Ask Habib M. Habib about the status of Snohomish County’s diversity council and he’s quick to correct you: it’s not a diversity council, it’s a citizen advisory panel.
OK, great. So, what’s the status of the diversity council Executive Aaron Reardon created shortly after the cross-burning on an Arlington family’s lawn? Is it still going strong?
It’s not a diversity council. It’s a citizen advisory panel.
After just a few more rounds of that, the philosophical light bulb finally went on and illuminated the paradigm shift. There would be no quick answers about inclusiveness and pat definitions of diversity. This panel isn’t merely comprised of people of color who talk about how to help other people of color. This a diverse group of people who are trying to define their panel and tackle the important issues that impact all of us. Not just “their own.”
Many of us probably wouldn’t know where to begin peeling away the layers of diversity to get to a definition that makes sense. We still think diversity is its own issue to be solved like transportation, education and the economy. Turns out, diversity is a component of all those things and more. It’s not the ingredients to the soup in the melting pot. It’s the broth. And there are many people in this county who are working hard to make sure the rest of us (and they’re not just referring to white people) get it.
While some of these councils have been around for awhile, others are just getting their footing. Habib said the panel he serves on is in the process of redefining itself. Will it be an advisory council or one that takes action? What priorities will be set for the coming year? All this and more should be sorted out by the end of the year so the members can meet again and get to work, he said.
It’s fascinating to watch these groups take off. Not only are they trying to address problems when they arise, they take it upon themselves to examine specific issues.
It’s important for all of us to shed any vestiges of a scarcity mentality as we tackle our community’s social and economic problems. For too long, many of us have embraced an attitude that says helping one group means there is less for the rest of us. It is the problem-solver, not the pessimist disguised as a realist, who uncovers the abundance in their community and shares it with others.
And there’s enough in the melting pot, or salad bowl, or whatever you want to call it these days, to go around.
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