Category Archives: About Us

About the American Diversity Report

Edward A. Dickson Lecture
University of California, Riverside

In February, 2018, I began a new scholarly odyssey. I became an inaugural fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.

In my fellowship application I proposed the following question: “over the past fifty years, why have so many diversity advocates become opposed to our nation’s hallowed tradition of free speech?” However, I soon discovered that I had asked the wrong question. Instead my question became “over the past fifty years, what has happened when two worthy values collide: inclusive diversity and robust speech?”

Today I invite you to accompany me on part of my personal odyssey. This involves two acts followed by a brief epilogue. Please join the conversation by posting questions and comments in the chat box. I’ll also pause for a few minutes of discussion following each of the three segments. And if the digital gods should step in and freeze me for a minute or so, please hang around. Like the Terminator, I’ll be back.

Act One will focus on speech, primarily through the lens of diversity. Act Two will address diversity, primarily through the lens of speech. In the epilogue, I will suggest what I think lies ahead for the intersection of diversity and speech.

Continue reading Speech vs. Diversity, Diversity vs. Speech – by Carlos E. Cortés →

Diversity Town Hall 2021, Levine articles, Religious Diversity Kit, Women in STEM

Diversity Town Hall 2021: Deborah Levine – ADR Editor

October 18, 2021 Editor-in-Chief 2 Comments

DEI OVERVIEW

Editor’s Note: This was the introductory presentation at the 2021 Diversity Town Hall in partnership with the Gary W. Rollins College of Business /U. of TN at Chattanooga (Moderator Dr. Gail Dawson) and the American Diversity Report.

CLICK to hear presentation

TRANSCRIPT:

I appreciate both the eagerness and anxiety about the future of the diverse workplace and I’m often asked to predict what that future will look like. Predicting the future requires looking at the past – at the history of the diversity field and how it developed. I’ll get personal here and go back to New York City 40 years ago. I had just graduated college with a degree in anthropology based on cultural structuralism along with the science of storytelling. I was excited about getting a job, but was considered esoteric and irrelevant. And female. No one would hire me. Still hopeful, I went to an employment agency in Manhattan. As soon as I walked in the door, the office manager insisted that I sit at the all-women’s table and take a typing test. I said no and moved to sit at the all-men’s table where they were interviewed for executive positions. The manager said no. I insisted, he physically blocked me. I insisted again, he threatened to call the police.

Continue reading Diversity Town Hall 2021: Deborah Levine – ADR Editor →

Authors I-Q, Wellness

Culturally Competent Healthcare in America – by Pearl Kasirye

October 16, 2021 Editor-in-Chief

Not all Americans have the same experience when they try to access public services like healthcare, security, or even justice. That’s historically true, but when you take a closer look at the issues within the healthcare system, it’s clear that there’s more beneath the surface.

There are factors like socioeconomic status, education level, geographical location, racial and gender bias that can affect one’s experience with the healthcare system. In this article, we’ll look at those factors and briefly analyze what can be done to make healthcare more accessible and inclusive for all Americans.

Continue reading Culturally Competent Healthcare in America – by Pearl Kasirye →

Levine articles, Wellness

Ode to Breast Cancer Awareness Month – by Deborah Levine

October 14, 2021 Editor-in-Chief 2 Comments

Both my mother and brother had breast cancer that spread and was joined by other cancers. During Breast Cancer Month, I am compelled to write about the loss of these loved ones. I often stress the breast cancer that my brother Joe experienced, because too many of us think that breast cancer is a women-only disease. So, this is an ode to Joe. Not only do I write for men with breast cancer, but for all those experiencing the loss of loved ones to cancer, especially the siblings with whom we expect to experience old age together.

Continue reading Ode to Breast Cancer Awareness Month – by Deborah Levine →

Black-Jewish Dialogue, Commerce, Inclusion, Levine articles

DIVERSITY TOWN HALL: LINKING BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY

October 1, 2021 Editor-in-Chief

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) of the future

October 2021: American Diversity Report presented its 2nd annual Diversity Town Hall in partnership with the Gary W. Rollins College of Business at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). Speaking virtually, the panel of business leaders explored the relationship of business and community in creating the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) of the future.

MODERATOR

Dr. GAIL DAWSON
Associate Professor of Management
Director of Diversity and Inclusion
Gary W. Rollins College of Business/UTC

PANELISTS

ERIC FULLER
President and Chief Executive Officer – U.S. Xpress

DEBORAH LEVINE
Founder/Editor/Consultant – American Diversity Report

DAVID ORTIZ
Corporate Diversity Officer, former board member – La Paz

LORNE STEEDLEY
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusive Growth – Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce

CLICK FOR VIDEO OF DIVERSITY TOWN HAll

CLICK for transcripts
Presentation #1 by Deborah Levine

NOTE: The Town Hall is also the October Black-Jewish Dialogue in partnership with: American Diversity Report, Chattanooga News Chronicle, Mizpah Congregation, Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (C.U.R.B. )

DL Opinion columns, Editor-in-Chief

Armageddon gets personal – by Deborah Levine

September 26, 2021 Editor-in-Chief

Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

These days, everyone I talk to sounds anxious, scared and miserable. My first reaction is sympathy and empathy, the way my mother taught me. My second reaction is relief, since misery loves company. And when I feeling a bit guilty for that, I say to myself, “How can we not be?” Every time, I turn on the news, there’s another calamity. It feels like our world is imploding and none of us will escape unscathed.

First there’s a sense of world disintegration with the mess in Afghanistan. Seeing thousands of folks trying to cram into the airport to leave – scary. Watching people clinging to planes to get out – horrifying. Hearing the fears of women for the future – words escape me.

Continue reading Armageddon gets personal – by Deborah Levine →

Authors A-H, Authors I-Q, Education

Equity, Social Justice and Education – by Godson Chukwuma, Joseph Nwoye, Katina Webster

September 21, 2021 Chukwuma NwoyeWebster 1 Comment

As the debate rages on the extent of equity and social justice for all, two perspectives are emerging. On the one hand, the traditional school of thought represents people who believe that things are going well and that the system operates well based on their conception of equity and social justice for all. These traditionalists assert that our system is fair and that it works as it is supposed to do. They further claim that the system’s operation aligns with the founding fathers’ statements in the 1776 Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that their Creator endows them with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Continue reading Equity, Social Justice and Education – by Godson Chukwuma, Joseph Nwoye, Katina Webster →

About Deborah Levine

Chattanooga Award Program Honors Deborah Levine

September 19, 2021 Editor-in-Chief

Deborah Levine Receives 2021 Chattanooga Award for Management Consulting

CHATTANOOGA August 22, 2021 — Deborah Levine has been selected for the 2021 Chattanooga Award in the Management Consulting Services category by the Chattanooga Award Program.

award Each year, the Chattanooga Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Chattanooga area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2021 Chattanooga Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Chattanooga Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Chattanooga Award Program

The Chattanooga Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Chattanooga area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Chattanooga Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

CLICK for Deborah Levine’s
DEI Design/Consulting Services

Levine articles, Race & Ethnicity

Hispanic Heritage Month: Nurses, Education & Scholarships

September 17, 2021 Editor-in-Chief 1 Comment

Hispanic Heritage Month

This is a the time to educate about the US community:

On average, this community is 6 years younger than the median and 6 out of 10 Are millennials or younger. They are currently 40% of the labor force growth and 8 out of 10 new businesses are Latino-owned. They are 54% of projected population growth (2017-2027) and 74% of new US workers are Hispanic. They are a vital part of the US making up 18% of active enlisted military and 19 million are essential workers.

Continue reading Hispanic Heritage Month: Nurses, Education & Scholarships →