so important that our children learn early
in life, that this world is made up of many, many
different ethnic and cultural groups; that America
is not an island -- more and more, every city and
state is becoming a melting pot. They should be
taught, early in life, not only about their own
rich heritages, but, about the cultures of other
populations as well.
I recently delivered a Martin Luther King, Jr.
lecture in Arkansas. After the lecture, I was
interviewed by one of the local stations, there.
One of the questions, was: what did I think the
reason was that 50 years after the civil rights
struggle - racism continues to thrive?
My answer was that, in spite of America's
economic, technological and even social
accomplishments… in the area of race
relations, we have not yet arrived.
Racial tolerance, accepting differences from our
own beliefs, cultures and ethnicities is yet
something most Americans struggle with.
As long as there is a refusal to accept
differences, a refusal to address the problem of
racism -- a distrust of other races outside our
own, not only will racism continue to thrive; but,
it makes it virtually impossible for our children
to see diversity as a plus. So, the ghost continues
to haunt us.
In this 21st century, there is still so much we
don't know about people who live right next door,
or down the street. And, unfortunately, what we
don't know scares us, and the way we express fear
about another person or another race, is to
distrust them, to dislike them, or to even hate
them -- for no other reason than the fact that we
don't understand our differences.
A second question asked by the reporter was:
What, then is the answer…how do we fix what
continues to haunt America?
Of course, that's America's 64 Billion dollar
question, and I certainly don't have a definitive
answer. But, one answer is: Parents should make
assertive efforts to begin as early in childhood as possible, teaching their children, and
acknowledging that no individual, no race, no
culture is an island in this new global
universe;
that the world is made up of many people who
neither look alike, think alike, dress alike or
worship alike. Yet, who of us is to say which is
the one right way to look, think, dress or worship?
Why is it not possible for each of us to learn
something from the other -- to build on our
differences, rather than failing to acknowledge
their authenticity?
The answer has to be somewhere between
understanding and accepting our differences. We
could begin by starting dialogues, setting up open
forums…whatever we can come up with, that
encourages people to talk to one another. To
express who we are, what we are about; confront,
and take the sharp edges off our differences.
A diverse America that works for everyone is a
worthy dream. And I believe in it with all my
heart, and I know so many others who do. But it
will only be realized through conscience,
consistent and open dialogue. As President Clinton
pointed out, it is only through ongoing and honest
dialogue between people of different races and
backgrounds and cultures, that Americans will begin
to trust and believe that differences don't
subtract from America's greatness; but, adds
strength to our already powerful nation.
Diversity can work. But, we have to work to make
it so, and believe that a diverse work place, a
diverse place of learning makes for a richer life
experience, and a better America.
One truth I have found is that one person can
help change the stereotypes we hold about a whole
group or a race of people. It only takes one
individual within his or her community…and, it
makes no difference what color they are, where they
were born, what language they speak. it is the
content of their character, the levity of their
actions.
I have been blessed throughout my life to have
had the opportunities to meet great individuals
from various ethnic groups. People who, because of
their example, helped change the world's view of
people like them. Those visionaries have come in a
variety of races, sexes, and backgrounds.
America, in this 21st century will be defined by
how it resolves the issue of our diverse
population.
The question is: Can we embrace this new
America? The sooner we as a community, a country,
and a world, can do this, the sooner we can get on
about the business of learning and living
together.
It takes just one person to change the world,
change lives, change directions. And, when that
happens, it doesn't matter whether that person is
black or white, or red or brown, or yellow. It does
matter that they have courage. The courage, to ask
the question: Why Not?
It is my hope, yes, even my prayer…that
this great country, whose history has been opening
wide, its ports and welcoming diversity for so
long; does not stop now -- given the recent threats
of terrorism and war. That we will work together to
"close the book" on our racial past, and open our
hearts to those who are different. Honoring
diversity, strengthening America…are goals
worth working toward. Harry S. Truman and William
Jefferson Clinton, to a great extent, staked their
presidencies on this belief. Let's honor their
efforts -- and those efforts of the thousands of
black heroes who sacrificed and died for our
freedom and equality.
Thank you, Truman College for this wonderful
opportunity.