Opinion: How diversity and multiculturalism promote racism

by Kenn Gividen

The 2008 Mindy Lewis Above and Beyond Diversity Awards were presented Monday night. The recipients and Ms. Lewis are to praised for their efforts to advance a harmonious culture.

Good intentions, however, do no always produce the desired outcome. The awards should remind us that efforts of multiculturalists often result in more discrimination, more racism and more resentment among people groups.

Michael S. Berliner, Ph.D., and Gary Hull, Ph.D. are among those who point to the adverse effects of multicultural programs. Racism, they note, is the notion that one's race determines one's identity. By emphasizing ethnic diversity multiculturalism promotes racism.

Properly our focus should be on individual achievement.

"The diversity movement claims that its goal is to extinguish racism and build tolerance of differences," say Berliner and Hall. Collective identity, however, defies individualism. Acknowledging the worth of individuals, regardless of race, is the valid alternative.

Humans are not viewed by multiculturalists as individuals, but as mere racial components. "To the multiculturalist, race is what counts—for values, for thinking, for human identity in general," they add.

Diversity proponents further the notion of celebrating differences. That requires emphasis on racial distincitves; those attriubes that make us different. It "means we're being urged to glorify race...we're being asked to institutionalize separatism."

In short, multiculturalism fails to build bridges between races. Rather, it cuts deep chasms of separation by over-emphasis of racial distinctives and identity.

Read the complete article by Berliner and Hall here ►