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Nationally Renowned Diversity Consultant Accentuates the Racial Positive
Pastor Larry Robertson, left, speaks with Dr. Samuel Betances Wednesday night following Betances' speech at Emmanual Apostolic Church on overcoming cultural differences. Betances is a nationally renowned diversity consultant from Chicago. (Brynn Grimley | Kitsap Sun)
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BREMERTON
Speaking in a raspy, deep voice threatening to give out from overuse, Samuel Betances captivated his Wednesday night audience by telling stories of growing up in Harlem as the abandoned son of a Puerto Rican mother and a black father.
Though bilingual, Betances was illiterate in both languages and dropped out of high school. It wasn't until he met a Japanese-American woman working at a hospital in the Chicago suburbs that Betances received the support he needed to finish school.
And so the pivotal influence of mentorship began in his life. At each major milestone, someone was there to push him — the white son of a preacher at prep school; a black man encouraging him to apply to Harvard; a white Republican professor taking him under his wing and bringing him into a career that led him to counsel numerous U.S. presidents.
Each of these people, from different backgrounds and of different races, shaped who he is now.
"I am a product of diversity," the 67-year-old said.
Betances — a Chicago-based diversity consultant — spoke at Bremerton's Emmanuel Apostolic Church. Vicki Collins, a Bremerton School District board member, heard Betances speak in May 2007. Since then, the district has worked to bring him to Kitsap.
"I walked away with a paradigm shift; a perspective change," Collins said. "It was powerful."
The district used money from a Parent-Community Partnership Grant it received from the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to bring Betances to Bremerton. Earlier Wednesday, he met with district staff to discuss how they could be better equipped to teach in Bremerton.
Teachers are under the impression they've been trained to teach all students, but really they've only been trained to teach middle-class, ready-to-be-educated students, Betances told the group.
They aren't equipped to handle students that come from poverty and who aren't educationally ready for school, he added.
"We've beat the drum of diversity the same way for a long time," Collins said. "We are global and we have to start thinking that way."
Wednesday night's presentation didn't revolve around education like the morning session. Instead, Betances talked about the need to break down old stereotypes and barriers in the community.
"Diversity is learning the cultural competency to get along when we have not had the history of getting along," he said.
Following the forum, Linda Hinton, who is white with two biracial granddaughters, was moved to tears.
"I want to do everything in my life to give them a sense of place," she said. "I was profoundly moved by what Dr. Betances had to say."
As a retired teacher who works part-time for the Central Kitsap School District, Cherry Rachal took to heart Betances' message about the importance of mentoring children.
"I liked the idea that diversity is not looking for the negative, but the positive," she said. "The bottom line is, we need each other."
Posted by mongo_mandjikov on August 21, 2008 at 6:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
YOU KNOW, I think we pay too much attention on cultural diversity and not enough attention on cultural assimilation into our American society. it's great to have a culture, but we all live in the same place and need to all get along. as long as we all continue to focus on the differences instead of what we have in common this will always be a fractured society. assimilate, speak english, educate yourself and be a productive member of society, work and pay taxes. nuff said!
mongo
Posted by Punkinhead on August 21, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mongo,
OBVIOUSLY, you missed the point. Diversity is what makes up our culture...we ARE Americans...but that does not change were we come from...i.e., different states and for some, countries. Personally I would get tired of eating apple pie every day.
We are NOT the Borg...it's time you accepted diversity as part of the American way. We are NOT ALL the same...
Posted by fdofelm on August 21, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Punkinhead: Yes we are. We are all Americians.
Posted by KitsapSon on August 21, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If we are all Americans, we should all live under the same set of laws.
Posted by jimtorpey44 on August 21, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow!!....a "Diversity Consultant"!! With a PHD!! I wonder if I could be one of those with my AA from Olympic!!?? After all, I must be illiterate in at least a thousand languages!!
If each of you kind readers would send me a dollar, I would consider going for MY PHD & becoming one of those "Diversity Consultants", too!!
Posted by MagnumOpus on August 21, 2008 at 10:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We are NOT the Borg...
Try telling that to Microsoft employees...
Posted by mongo_mandjikov on August 22, 2008 at 6:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
obviously YOU missed the point pumpkin head! the more we talk about diversity and keep it in the forefront the more we will be fractured as a society. we must all be americans first! i know all about diversity being 1/2 white and the son of immigrants, so...... i don't need YOU to teach me about diversity. obviously you need to be taught about how unimportant it is to the overall scheme of things! we are all Americans first!
oh yeah, i almost forgot, in my culture we do not like people talking down to us!
mongo
Posted by familien1 on August 22, 2008 at 2:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
mongo...Absolutely, we should all strive to speak English and in the 'old' days, the immigrants worked hard to fit into the American culture...to be American.
At the same time, they brought their culture with them to pass on to future generations...that the 'roots' not be lost. Heaven forbid that the pleasure of eating lutefisk not be passed on or the wonders of "lefse-klining" not be tasted too.
Isn't it beneficial to our society that we have something different to bring to the American table to share...that we glimpse into other cultures, other ways of living...use what we can and add it to our individual 'fabric' growth?
Watching the Beijing Olympic Games brought sharp awareness of today's China and yesterday's Pearl Buck stories of China. One of the most shocking and unforgettable books I've read is 'Roots'.
And for information...no culture, no individual appreciates being 'talked' down to ...in my opinion.
Sharon O'Hara
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