Category: Race - Carole Copeland Thomas

10/30/2019

Basic Training Series: What is Race And Why Is It A Social Construct?

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By Carole Copeland Thomas

Here’s a simple definition of race.
Race represents each of the major divisions of humankind, having distinct physical characteristics or a group of people sharing the same culture, history, or language, such as an ethnic group.

Historically we have looked at three races in mankind:
Caucasoid the White race
Negroid or the Black race and
Mongoloid or the Yellow/Asian race

Now I’m fully aware that the terminology is dated, and there may be other classifications used in our modern times. But typically, these are the three main groups referred to as racial groups. White, Black, and Asian.

Most important to remember is race is NOT biological. It is a social construct.

The political and economic realities of race were largely generated through the explorations of Christopher Columbus, other European voyagers, and the ultimate colonization of the Americas. By the 1700s, when the African slave trade overshadowed indentured servitude, race clearly took on what is now known as a social construct.

To explore it further, Purdue University’s Carol Bainbridge describes it this way: A social construct is something that exists not in objective reality, but as a result of human interaction. It exists because humans agree that it exists.

So the concept of race, with no biological baseline, has driven our thinking and our actions for centuries.
The question we face is how far in the future, will we allow the whole concept of racial groups to direct our path of mutual interactive collaboration?

I’ll leave the question for you to wrestle with until our next blog post!

4/5/2018

The Illusion Of Inclusion--Fifty Years Following The King Era

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr with Dr. Ralph David Abernathy (right) during the Memphis Sanitation Workers March

Focus On Empowerment can be heard every Thursday at 1pm Eastern.
Log Onto: www.blogtalkradio.com/globalcarole
Listen LIVE or Download Anytime At This Blog Post. Each broadcast can be replayed immediately following the show.

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In the fifty years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, America and the world have seen the rise and fall of great initiatives, all created in the name of equality and justice. Shortly before his assassination, Bobby Kennedy predicted that the country would have a black president some day. That day came in November 2008 when Barack Hussein Obama galloped to the finish line as our 44th President of the United States.

But where are we now in the age of Obama's successor? The King era has morphed into the dismal days of Trump, lies, Russians and heightened racism.

Today we will explore the impact of the Civil Rights Movement and, as Dr. Eddie Gaude termed it, the "racial hamster wheel," to see how far progress has been made in America and across the world.

8/17/2017

Black White And Brown in the Red White and Blue: Finding Our Voices When White Supremacy Comes Calling

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Focus On Empowerment can be heard every Thursday at 1pm Eastern.
Log Onto: www.blogtalkradio.com/globalcarole
Listen LIVE or Download Anytime At This Blog Post. Each broadcast can be replayed immediately following the show.

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Finding Our Voices When White Supremacy Comes Calling

Everyone has an opinion in the aftermath of Charlottesville. Yes, some people are afraid to voice their views for fear of reprisal and revenge. Some grimace in disagreement of what happen in Charlottesville, yet secretly applaud the actions of the alt right groups. Others look on apathetically, waiting for the more vocal ones to represent them in action. And some boldly and triumphantly speak out against the wrongs of discrimination, hate, and the symbolism of Confederate statues, knowing that backlash may await them in the face of their fear.

Where are you in this national debate that is literally tearing our country apart? Are you boldly speaking out or waiting by the sidelines? Are you angry, happy, insulted or confused? What is YOUR position on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and class issues? And can you defend your positions in today’s fractured society?

We’ll examine the many ways that freedom of speech is being cross examined in America and what YOU can do about it.

8/16/2017

Short Sweet And To The Point: I Am A Diversity Crusader

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Dear Valued Subscriber

Some have criticized me for adding a healthy dose of history into my diversity training and unconscious bias workshops. The events in Charlottesville will cause to double down in my history.

Philosopher and essayist George Santayana said it best: "Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them."

My fellow Americans, we are now repeating history. Our ugliest segments of American history. Thanks to the validation of Donald Trump, white supremacy is now back in fashion, as active now as is it was in 1925. Trump's refusal of calling out the right alt groups who violently marched in Charlottesville last weekend as domestic terrorists propagating hate only clarifies that they are a significant part of his base and he will never refute them. Three people died, including a 32-year-old Patriot who marched for her beliefs of equality, and two Virginia state troopers doing their job to keep the peace. White brothers and a sister who died too soon because of the hate generating by misguided YOUNG white men who have lost their way in life.

Misguided white supremacy agitators disrupted society in the 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s. They have never gone away.

However, the voices of equality, social justice AND diversity have always countered these angry hate mongers and neutralized their violence. I call them Diversity Crusaders, and I am in their midst.

I will not be silent. I will not become a bystander while civil disruption rises from the ashes. I will speak out with others who want white supremacy neutralized. I will attend the protest rally scheduled for Boston this Saturday when the alt right comes to the Boston Common.
And I will definitely keep teaching history as a significant part of my diversity and unconscious bias training sessions.

I hope you will join me. Say NO to hate and do not remain silent.

-Carole Copeland Thomas

5/30/2017

Quick! Take Our Diversity Survey

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Periodically I need to check in with you, my very special subscribers, to do a "temperature check" on the realities of diversity in the workplace. I have created a quick 10 question survey that should take you no more than TEN minutes to complete.

Here's the link:
http://bit.ly/2siDdBY

The survey is completely ANONYMOUS, and your truthfulness and honesty will help to keep the tabulations authentic and credible. Some of the questions are required to answer. Some you may skip if you choose.

The survey results will be announced in mid-June.

I thank you in advance of participating in this important survey process. Please feel free to share this link with our friends and colleagues.

We ask that you complete the survey by Tuesday, June 6, 2017.

Thank you for your valuable insights.

--Carole Copeland Thomas

5/7/2017

Boston Strong And Red Sox Nation: Stopping Hate And Racism In A Progressive City

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Top Left: Boston Red Sox Award Top Right: Adam Jones Bottom: Awardees Harvard Law School Professor Charles Ogletree & Carole Copeland Thomas

Full disclosure. As a native Detroiter who has lived in the Boston area for more than 35 years, I cringe when I hear stories about racism in my adopted city. As a diversity speaker and trainer for 30 years, the pain of these stories runs deep. For nearly a week, I have read the newspaper reports about a stupid local fan who yelled out the “n-word" during last week’s Boston Red Sox - Baltimore Orioles game at Fenway Park. The victim, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, tempered his anger, even after the same fan or another one threw a bag of peanuts at him, missed and hit a police officer. The incident threw Boston back in the news as a city that can’t ditch racism no matter how hard it tries.

It's now become a national news story that forces us to remember that The Red Sox were the last team to recruit a black player in the major leagues. Its owner at that time, Tom Yawkey, had no use for black people, including rising baseball stars like Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. That history was buried when the new owner, John Henry II, took a very pro-active stand to make his team more diverse and inclusive.

Other players have also been called the “n-word” at Fenway, which makes it even worse.
Those are the facts. Lingering racism remains with the diehards who just can’t accept the realities of a changing city and nation where multiculturalism is a mainstream choice for most.

Clearly, city and state elected officials have beaten the drums about making our region more inclusive. Boston’s Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker immediately condemned the ballpark incident as intolerable, socially and morally unacceptable. The Red Sox team president, Sam Kennedy, stated, “I find it despicable. There’s no place for it.” And so go similar comments uttered in board rooms and community centers. Boston is NOT a city of hate. Boston rejects racism of any kind.

The fans made that point very clearly during the ballgame between the rival teams the next day. They gave Adam Jones a prolonged standing ovation to show their support for him despite the previous night’s ruckus.

There’s another side to consider when you look at what happened at Fenway Park. Boston HAS changed. I should know as a 35 year resident of the region.

Many factors have led to the transformation of Boston. Both governmental and private initiatives have worked diligently to mute the angry and hateful voices of the past. Take, for example, the efforts of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau (GBCVB). They created a Multicultural Committee, designed to transform the image of Boston (www.crossculturalboston.com). The first committee was launched in the early 1990s as the city geared up for some high-profile national minority conventions scheduled to come to the city. One of them held in 1995 was the national conference of the National Black MBA Association. I served on the Multicultural Committee and as the local chair of that event that hosted over 5000 black professionals from around the United States and beyond. The efforts of the Multicultural Committee combined with support from corporate leaders and then-Mayor Thomas Menino led to one of the most successful conventions in the association’s history.

The Multicultural Committee took a hiatus for a few years in the late 1990s and relaunched in 2003 under GBCVB President & CEO Pat Moscaritolo. He appointed me as the committee chair, and we have been rocking and rolling ever since. Our committee of nearly 15 ethnically diverse business owners, hospitality leaders, and GBCVB staff meet every month except for July and August. We commit to serving in this volunteer role because we care about the image and reputation of our city. The committee formulates ways that we can support the Bureau’s efforts to attract conventions of color. We attend various functions and serve as a welcoming body when executive boards and association leaders come to town.
Our enthusiasm mounted in 2014 when both the National Association of Black Journalists and The Eastern Regional Conference of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. hosted their meetings just weeks apart. Both groups left Boston with renewed levels of confidence that the city was embracing diversity and inclusion in powerful new ways. Other conferences, including The National Council of La Raza, The Asian American Journalists Association, Blacks in Government and The Urban League have all had national meetings in Boston, with much success.

One of my finest moments was a sunny afternoon in August 2016 when the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Church League honored me and several other civic, social justice and business leaders on the playing field at Fenway Park. We stood on that bright green turf, heard our names announced over the PA system and received the cheers from thousands of fans across the ballpark.

No-one shouted the “n-word.”

No-one threw bags of peanuts at us.

No-one audibly disrespected us.

Our families and friends cheered with the crowd in support of our achievements. It was a shining moment for all of Boston and us.

As a diversity trainer and speaker, I choose to look at the glass half filled. The days of forced busing in South Boston are long gone. The confrontations and racial divisiveness of the past have been replaced by a city that is now a progressive international destination that welcomes the world. We condemn the actions of ignorant fans who can’t let go of their racism. They have been ejected from Fenway Park and shouldn’t be accepted anywhere else. They do exist, and I grudgingly acknowledge their existence. But they do NOT represent the life blood of a city that’s turning the corner and closing the chapter of its racial past, never worth reliving.

Bostonians are resilient as evident during the 2013 Marathon bombing. And Bostonians rose up last week, delivered a standing ovation, and told Adam Jones and the rest of the world that it’s a city too big to hate and too proud to let the actions of a few stand in the way of progress.
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As an award-winning speaker, trainer and global thought leader, since 1987, Carole Copeland Thomas moderates the discussions of critical issues affecting the marketplace. She has her pulse on the issues affecting working professionals and regularly consults with industry leaders. She has spent 30 years cultivating relationships and partnerships with local, national and international sponsors, including Walmart, Amtrak and Emirates Airlines. Carole has worked with clients throughout the United States and seven foreign countries. Carole is the past president of The National Speakers Association -New England Chapter and is on the board of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. Carole is a blogger and social media enthusiast using various technology platforms to enhance her business development activities.

Carole has been featured in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Black Enterprise, ABC Radio and CBS News.

She is the author of four books and is the Past National Vice Chair of the National Black MBA Association.

www.carolecopelandthomas.com
www.crossculturalboston.com

Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau Multicultural Committee

Members of the GBCVB Multicultural Committee. Standing Left to Right: Turner Skenderian, Dr. ErinnTucker, Tiffany Probasco, Darrell LeMar, Ola Akinawuni Seated Left to Right: Suzanne Grogan, Carole Copeland Thomas, Michael Munn, Donna DuPee, Kelley Chunn

1/12/2017

The Long Road To Racial Healing

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Focus On Empowerment can be heard every Thursday at 1pm Eastern.
Log Onto: www.blogtalkradio.com/globalcarole
Listen LIVE or Download Anytime At This Blog Post. Each broadcast can be replayed immediately following the show.

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It’s taken several generations for America to resolve some of its complex and interconnected racial scars of the past. And even though our twice-elected black president is set to leave the White House next week, a new set of challenges remain.What will the racial climate look like with our new president? And what will it take to finally acknowledge that there’s still much work to be done in the days ahead?

Joining us today is Dr. Gail. C. Christopher, visionary founder of the National Day of Racial Healing, sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation. She will detail the origins of the day and how it will kick off on January 17, 2017.

The Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) enterprise created by W. K. Kellogg Foundation and a broad coalition of organizations from all sectors of society is working to end the belief and facilitate racial healing. TRHT is a community-driven vehicle for transformative change. The TRHT approach examines how the belief system became embedded in our society, both its culture, and structures, and then works with communities to design and implement effective actions that will permanently uproot it. We are marshaling individual, local, public and private resources to dismantle systemic, structurally-based patterns of discrimination at the municipal, county, state, Tribal and federal levels.

At a recent summit, 570 people representing the 130 TRHT partner organizations issued a call to action to designate January 17, 2017, as the inaugural National Day of Racial Healing in America.

I have written an article to accompany this important day of healing. It can be found at http://bit.ly/2jx9ml3

For more information visit: http://www.dayofracialhealing.com

9/29/2016

Why MOST Black People Won’t Vote For Donald Trump

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BByFocus On Empowerment can be heard every Thursday at 1pm Eastern.
Log Onto: www.blogtalkradio.com/globalcarole
Listen LIVE or Download Anytime At This Blog Post. Each broadcast can be replayed immediately following the show.
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By Carole Copeland Thomas

As an African American professional who has spent a lifetime in my community, I will detail the reasons why most black voters won’t vote for Donald Trump on November 8th. I’ve spent nearly 30 years crisscrossing the country speaking and training on diversity, multiculturalism and leadership…and the legacy of our nation is at stake with this upcoming election.

Today’s show is designed to separate reality from fiction…to set the record straight about the collective ideology of a resilient group of people whose blood, sweat and tears helped build this nation.

Although a small percentage of black people will vote for Trump, and an even smaller percentage will vote for third party candidates, the majority of African Americans will vote for Hillary Clinton this fall.

This program is designed to set the record straight and help you, my listeners, understand why the outcome of this presidential election is based in part on how blacks will cast their votes in this election. I should know. They are my people. I’ve known them all my life.

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The 8 Reasons Why Blacks Won't Vote For Donald Trump For President

1. History and migration from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party
From 1930s to the 1960s.

2. Trump As The Head Of The Birther Movement

3. Code Words and Slogans Used
"Make American Great Again"

4. Hate Speech Toward African Americans
Unemployed, Poverty, Getting Shot Walking Down The Street

5. Past Discriminatory Practices
Housing Discrimination in the 1970s
Employment Practices in the 1980s

6. Black Surrogates like Pastor Mark Burns, Omarosa and Don King

7. General Attitude of Trump Toward:
Women, Mexicans (Building The Wall), Latinos/Hispanics/,Muslims (The Khan Family),Women and Weight (Miss Universe), Immigrants in General (Syrians), Anyone who Criticizes Him

8. Reviving Stop and Frisk in Urban Areas

9/15/2016

What’s Training, Talent and Talking Got To Do With It? Diversity and Multiculturalism In Today’s Society

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Educator and Activist Nancy Thompson

Focus On Empowerment can be heard every Thursday at 1pm Eastern.
Log Onto: www.blogtalkradio.com/globalcarole
Listen LIVE or Download Anytime At This Blog Post. Each broadcast can be replayed immediately following the show.
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What should have been topics long ago off the table are more important than ever. Front and center in our current presidential campaign are diversity and multicultural issues. In our corporate boardrooms: diversity and multicultural issues. In our classrooms and teacher lounges: diversity and multicultural issues. In our work cubicles, office spaces, field sites, labs, departmental divisions, police stations and executive suites: diversity and multiculturalism. They are the topics that thread us together for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.

Diversity and multiculturalism are who we are and how we connect. We just need to find better opportunities to bridge the gap between enhancing our educational awareness of each other to yield better and more effective cooperative collaborations.
We’ll explore these twin topics during today’s program in our conversation with educator and community advocate Nancy Thompson. She’ll talk about an upcoming Community/Police Forum that will cover everything from racial profiling to drugs in our street.

Then I will walk you about three new events my company is producing to help drive the conversations forward: The November 3rd Multicultural Conference and our upcoming public trips to India and Cuba.
Topics that should pique your interest. Topics that should expand your thoughts and actions in relevant and amazing new ways.

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CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NOV 3rd MULTICULTURAL CONFERENCE

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR TRIPS TO INDIA AND CUBA

9/1/2016

When You’ve Had Enough: The Rise of Racism and the Trump Campaign

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Focus On Empowerment can be heard every Thursday at 1pm Eastern.
Log Onto: www.blogtalkradio.com/globalcarole
Listen LIVE or Download Anytime At This Blog Post. Each broadcast can be replayed immediately following the show.
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I've never been a bystander, and try to live my diversity message in all that I do. The recent comments of Donald Trump and now the absurd Twitter posts of his #1 black surrogate Pastor Mark Burns will be the topic of my radio program today Thursday September 1st at 1pm Eastern at www.blogtalkradio.com/globalcarole. I invite you to join me on the show as we dial back the hodgepodge of stereotypical rhetoric that's being hurled aimlessly at the black and Latino communities.

My special guest on today’s show will be political commentator and Boston Herald columnist Kevin Peterson. We’ll talk about the rise of Trump, his theatrical events yesterday in Mexico and Arizona and why most black people and Hispanics are NOT supporting him in November.

Hate on steroids. That’s what the Trump machine is churning out as he flip flops on several issues, including building a wall between the US and Mexico. Listen to today’s show and understand why your vote in November matters so much in a country divided about the Trump bag of tricks.
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Link To Kevin's Article in the Commonwealth Magazine
http://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/trumps-phony-appeal-to-blacks

Official Response From The Detroit Branch NAACP
8_22_16_official_statement_donald_trump_visits_michigan.pdf