ICRCM IS A POWERFUL SYMBOL. IS IT CONNECTING CIVIL RIGHTS TO HUMAN RIGHTS, PAST AND CURRENT LOCAL STRUGGLES TO NEWCOMERS’ STRUGGLES? HAS ANYONE STARTED THE DIALOG? OR LIKE THE REST OF GREENSBORO, ARE WE COMFORTABLE AS WE ARE? TAKING IT APART: LEE MUN WAH’S WILL THE REAL MULTICULTURALISM PLEASE STAND UP?
The Piedmont Triad Council for International Visitors, Human Rights Group, hosted six guests of the US State Department participating in its International Visitor Leadership Program, a program designed to influence future leaders by introducing them to US culture and communities. After touring New York and Washington, the participants —from Turkey, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Australia, South Sudan, Brazil —came to Greensboro to see how human rights and refugee resettlement work on the local level.
We met at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in downtown Greensboro and presented to the group on the topic, “From Service to Empowerment of Refugees”.
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| Backwards? |
We met at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in downtown Greensboro and presented to the group on the topic, “From Service to Empowerment of Refugees”.
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| Left to right: Mr. Narayan Khadka, Nepalese attorney and High Point resident, Mr. Abdul Wahhab, Sudanese attorney and Greensboro resident, with Mr. Luate Charles Wani Ismail Wani, a human rights monitor with the South Sudan Human Rights Commission. |
David Fraccaro, Executive Director of FaithAction International House, explained how a small local organization can engage audiences from a local to national level and argued persuasively for a place for faith-based initiatives to tackle refugee and immigrant issues. As presentations continued, other themes emerged such as the importance of refugee and immigrants coming to the table as equals, not supplicants or charity cases, the complexities that arise when communication and trust are missing, the importance of shared facts, data and good information disseminated through a reliable network, and the empowerment of newcomers through their oversight of funded projects.
ICRM Director Demerson welcomed newcomers and we discussed ways in which the museum could serve as an important place to meet, learn and share. Lee Mun Wah, a consultant, has written about the complexities of multiculturalism in America. I have annotated his views with my own, as I see them played out here in Greensboro (see below). The American Civil Rights movement has a lot to teach the Piedmont’s newcomers, who are often too beholden to institutions and organizations that have not served them with distinction, overly respectful to authorities that do not daily work to earn their respect, and unquestioning about policies and practices that harm their interests.
ICRM Director Demerson welcomed newcomers and we discussed ways in which the museum could serve as an important place to meet, learn and share. Lee Mun Wah, a consultant, has written about the complexities of multiculturalism in America. I have annotated his views with my own, as I see them played out here in Greensboro (see below). The American Civil Rights movement has a lot to teach the Piedmont’s newcomers, who are often too beholden to institutions and organizations that have not served them with distinction, overly respectful to authorities that do not daily work to earn their respect, and unquestioning about policies and practices that harm their interests.
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LEE MUN WAH: WILL THE REAL MULTICULTURALISM PLEASE STAND UP?
Too often, multiculturalism has come to be defined as “getting to know another culture.” And yet, in its present form, are we truly ‘multicultural’? If not, then what is still needed?
For many minorities, the term “multiculturalism” has come to mean...
Lee Mun Wah
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Greensboro Translation
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1. That, once again, the dominant culture gets to decide what multicultural programs will look like, taste like and sound like. They will get to decide if something is too intense, too personal, too political, or too ethnic.
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Preserve the current system and power distribution.
Affirm that refugee-immigrant issues can be covered by existing programs or programs run by dominant-culture organizations.
Say we’re already handling that problem, thank you very much.
Say we don’t have the money. Use the bad economy as an excuse for action rather than as an opportunity for change.
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2. That, quite often, its definition is limited to the celebration of foods, dances, costumes and music.
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“I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony…”
Reduce diversity to feel-good moments for members of the dominant culture
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3. That, by simply studying about Martin Luther King, Jr. or Cesar Chavez or Bruce Lee, we have learned all that we need to know about a certain ethnic group.
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Divide refugee, immigrant and newcomer issues from civil rights, human rights, civil society, and social justice issues.
Divide Greensboro newcomers from local social and political history. |
What does being truly multicultural really mean?
| Lee Mun Wah | Greensboro Translation |
1. Multiculturalism means having a relationship based on a willingness to not only stay in the room when a conflict occurs, but to hear and value what is not working and to see that as an opportunity and not a threat.
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Control the agenda.
Limit conversation by narrowly defining the problem.
End meetings before substantial talk arises.
Narrowly share information.
Ignore past errors and bad policies.
Make sure deep-pocket funders and donors are not offended.
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2. Making use of our differences and unique perspectives. In other words, integrating different cultural practices into the way we manage others, create policy, develop and train leaders.
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Offer services and opportunities scheduled at times, places and under conditions most convenient and comfortable to Americans, then wonder why refugees and immigrants don’t participate
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3. Taking responsibility for our part in the problem, instead of blaming someone else or attacking the messenger. In other words, making the workplace safe by valuing different perspectives and practices. Noticing who is missing in the room or needed for an honest and open discussion.
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Blame the messenger. Circle the wagons. Blame refugees and immigrants for not understanding English, not bringing an interpreter, not having transportation.
Accept poor housing and social isolation as the “best we can do”.
If people can’t come to US-announced meetings, then too bad, they were notified.
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4. Truly wanting multiculturalism means to stop assessing and collecting more and more data, but to start instigating real changes, not five years from now, but today. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Wait means never."
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Delay. Make a big show of special studies and white papers. Label change agents troublemakers.
Reduce multiculturalism to single-ethnic group issues, “African-American” issues, “Latino” issues, etc.
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5. Asking minorities what they need by inviting them to be on the decision-making and planning committees, instead of making up countless programs that aren't necessary or useful in addressing their problems.
| Propose projects in which dominant culture organizations get 85% of grant money and refugees and immigrants 15%.
Jump on the bandwagon of latest fundable trends.
Use minorities and newcomers to fulfill paper “diversity” requirements.
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