Diversity

Gallaudet University President T. Alan Hurwitz's decision to suspend the university's chief diversity officer for signing a democratic initiative to put same-sex marriage on Maryland's ballot violates her right to free speech and diversity itself ("Gallaudet official suspended for signing anti-gay marriage petition," Oct. 11). In the first place, Angela McCaskill acted privately, and not as a representative of the university. Second, her apparent view of legalized homosexual unions is obviously in the minority among the leadership of the university, making it not only subject to majority oppression but a spot of intellectual diversity.

We share the editorial view that outgoing Baltimore City Schools CEO Andrés Alonso created a strong platform to sustain ongoing improvement in our schools ("School reform 2.0," May 12). But the editorial's call for more standardization around the system is off the mark. Instead, we urge the system to use this moment to engage parents, school leaders and others in a discussion about how we define a high-quality school. What does a good school look like and how do we measure it? In some ways, we know a good school when we see it: children are loved for who they are and challenged to be their very best.

It was gratifying to see the photograph of the Johns Hopkins students who have developed the new device, "FastStitch," for closing abdominal wounds ("The Future of Suture?" Nov. 1). Why? Because they were such a conglomeration of ethnicities and races and cultures. I hope the young supporters of the perennial isolationist presidential candidate Ron Paul will see the value in our porous borders. Students, and permanent residents, come to this country, make their contributions, and either stay, making ours a better place to live, or take their knowledge home and make their own countries better.

The Baltimore City Fire Department created a new division two years ago in an effort to increase recruitment of minorities, specifically African-Americans, who made up 65 percent of the city's population but only half so large a share of the city's firefighters. The effort was an unqualified success; thanks to the efforts of its small staff, Baltimore amassed nearly 3,000 names of prospective firefighters, 80 percent of them minorities. The effort was also entirely ineffective; the department was 32 percent African-American when the division was created, and it's 32 percent African-American now. The problem?

Janet Gilbert's column "The college we visited was mighty nice … and mighty white" (June 16) is a good example of racism. The student population was judged on skin color alone. Ms. Gilbert has taught her child to see only color. The wonderful diversity of cultures such as Greek, Italian, Hungarian, English, Canadian, French, Irish, Scottish, Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Swedish and Finnish — plus the many combinations thereof — were completely ignored. Hopefully, her children will be wise enough to see beyond skin color.

Whether it was a "political revival for the left" or a modern day vaudeville show, the most striking visual of the crowd at the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert gathering on the National Mall was its lily white demographics ( "Comedy? Politics? Crowd at 'Sanity' rally sees both," Oct. 31). Who would have guessed? I thought it was only supposed to be tea party gatherings and Republican conventions that were lacking in diversity. Actually, this was nothing out of the ordinary for the so-called progressives.

The second term victory for President Barack Obama proves that there is opportunity for candidates of all types of race, ethnicity and gender throughout the country. This gives people an opportunity that they never thought they had. The intent is not to rub mud in the face of the majority population. But we must admit to ourselves that President Obama won because of the support of many different demographics. I think that this brings America to the realization that all people are created equal and have opportunities to be in leadership positions.

The editorial "Howard's school choice" in the September 29th edition was disturbing, if not downright offensive. In it, The Sun implies that since there are no African-American or Hispanic members on the school board, the voters of Howard must be racists, and action is needed to negate their voting choices. It is also implied that the board only acts in the interest of the western county schools, when in fact the school board acts in the interest of all county schools. In the current mindset of "diversity is job one" that your paper seems to embrace, you apparently see nothing wrong with taking away Howard residents' choices for their school board and replacing them with a board where some members are appointed to ensure the racial and ethnic makeup is "correct.

Sobeidy Vidal sees a dearth of Hispanic models and designers in high fashion. It's been the driving force behind Latin Fashion Week for the past 12 years. "Our country is represented by a number of different cultures," she said. "They should be represented on the runway. " Vidal's brainchild, "Ola! DC 2012" by Latin Fashion Week, kicks off Friday at the Washington Convention Center. The three-day event will be an opportunity to highlight the diverse talents of models, designers and stylists from around the globe, according to Vidal.

There is no greater rallying cry at American universities than that of supporting "diversity. " On a near-daily basis, we hear of some new program that ostensibly furthers this value. What does "diversity" mean though? "Diversity," as applied by the American Association of University Professors' (AAUP) website, means that "the Association is committed to use its procedures and to take measures ... against colleges and universities practicing illegal or unconstitutional discrimination ... including, but not limited to, age, sex, disability, race, religion, national origin, marital status, or sexual orientation.

A Baltimore Fire Department division developed to increase recruitment among black city residents and combat racial tensions within the department's ranks is set to be eliminated in a planned round of budget cutbacks. The move has caused concerns among African-American leaders in the department. Lloyd Carter, the deputy chief for recruitment, who would be reassigned under Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's budget for the next fiscal year, said he believes his position and the small division built around it should be saved.

The March 28 edition of the Howard County Times had an editorial concerning the General Assembly's increase in the gas tax. It was noted that the Transportation Trust Fund's "lockbox" isn't very securely locked. The accompanying editorial cartoon indicated that the Times believes that diversion of funds from the lockbox is a question of "when," not "if. " One wonders how long it will before elected officials propose non-transportation use of the funds. Let's see - that would be immediately after passing the bill.

This NFL offseason represents the 10-year anniversary of the inception of the "Rooney Rule. " The rule, named after Pittsburgh Steelers' Chairman Dan Rooney, requires teams to interview minority candidates for all head coaching and senior football operation positions. Initially, the rule showed some signs of success, but the coaching moves from this offseason have even Dan Rooney's son, Steelers' President Art Rooney II, wondering "whether we are really reviewing minority coaches in a satisfactory manner.

Colleges Wake starts fast, beats Maryland in baseball Wake Forest scored seven runs in the second inning to defeat host Maryland, 7-4, in their series finale Sunday. Demon Deacons starter Austin Stadler , who improved to 4-2, held the Terps scoreless over six innings allowing four hits while striking out four. Maryland (14-9, 3-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) received a strong outing from Brandon Casas out of the bullpen after starter Jake Stinnett departed after 12/3. Casas kept the Terps in the game by going 51/3 innings with four strikeouts and surrendering one run. The Terps ' Kyle Convissar finished 1-for-3 to extend his streak of reaching base to 20 games The Demon Deacons improved to 14-12, 3-6 in the ACC)

This week, beginning Tuesday, Feb. 19, Seven Oaks Elementary School in Perry Hall will help students celebrate diversity through the school's annual “African American Read-In Chain.” Throughout the week, visitors to the school will share with students some of their favorite  literature written by African American authors.   Some of the school's scheduled readers are Sen. Katherine Klausmeier, Delsgates John Cluster and Eric Bromwell, County Councilman David Marks, and several Baltimore County Public Schools friends and educators, as well as former Seven Oaks Elementary administrators and teachers.

Black History Month reminds us that our diversity is the fabric of our nation. We recently commemorated the life and work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and we are reminded that this coming August marks the 50th anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech, where he called upon everyone to peacefully break down barriers of discrimination and separation, to integrate and unify every state, city, village and hamlet. As we walk through our streets, many of us can see what he could only envision: a kaleidoscope of ethnicities and races that live in harmony as neighbors, colleagues and friends.

As a concerned parent and former PTA vice president, I have witnessed the persistent lack of diversity on our school board. We need to address a systemic issue that requires continuing focus until our board reflects the 51.5 percent minority student population in the county. With the adoption of a blended membership of half appointed and half elected, we can make some strides in a positive direction. I commend County Executive Ken Ulman for creating a commission to look at this issue because it finally address a culture that is in the fabric of the county which does not embrace diversity or inclusion.

NASCAR has been trying for a long time to change the complexion in the garage. For all those efforts, you don't see a lot of black or brown faces in the pits or behind the wheel. But you have to credit the organization for its continued push to change those dynamics. Witness NASCAR's Drive for Diversity combine at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va., on Wednesday and Thursday. The combine will include 24 drivers ages 16 to 24 vying for a spot with Revolution Racing in 2012. This will be the third season that Revolution Racing has participated in the program, with strong results.

Since the beginning of the republic, there has been a dynamic tension between constantly expanding diversity driven by immigration and the relentless homogenizing force of common American culture. And there's nothing like a long drive on an interstate highway to remind a person of that reality. Last week, I traveled 600 miles on I-5 cutting through the center of California, from Redding to Los Angeles. The force of homogenization was apparent at every major exit and interchange. I was hungry, but I was hoping to find something beyond McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, Wendy's, Arby's or Taco Bell.

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education voted this week not to support Superintendent Kevin Maxwell's opposition to a state bill that would use video lottery proceeds for security and health services at schools. Board members then adopted a separate measure supporting the state bill — providing its revenue can be gained from more stable sources. House Bill 138 was crafted by Republican Del. Nic Kipke of Pasedena at the request on the Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold's administration.