Groups work to strike multicultural balance

Across Springfield, groups are planting the seeds of a multicultural community. The goal: to see local people and the business community grow in an increasingly global landscape.

Groups including the city of Springfield, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Missouri State University and Drury University, have stepped up efforts to promote diversity in the area this year, hoping to create an environment with more opportunity for residents, university graduates and businesses. The key is in finding the right balance in a metropolitan statistical area that is, according to the 2008 Census, 92.4 percent white.

Diversity’s impact on a community is somewhat circular, officials note, because graduates from area universities and professionals of all cultural backgrounds tend to go – or stay – in areas where there is job opportunity and a feeling of belonging. Yet some companies may not want to locate in a place where they may not be able to draw from a diverse talent pool.

“I left here 30 years ago to go to law school in San Diego, and because I had opportunities there I didn’t have in Springfield, I stayed,” said H. Wes Pratt, coordinator for diversity outreach and recruitment at MSU, who returned to Springfield four years ago. “I want my grandchildren to be able to stay here.”

The active organizations are addressing multiple aspects of diversity, with the chamber taking an economic view, interfaith groups offering spiritual perspectives and the schools advocating on all levels of education, for instance.

Various modes of thinking
One way the universities are working together to promote multiculturalism is through the founding of Diversity MODES – which stands for MSU, Ozarks Technical Community College, Drury, Evangel University and Southwest Baptist University.

The higher education institutions recognize a need to take a leadership role when it comes to diversity within the community, said Leslie Anderson, interim vice president for diversity and inclusion at MSU and a MODES representative. The group meets monthly, she said, offering guidance and input in such areas as policy changes, curriculum, and faculty, staff and student support.

“We have a Facebook site and a LinkedIn site where we’re inviting all the minority students of all the schools,” said Kelley Still, director of Drury’s Edward Jones Center for
Entrepreneurship and Innovation and a school representative to Diversity MODES. “When there are events for students from Drury, for example, students from all the schools will be invited to attend,” she added.

The idea, Still noted, is to expand the multicultural community beyond the borders of one school and provide a network and build relationships that may encourage some to establish roots in the area post-graduation.

“We don’t want brain drain,” she said. “We don’t want them to go to school here and then leave.”

Pratt, who is co-founder of community action group The Gathering, is addressing the business implications of promoting diversity. The Gathering aims to improve opportunities for people from all cultural backgrounds, Pratt said, through empowering young people, building entrepreneurship and promoting affordable neighborhoods. From The Gathering stemmed
Minorities in Business, which was co-founded by Pratt, Oke-Thomas & Associates Inc. owner and architect John Oke-Thomas and Big Momma’s coffee house owner Lyle Foster.

“It’s more of a confederation of people. We have at our events anywhere from 10 to 25 people representing various businesses,” Pratt said.

Minorities in Business works with various groups – including as one of the partners on Drury’s
Edward Jones Center Minority Entrepreneurship Conference slated for Oct. 9. Networking is an important part of the group’s function, since it can improve a business’ access to clients and partnership opportunities.

“It’s generally about who you know. It’s not all about what you know,” Pratt said. “That’s why engagement is so important.”

The group also supports disadvantaged business enterprise programs, which are intended to ensure nondiscrimination in the awarding of contracts, both by helping minority business owners obtain certification and educating businesses about the importance of seeking out minority-owned business services and products.

“That sends a message to the larger public that Springfield is a good place to do business,” Pratt said. “It’s not about a handout, it’s about engaging with the larger community.”

Time for understanding
To promote a greater understanding of Hispanic cultures, Grupo Latinoamericano has a presence in cross-cultural events. It, too, is a partner for next month’s Minority Entrepreneurship Conference. According to President Yolanda Lorge, one of the best ways to foster a more diverse community is by acquiring knowledge of other cultures. That holds true for individuals and businesses, she said.

“If you want to have a better relationship with the global community, it helps to know more mindsets, different ways of thinking and ways of life,” she said. “A lot of business and interaction has to do with understanding each other, and in a global economy, it’s not like doing business in Iowa.”

Occasionally, new understanding can come from taking another look at standard practices, such as time off for religious holidays, Lorge said. “If you happen to have a work force that has a very large population of immigrants … it only helps if you know what is important to them,” she said, noting that for Catholic Hispanics, working on a holy day such as Good
Friday might be considered offensive.

“You don’t make your work force work on Christmas, why would you make a Muslim or Jewish worker work on their holy days?”

Francine Pratt, director of Isabel’s House and president of the Springfield chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, added that sometimes, exclusion is unintentional.

“I think it’s natural to think someone might not want to get involved, but often, it’s a matter of inviting,” said Pratt, who is married to MSU’s Wes Pratt. “I know different boards and committees are more than welcoming toward inviting people of diverse backgrounds, it’s just a matter of getting both sides together and talking.”[[In-content Ad]]