Diversity Chat

Diversity Chat for the Week of October 23rd, 2006

Greetings! Welcome to Diversity Chat for the week of October 23rd, 2006. Here are some of the week's top stories in human relations, equal opportunity and diversity:

Recent protests at Gallaudet University symbolize a growing division in the deaf community nationwide. Protesters at the school for the deaf oppose the appointment of Jane K. Fernandes, the provost, as the new president-designate. Complaints vary, from the process used to select her, to Fernandes herself, to gripes about oppression.

Wrapping up a months-long sexual harassment investigation, police will recommend that charges be filed against Israeli President Moshe Katsav, media reported Saturday.

A civil rights group is suing the federal government in an effort to learn more about how government immigration is used in the war on terror.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is urging Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales to "fully and vigorously" investigate correspondence allegedly sent to some residents of Orange County, California, with Hispanic surnames, saying it's illegal for immigrants to cast ballots in elections.

More than half of the hate crimes reported last year by police agencies nationwide were motivated by racial bias and many involved intimidation, according to a report released by the FBI.

A federal district judge in St. Louis ruled that a jury must hear evidence on whether the Allstate Insurance Company discriminated against older insurance agents when it adopted a plan seven years ago to cut costs and streamline the company’s operations.

A civil rights discrimination lawsuit against the Golden Nugget, filed this month in Las Vegas federal court by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, took almost three years to document, and during that time the downtown casino has had three different owners.

In October, an Illinois federal judge preliminarily approved a $5 million consent decree designed to end two consolidated class action employment discrimination lawsuits against the Woodward Governor Company, a global provider of engine systems and parts, according to the EEOC. The consolidated lawsuits challenged illegal patterns or practices of employment discrimination against African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and women in the areas of pay, promotion and training in violation of the Title VII and the Equal Pay Act.

Michigan voters will decide November 7th whether to approve a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit public institutions from using affirmative action to give "preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes."

Officials with Jackson-Madison County Schools in Tennessee say they are ready to ask a federal judge to declare the schools are, for the most part, desegregated and able to make decisions without the court's supervision. But leaders of the local chapter of the NAACP say the system hasn't proven it's ready to be removed from federal oversight 

The Valley Park, Missouri, ordinance intended to combat illegal immigrants will be on hold for weeks more after a dispute over the depositions of the mayor and Board of Aldermen.

A broad base of progressive forces across Wisconsin is working around the clock to defeat a state referendum that proposes a constitutional ban on same-gender marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships.

A Temporary Interruption

Greetings! Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, and certainly Anthony's, distribution of Diversity Chat has been interrupted for the last couple of weeks. And those same circumstances will keep us from producing the podcast until the beginning of December.

Between now and then, we'll be sure and provide you with a weekly summary of, and links to, the week's top stories in human relations, equal opportunity and diversity, and we apologize for any inconvenience the recent interruption has caused you.

In the meantime, however, Anthony and I had the opportunity to present earlier this month to the Colorado Workplace Equity Coalition's annual meeting in Denver. I had the opportunity to chat with Carla Elam-Floyd, Human Resources Manager for Denver Water and a key organizer of the Coaliton's annual meeting, and here's that interview:

Download carla_elam_floyd.MP3