Why "Diversity Month" in Anchorage?

2007 Mayor's Diversity Month

September 15 through October 15

We read this headline in the Anchorage School District calendar. The description states

In 2004 the Mayor's Office launched Mayor's Diversity Week – a broad-based campaign that brought leaders and representatives from cultural, community, business, civic, religious and school-based organizations together to host events that combat bias and promote a respect for diversity. The city changed Mayor’s Diversity Week to Mayor’s Diversity Month in 2007, running September 15 through October 15.

OK, I have some questions.

1. Who is paying for this broad-based campaign?

2. What leaders and representatives were brought together, and when.

What 'religious' leaders were present? I didn't see any of them on the calendar.

3. What events were put on?
see muni calendar

A quick run-down of the list shows me some odd stuff mixed in with the expected art, lectures and books.

• Tobacco Control - Effects of Tobacco Use ( are we to be less-biased towards smokers?)
• Coalition for prisoner reentry
• Rotary program to spread knowledge and awareness (of what --ed.)
• Tour of Alaska Center for the Blind
• Anchorage Concert Assn...Ravi Coltrane
• Fashion and diversity
• Women of Color Roundtable ( Now THAT sounds diverse! -- How about we have a White Lady Roundtable?)
• Immigration Justice Project ( why does combatting diversity include disrespecting federal law?)
• Rally to promote diversity by Universal Peace Federation ( Is this headed by Cindy Sheehan?)
• Understanding and improving your credit score ( whaaat ?? )
• The Hollywood librarian
• Alaska Divas concert
• DMC planning. Review data and develop an action plan to address minority overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system. ( ah, do we actually need to wonder why? Could it be parenting? Oh, heavens no!)
• National Coming Out Day Party ( yes, we need to learn to appreciate all forms of perversity and insanity)

4. How did those events combat bias and promote a respect for diversity. Some were likely effective in giving an impression of commonality or let a child register a pleasant feeling about another race/culture. Others were just publicity attempts, or space fillers.

You might wonder how one respects "diversity" anyway. It is rather like respecting the weather. I think it would be more useful to dispense with the facade, and just BE diverse. Don't try to indoctrinate us to respect illegal immigrants or sexual deviants.

I wonder how much of a racial problem we would have if not constantly stirred up by race pimps like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Gee whiz, so much of what goes for cultural understanding amounts to enabling bad behavior. Listen to Bill Cosby, not Cynthia McKinney, Malik Shabaaz, Conye West or other idiots of color.

And speaking of idiots, given the cast of characters listed above why Al Gore wasn't here. An idiot of a different color.