In the News

 

Diversity Council looks for 'teachable moments'

Matt Russell

January 7, 2010

 

Current events, such as the recent community discussion about public safety in Rochester, can be used as "teachable moments" to educate people about diversity, Diversity Council board president Stephen Lehmkuhle said Thursday at the group's annual meeting.

"Our community is actually safer due to the influx of minorities and immigrants,"the University of Minnesota Rochester chancellor told roughly 225 people gathered at the Doubletree Hotel in Rochester.

Lehmkuhle said he arrived at that conclusion during a "very eye-opening" presentation Police Chief Roger Peterson gave to the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce earlier this month.

The presentation showed that the number of crimes in Rochester and the city's crime rate have dropped during the past 30 years as the city's population and diversity increased, Lehmkuhle said.

Just as Peterson's presentation changed his mind-set, Lehmkuhle said, the Diversity Council should use current events as a vehicle for educating people about diversity in Rochester.

The idea is part of an expanded education strategy for the Diversity Council in 2010, Lehmkuhle said. Other ideas for moving beyond training sessions in classrooms and businesses include using Web-based social networks and partnerships with the media, he said.

The Diversity Council awarded three "Champion of Diversity" awards at the meeting, honoring Terri Allred, owner of Rochester International Dance Studio, Robert Banks, a hall monitor at John Marshall High School, and Peterson.

"To say this is a surprise is something of an understatement," Peterson said. Police chiefs are not often viewed as champions of diversity, he said. "I will take this as an indication that while we're not where we want to be, we're on the right road."

The meeting also included a presentation on the traveling "Race: Why Are We So Different?" exhibit that will be on display at the Rochester Public Library this summer.

Rochester Civic Theatre presented a dramatized conversation about race that was followed by discussion among meeting participants.

Kay Hocker, the Diversity Council's executive director, recounted achievements including reaching 17,522 students with 591 Spark! workshops, which teach young people to appreciate differences and stand up to prejudice and discrimination.

Some 2,843 adults were reached with workshops, presentations and discussion groups in 2009 that addressed inclusion, equity and respect, she said, and the Diversity Council extended its reach through partnerships with groups including the Rochester school district, Rochester Civic Theatre and the United Way of Olmsted County.

"Education takes many forms — it's a community effort," Hocker said.

 

 

 

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