Nov 13, 2019 4 min read

Sometimes when I pick up the newspaper, the topic for an opinion piece slaps me in the face.

No, not the impeachment hearings that are receiving more than enough coverage from every conceivable angle. The Nov. 1 edition of the Observer-Reporter featured two front-page articles on what happens in a community that is not proactive on the issue of diversity and inclusion.

The same edition contained a glossy, full-color magazine published by the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce. Twenty-eight community leaders are featured within it. One is a black woman, four are white women and the rest are white men. One of the articles is titled, “Growth Driven by Working Together.” There is no discussion on addressing economic or social diversity within Washington County.

The first front-page article in the Nov. 1 edition of the O-R discussed a recent outbreak of students in Canon-McMillan School District circulating racially insensitive videos on Facebook. Canon-Mac’s superintendent was quoted as saying, “We need to address it (racism) head-on and meet the challenge.” The response to this incident was scheduling a school assembly with a professor who specializes in diversity and inclusion.

The second prominent front-page article was a summary of what the professor said at the assembly. More initiatives are on the horizon to extend the school district’s “No Place for Hate” program.

The response of Canon-McMillan is certainly welcome and encouraging. But those of us who care about diversity were not heartened by the chamber of commerce magazine. The issue’s theme was “Washington County … An American Success Story.” The chamber trumpeted low taxes and the opportunity for outsized profits as the foundation that makes Washington County successful. Other business leaders discussed the ability to adapt to changing conditions brought on by the oil and gas industry. The Tourism Promotion Agency was proud of the many domestic and international visitors that travel to Washington County each year.

While all of these points are valid, something was sorely missing in addressing what makes Washington County successful. There was no discussion of the diversity that exists in Washington County and the part that minorities play in our success. There was no plan by our mostly white leadership to encourage people of varied ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds to invest, live and work in the county. Moreover, there was no commitment to business diversity that should include the nurturing of entrepreneurs in economically challenged neighborhoods along with a business park like Southpointe.

Without a proactive diversity plan in place, county leaders will continue to react to racist incidents as they occur rather than to fashion a plan to avoid them. And new business initiatives will follow the same tired, homogeneous model.

What is to be done? Look no further than Lehigh County, our neighbor to the east, with a population of 366,000 residents, compared to the 207,000 who reside in Washington County. Like Washington County, Lehigh County is undergoing an economic resurgence due to its location near New York City and Philadelphia. Unlike Washington, Lehigh has recently announced its commitment to diversity.

An impressive array of regional organizations, including the county’s chamber of commerce, have come together on a project called “Color Outside the Lines” to develop a strategic plan designed to remove the systemic and structural barriers to racial equity and inclusion. In an October news release, it was announced: “In an us-versus-them world the process needs everyone to be us. This is an opportunity to learn how much we are all better off when we are all better off. Lets show the rest of the nation what it means to be from Lehigh County.” The strategic plan will be developed through a series of workshops, community meetings, conferences and trainings.

Before Washington County undergoes a comprehensive strategic diversity plan, it needs a forum dedicated to the needs of local minorities. Accordingly, I will renew my call for a diversity commission, appointed by the county commissioners, but independent of direct county oversight. The commission needs the legitimacy of a formal appointment to gain traction in the community. However, it must also be independent of any political pressures so that its members are free to point out diversity and inclusion deficiencies within municipal and county government.

Clearly, the time for such a commission, or other appointed working group, is long overdue. We can start by recognizing that when every community flourishes, Washington County is truly an American success story.

Gary Stout is a Washington attorney.