Imus' Remarks Reflect Culture of Arrogance

"[Blacks] had no rights which the White man was bound to respect; and that the negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit. He was bought and sold and treated as an ordinary article of merchandise and traffic, whenever profit could be made by it."

-Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney(delivering the 1857 Dred Scott decision)

Hardy L. Brown

This decision, which was the law in America, has set the stage for some White American males to believe that they can say and do anything against Blacks and women without repercussions from the general society. When this Dred Scott decision was handed down White women could not vote. Now to our current flip of the lip radio personality Don Imus. Recently, on his radio show, Imus referred to the Rutgers' women's basketball team as "nappy headed hos".  I guess this means the two white players were "hos with straight hair". We cannot stand by and watch this charade of insensitive high profile communicators and their corporate media cohorts continue to degrade African-Americans and women. I have three daughters, two granddaughters, and one great granddaughter - all Black females - who Imus flippantly demeaned with that comment. They should not have to listen to this kind of garbage. In his book "Two Nations : Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal," Andrew Hacker explained that sometimes in White America,  table talk at home is acted out in public. Imus forgot he was not at the dinner table, country club, or boardroom, where making jokes about his favorite targeted people is acceptable.

Individuals like Imus believe - truly believe - they can do or say anything and get away with it. These remarks illustrate the White American male culture of arrogance. It is the same arrogance that landed us in Iraq. It is this arrogance that allows this group of men to believe that they are above any law. It is the same arrogance that allows them to believe that there are no consequences to their actions. They can make derogatory and disparaging statements in a public forum and then ask for redemption. They want us to forgive them, yet all of these thoughts -- that turn into public statements -- are based on the ideology we witnessed in the language of the Dred Scott decision 150 years ago. White America has not yet apologized or given reparations for slavery and its aftermath including decades of segregation, discrimination, and yes, public displays of racism and degradation.

Racial Work Place Sabotage by Coworkers

In light of the many employment related complaints I have received over the last few months, I would like to offer an example of how co-workers can sabotage individuals in the workplace.

During my working days at the states largest HMO as an investigator of discrimination complaints, one day I was called in by a manager to give my opinion on a case. I will not use names but will describe the employees by race. The manager said "Hardy I have at least twenty written complaints on this newly transferred nurse in this department. Her co-workers say she is incompetent, forgetful, misplaces things like patients charts, rude to patients and does not fit in with the staff." When I heard the words "does not fit in with the staff" bells went off. He concluded by asking "what should I do with her?"

I responded, let me review her personnel file before I answer. I found out that this was a Black employee with just over twenty-five years of employment with the organization. She began her employment as a Ward Clerk, went to school at night earned her License in Vocational Nursing (LVN) continued her education and passed the state requirement to become a Registered Nurse. She later got her Bachelor and Masters Degree from Cal State San Bernardino while getting above average annual performance evaluations over these 25 years of employment. During her last assignment in the organization, prior to being assigned in that department, she worked along side the retired Medical Director evaluating patient charts to develop personal health care plans for them. I asked the manager "who are the people making the complaints?" He responded, they are receptionists, clinic assistants and a few patients. Mind you, the receptionists are the employees who check patients in for their appointments and collect any fees, while the clinic assistant greets the patient, check blood pressure and gives you instruction before the doctor or nurse visits with the patient. I also asked him what was the ethnic identification of the ones making the complaints and he responded all of them are White. What the staff was doing to the Black nurse was telling her sometimes the patients charts were not there, so she would have to obtain all of the information from the patients for the second time. They would rearrange the medical supplies in the office plus ask patients how they were treated by her. Of course the patient would share the fact that they had to repeat the information to her. Another thing is there had never been a Black, Hispanic or Asian working in the department before the Black female got there and the employees wanted to keep it that way. Plus some of the employees did not like being told what to do by this Black female nurse.

I said to the manager, how will you explain and justify 25 years of above average performance evaluations by various supervisors of all races, her obtaining a state certified LVN, RN License, completing all of the requirements for a Bachelor and Masters Degree from Cal State University San Bernardino, to a three week observation from an all-White staff of lesser medical experience and educated employees. It appears to me that these employees want to maintain the status quo in this department when it comes to race. He responded "that is what I was thinking." The manager's actions to investigate this action before he took disciplinary action prevented what could have been a very embarrassing moment for him and the company. The manager went on the attack by educating the staff on the organization's mission of being inclusive in providing care to its diverse members plus improving its image to all employees. The employee later transferred and finished her career before retiring in good status.

A manager must be very careful when it comes to a subordinate staff reporting on any staff member but especially when it involves someone from another race, sex, religion or national origin. Employees can sabotage organizations' efforts when it comes to diversity and inclusion policies by trying to belittle the new employee. What might seem to be just having fun to employees of the same race can and in most instances be viewed as racially motivated by another race. Also make sure you understand the background of racial, sexual and religious discrimination in America. To Blacks and Mexicans racial name calling, beatings, housing and education discrimination has existed for years by courts and laws with the sanction of society. Another thing is make sure your Human Resource (HR)people understand racial discrimination issues. I have found in so many cases HR can be your worst advisors because they want to please and do not always understand the issue. Racial discrimination did not just take place down south or in Orange County. If you get complaints take them seriously and investigate them thoroughly, review your findings against your policies and other cases, get back with the complainants of your investigation, and know that not all employees share your commitment to equal employment in the workplace.