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HOW SERIOUS IS THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY ABOUT ACHIEVING DIVERSITY?
MICHAEL BENNETT

The powerful voice blasting through my television set made an announcement that is shocking, yet long over do, if true. The year is 2050 and the black man my wife and I are watching on television is America’s first African American President. The new leader of the free world is hosting a news conference from the White House. The President just proclaimed that America has achieved full equality for all its citizens and that any regression in diversity won’t be tolerated. Any person or company found in violation of diversity will be fined, jailed or both, he said. My wife and I share a quick glance before returning our gaze to the television screen. Wow, we’ve made a lot of progress in my 90 plus years on this earth I thought. But we both greet this announcement with a degree of uncertainty and skepticism. We’ve lived in an America that is slow to change and even slower when it comes to inclusion of people of color. Is the struggle truly over? When I was born the Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education decision that desegregated public schools was just four years old. I have vivid memories of the struggle for equality and acceptance in the 1950s and 1960s and the resulting sacrifices of people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks.

I quickly become lost in my thoughts reflecting on how far we’ve come since that magical day in 1958 when my mother gave birth to me. We have a Latino as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. A gay person has ascended to the height of political power in California as that state’s governor. Women and people of color now own two-thirds of the Fortune 500 companies. When I was a kid there were no people of color or women in management at any of these companies, much less ownership. An Asian American is now head of the Federal Reserve. Big business, and in particular White males have accepted these changes with little fanfare, and why not. Eighty-five percent of America’s populace in 2050 is a person of color, female or gay. The resulting inclusion of all of America’s people in government and business has the stock market at record highs and strengthened the United States as leader of the free world. Diversity programs have been relegated to the history books. Today’s youth have grown up in a multicultural world and have never experienced life any other way. Our race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation are embraced and celebrated by all.

Then my alarm clock jolted me awake from a sound slumber. It was the best night of sleep I’ve had in weeks. I grab a cup of coffee and turn on the television to catch the news of the day. “It’s Monday, December 1, 2004 and here’s today’s top stories.” I listen intently for a few minutes as the anchors drone on about the war in Iraq, President Bush and his new cabinet and several stories about the Christmas shopping season. The news quickly becomes an afterthought as I am now consumed with my own thoughts about the task that lay before me today. The publisher of Black Meetings and Tourism Magazine has given me a new assignment. He would like me to write a story on the state of diversity in the hospitality industry.

As a person of color, I’m tired of having to right such stories. Not because it lacks in importance, quite the contrary, in my opinion once America learns to embrace diversity we can create the ultimate society for all mankind. The reason I’ve grown weary of such stories is that the pace of change is just to darn slow. At this point in our history, business should already understand that a diverse work force and marketing to people of color is good for their bottom line. Why, after all these years do we still have to remind certain companies that diversity is good? It can’t be because they don’t like money.

My challenge, I thought, was how do I make this story interesting and positive? How do I challenge and nudge those who continue to resist inclusion? Most stories I’ve read on this subject are focused on the lack of progress being made, and rightfully so. But that was too negative I thought, yet it has to be reported. But then I remembered; there has been progress in the hospitality industry. Just maybe that dream I had about the year 2050 might be realized in my lifetime after all. Well, in the interest of staying positive for a few minutes, I’ve decided to start with those organizations, companies and Convention Visitor’s Bureaus and who have set the standard in achieving equality. Hopefully, those who haven’t done so will follow the lead of these industry stalwarts.

The city of Atlanta almost by default is a top destination among African-American meeting planners. By virtue of its large Black population, Atlanta has emerged as a leader in diversity and inclusion for African-American meeting managers. But don’t assume that Atlanta’s positive appeal is taken for granted, quite the contrary. Kathleen Bertrand, vice president – Membership & Community Affairs, for the Atlanta Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, understands the marketplace and her organization works hard to grow and maintain a positive experience for all people of color.

Just this past year Atlanta launched an ad campaign featured in this magazine and several others called “Handle Your Business.” The successful campaign reached out to meeting planners around the world. Part of the campaign’s success, according to Bertrand, was the inclusion of people of color in the ads. “The ads reflected the attributes of the people of our city. People like to do business with people who look like them.”

As Bertrand was quick to point out, many of the decision makers in Atlanta are people of color. From the sales manager, to the restaurant manager or the airline personnel, Atlanta is blessed with African-American’s in leadership positions and they are heavily involved in the quality of experience a particular group or organization might have when visiting the city.

Bertrand also points to the heavy community involvement in attracting business to Atlanta. Several local organizations have approached the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau about hosting national events in the city. The community has “a sense of ownership” Bertrand says.

Atlanta has seen significant growth in its Latino population over the past 10 years. Bertrand says she has seen positive results from her organization’s efforts to reach out and cultivate relationships with Latino meeting planners. Even though Atlanta is a good destination for African-American’s, Bertrand wants to make sure to let everyone know the welcome mat is out for all people.

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