McGowan: Rethinking ‘Diversity’
by Richard McGowan, Ph.D.
Last week the Indianapolis Star reported on “Senate Bill 235: Banning DEI.” The Star said that “this bill bans all state spending on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — from trainings to diverse hiring initiatives — at state agencies, educational institutions and health profession licensing boards.” The bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by an 8-2 vote. The committee’s vote aligns with President Donald Trump’s actions to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in federal institutions.
Could the long slog be over for my brothers and me? And sometimes for my sisters, too, our “value” being judged on our unalterable characteristics?
Our mother was born in Germany, our grandfather having left Germany as Hitler was coming to power. Therefore, her children are first-generation Americans. Three of our grandparents were born overseas and the fourth was born shortly after his family immigrated from Ireland in the 1890s. He came over when “No Irish Need Apply” signs were posted on job notices. Five decades ago, when affirmative action was legislated, “immigrant stock,” i.e., immigrants or first-generation Americans, composed 7 percent of Indiana’s population and a bit more nationally. The data suggest that my brothers and sisters and I are diverse, statistically wide of the norm.
Not that we spoke any German as we grew up. We were born too close to the end of World War II. In its aftermath, all things German were verboten, forbidden. I know at least the word for “forbidden” but I learned it in college. The high school I attended removed the German language from its foreign language department.
My German grandfather was a journalist who became the overseas correspondent for all things German that occurred in America. For instance, on May 6, 1937, he traveled from New York City to Lakehurst, New Jersey, to cover the arrival of a German aircraft, the Hindenburg. Note: it was good that he had become a journalist and was assigned to a post in America. Hitler’s verboten list included more than Jews, homosexuals and intellectuals. Hitler did not much care for independent-minded journalists as well.
My brothers and sisters had different lives because of our heritage.
I often talked about that experience with others. At the YMCA (Germans strongly emphasized having a fit body; Milwaukee, with its Teutonic influence, has a greenspace, a place for tumbling, within one-half mile of every house), I fell into a conversation with a guy working out. I told him of my experience.
He said, “I was born on a ship somewhere in the Atlantic. My mother left Germany. As a kid, I never spoke about my heritage or used German.”
Again, could the long slog be over for all immigrants and first-generation Americans? And for every newcomer to our shores who followed the law to get here?
Were that to happen, newcomers would have to be treated as individuals and not be judged on unalterable characteristics that bear little or no connection to the individual’s capability to contribute to the new culture and country. Perhaps that would require a rethinking of “diversity.”
Being different or diverse does not, of itself, make for a contribution or value. An individual who murders another is diverse — and thank goodness there’s not many of them.
I propose that we use the notion of diversity suggested by Mr. Rogers. He always closed his children’s show by telling children, “You make every day special, just by being you.” It’s as though each individual, regardless of unalterable characteristics, has value and dignity. If Mr. Rogers was on to something, we must treat each individual as unique and not treat an individual as a black or white group member … or any other group, for that matter.
Richard McGowan, Ph.D., an adjunct scholar of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, has taught philosophy and ethics cores for more than 40 years, most recently at Butler University. Research citations for Dr. McGowan’s articles are available at www.inpolicy.org.
Resources
https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/235/details
The text of SB 235:
“Establishes prohibitions and requirements on state agencies, recipients of state contracts or grants, state educational institutions, and health profession licensing boards regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Allows the attorney general to bring an action concerning noncompliance against a state educational institution. Establishes: (1) requirements regarding a standardized admissions test; and (2) requirements regarding altering academic standards; for postsecondary educational institutions that offer certain health education programs.”
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