News>Air Force Chief of Staff speaks on diversity at NAACP dinner
Photos
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz addresses the audience at the NAACP’s Annual Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Awards Dinner held in Los Angeles on July 26, 2011. The banquet was one of several events held in conjunction with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s annual convention and coincided with the 63rd Anniversary of the executive order desegregating the military. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lou Hernandez)
by Alicia Garges
Space and Missile Systems Center Public Affairs
7/28/2011 - LOS ANGELES (AFNS) -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz spoke about the importance of diversity at the NAACP's Annual Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Awards Dinner here July 26.
The banquet was one of several events held in conjunction with the group's annual convention and coincided with the 63rd anniversary of the executive order desegregating the military.
"As a nation, we are benefitting from having recognized the value of meaningful diversity," Schwartz said during an address to the attendees.
While earlier equal opportunity programs focused on race and gender, the current diversity movement looks beyond demographic considerations, the general said.
"We know that our strength is drawn from diverse perspectives that develop from different backgrounds -- to name a few: socioeconomic, educational, geographic, philosophical and spiritual," he said.
Ensuring Air Force working environments are conducive to equal opportunity and fostering diversity of perspectives in the service will lead to enhanced performance and effectiveness, Schwartz said.
"Our next challenge will be to identify more clearly how this is done and how we can measure our progress," the general said
Recently, the service formed the Air Force Diversity Committee, a senior-level working group chartered to find ways to leverage and better manage diversity, Schwartz said.
According to the general, diversity should not be an end unto itself, but rather a means toward a broader desired state of enhanced effectiveness for the Air Force and its overall mission. Schwartz pointed out that in academic literature, diversity management has been defined as the systematic and planned commitment on the part of organizations to recruit and retain employees from diverse demographic backgrounds.
"Note the open-ended sense of the phrase 'diverse demographic backgrounds,' which suggests that it is possible for any number of people, even of the same gender and race, to still have widely differing demographic backgrounds," Schwartz said.
"Therefore managing diversity, I would argue, also implies -- as well as important considerations of race, gender and ethnicity -- a more active recognition and appreciation of the increasingly multicultural nature of contemporary organizations," he said.
The Air Force's diversity efforts focus on institutionalizing diversity throughout the service and allowing for the recruitment, development and retention of a highly-qualified and talented total force, Schwartz said.
"As we approach this challenge, we will consider ways in which we can engage every Airman -- officer, enlisted, and civilian -- across the total force as participants in this process, and encourage them to share in the responsibility for ensuring that the talents and capabilities of each individual are mutually respected, valued and applied toward enhancing mission accomplishment," Schwartz said.
Commanders and supervisors at all levels will be taking the lead in advancing diversity priorities, deepening the lines of communication and taking a personal interest in orchestrating individual success of others whose potential to serve the Air Force so values, he said.
"Your Air Force embraces the fundamental value of a diverse workforce, whose individual members, while possessing different backgrounds and perspectives, are singularly bound in common cause, lending their creativity, energy and dedication to the betterment of our mission and our nation's security," he said.
Comments
8/16/2011 8:13:43 PM ET So what kind of diversity is there at Los Angeles Air Force Base? I recently applied for a job at that location and I am shocked at the lack of professionalism that goes on there. I am a Black American and I was recently invited to take a test for the Security Forces position and was sent an e-mail telling me a time and date but not telling me WHERE to show up or who to contact. I contacted HR by e-mail and by phone for 11 days with no reply. I contacted a captain in the police department and he basically talked down to me as if I was a kid because I was bothering him. Was it because of my color? Was it because they already had decided who they wanted for those positions? Is this what goes on at L.A. Air Force Base? I don't know, but at any rate, I don't want to be working with a bunch of low class, lazy unprofessional losers. Diversity in the workplace is a joke. It's WHO you know...not WHAT you know.
Sterling , Hawaii
8/12/2011 3:28:01 PM ET This diversity craze is just another word for quota. Who really cares about the color of someone else's skin as long as they are a good person and do the right thing? I'm not saying racism doesn't exist, I know it does. But come on. You cannot complain that people treat you differently because the color of your skin and then turn around and want to use your skin color to advance your career. We should be talking about unity not diversity.
MSgt W, Peterson
8/1/2011 4:02:27 PM ET I think that the general and the senior leadership within the U.S. Air Force are demonstrating superb leadership by addressing diversity and seeking talent in all areas and sectors of our great country. This is the type of visionary leadership that will continue to make this the greatest country on the earth. God bless America
Kevin Johnson, McEntire
7/31/2011 10:22:52 AM ET At what point do we stop trying to increase diversity and instead focus on getting the best people in the right places. I think our country is to the point that this is not an unrealistic request.
Paul, Afghanistan
7/29/2011 3:23:47 PM ET Multicultural diversity different ethnic groups et al just another way of saying we're not really racist or discriminating but don't look at our actions. I've seen it first hand when I a white guy would talk to so-and-so a black woman then get asked about why I was talking to a black woman.But it doesn't have to be even asking about that you can see the looks and glares. It doesn't matter what that new CBT would come up with but there is going to be bias no matter how much you talk the talk and talk the walk. Regulations directives training symposiums will not be able to erase the garbage that is in the minds of mental midgets no matter what standing or rank they have.I do however applaud that someone is mentioning this stuff. At least we get to eat diverse stuff at the various multcultural celebrations around the calendar year.
The Red, McGuire
7/28/2011 1:22:49 PM ET Sounds like there is a diversity training CBT in our future.
