Airport_Business_November_2020 - 15

DIVERSITY
Well, our country is at a crossroads; for
many years, Explicit and Implicit Biases
have been allowed to continue while
disadvantaging PoC. It's one of the many
reasons the Disadvantaged Business
Enterprise program was developed.
But, now with the cultural unrest our
country is dealing with, we need to do
what's right all the time and not when
it's convenient to check a box.
That said, Implicit Bias and
sometimes Explicit Bias are White
Privilege at its root form. Collectively,
the various Implicit Bias examples I've
covered are not actions that happen to
White People. It's the advantage of being
a White person in the United States.
Now some may have a hard time getting
their head around the idea of White
Privilege, but in its most simple form,
it's not having to worry if there is going
to be a person of color on the interview
panel as you interview for the Airport
Director position in rural America.
It's not having to worry about being
stopped by law enforcement while out
for a run in your affluent neighborhood
just because you're a PoC. It's not being
described as "appearing to speak well"
during the interview or having a
statement from one of the interviewers
saying, "her hair looked unkept." It's
important to note that the female PoC
was simply wearing her natural hair in
a professional manner and executive
dress attire to the interview with what
turned out to be an all-White selection
committee.
As you ref lect on this article and
your work lives, I ask you to think
about how this applies to you and your
organization. Are you in a position
to hire a PoC? Are you comfortable
engaging with PoC? Well, the more
People of Color in leadership roles
throughout the United States, the more
comfortable everyone will be. This
issue doesn't need to be an exception
but should be the new normal for our
industry. We're in a great position with
many eager professionals ready to take
the lead of divisions and organizations;
they just have to be given a fair shot
without the Explicit or Implicit Bias. If
there were more people in leadership
roles doing the right thing, the U.S.
Census Bureau statistics would align
much better than what we are showing

as an industry. We need to do better and
I know we can.
As we look ahead, this important
topic of Bias and Privilege in the
airport and aviation industry isn't only
grounded in your actions or inactions,
there is more to the story, but this is one
piece of it. In a future article I'll cover
the effects from legal actions, policy
intensions and the establishment of
standards and how Explicit Biases have
turned those good intensions into poor
impacts for PoC. I'll also share how legal
actions have been used for and against
PoC. And lastly, I'll share what each
of you can do to turn this systemic
oppression issue around. It's well past the
time to treat everyone fairly, equitably
and just to do the right thing.
If you're interested in more, there's
a lot of great material on the topics
I've covered on the internet, YouTube,
Netf lix, etc. It's all a matter of how
much do you want to learn on the topic.
I will share some of my favorites for you.

You can find the links to each of
these on the ACS website.
1) Netflix
a. Documentary Titled: Hello
Privilege. It's Me Chelsea
i. By Comedian Chelsea Handler
2) YouTube
a. Series Titled: Uncomfortable
Conversations with a Black Man
i. By Emmanuel Acho
b. Animated Short: Systemic
Racism Explained
i. By Act.TV
c. NBC Interview: Explained:
White Privilege, Systemic Racism and
Implicit Bias
i. By NBC 10 Philadelphia
3) If none of these cut it for you or
you'd like to learn more, feel free to
reach out. I'm happy to share additional
insights. After all, diversity and inclusion
are what we do and are a large part of
why I started ACS a decade ago. 

Need Diverse Recruiting? Need Training in Diversity?
We can help!

Diversity
Different backgrounds.
Different cultures.
Different experiences.

Equality
Access to the same
opportunities and pay,
despite race, age, or
gender.

Inclusion
Accepting of all
differences and
embracing diversity.

Contact us.
It's through unity, that differences become normal.
www.ACSFirm.com
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Airport_Business_November_2020

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