Winter 1998 - Diversity Committee Sets Priorities

xxAACP Newsletter, Volume 12, Number 1, Winter 1998

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Diversity Committee Sets Priorities

The Diversity Committee was established by the Board of Directors of the AACP a little over two years ago in an effort to make our organization more culturally diverse and to broaden its appeal and relevance to a wide array of community psychiatrists. The organization had been somewhat frustrated in its attempts to attract psychiatrists of color and of other minority groups. There was concern that as an organization with a membership that was predominantly Caucasian and male, we would be less effective in pursuing our organizational goals and in establishing effective advocacy for a constituency in which persons of color are over represented. As is often the case when organizations or communities develop, there are barriers to integration and diversity that can be self supporting and difficult to overcome. A group which has a fairly homogenous makeup will have limited appeal to potential members which fall outside the predominant characteristics of that group. Catch 22. The best way to attract diversity in new members is to demonstrate a diverse membership which is active in the direction of the group. How does an organization such as ours demonstrate its commitment to diversity and cultural competence if it does not begin with diversity in its ranks? Addressing these questions was the task set out for the committee at the time of its birth.

It should come as no surprise, that while the committee has generated a great number of ideas, their successful implementation has been more of a challenge and the results of those efforts have been limited. Early efforts of the committee focused on increasing the diversity of the Board of Directors. Although there were various perspectives on how this could best be achieved, efforts eventually focused on the recruitment of persons of color to fill some of the leadership positions in the organization. This initial approach failed to insure that a diverse slate of candidates would translate into a diverse representation when the voting was done and did not result in significant changes in the number of minority representatives serving on our Board. Another approach was to develop liaisons with organizations established specifically for members of minority groups or otherwise unrepresented elements of the population. Although these efforts continue, the committee has recognized that recruitment will have limited success until our organization can demonstrate its relevance to minority groups. Recent efforts of the committee and the Board have shifted in this direction.

It has become clear that we need to raise our awareness of issues related to diversity as an organization and insure that they remain a high priority. This may be accomplished in part by making these issues an active part of our agenda. After some discussion among Board members, a motion was passes which encourages committees to actively address diversity and cultural issues as they consider the work of their group and as they report back to the Board. The diversity committee will monitor the degree to which this is accomplished and provide ongoing support for this activity. At the last Board meemting, the committee's main task was to establish priorities for future action. From a long list of suggested projects, six priority activities were identified:

Develop joint projects through liaisons with organizations representing minority or otherwise culturally distinct groups.
Work in conjunction with the Membership Committee to increase membership of culturally diverse psychiatrists and with the Nominations Committee to increase minority representation in the organization's leadership.
Develop relationship with the Student National Medical Association and sponsorship of a position on the Board.
Work in conjunction with the Communications Committee to insure that topics related to diversity are well represented in our publications.
Advocacy for research in community psychiatry related to the impact of minority status on treatment planning and outcomes.

These activities will require the energy of the entire organization if we hope to be successful in our efforts to build this aspect of our organization. We are clear though, that if we are successful, the dividends on this investment will be ample and we stand to gain a richness that will contribute to the effectiveness of our organization. Any member who feels that they have something to contribute to this effort or who simply has interest in these activities is encouraged to join us. Please contact Wesley Sowers, MD, Chairperson, Diversity Committee, at (412) 622-6717 or e-mail at sowers@sfhs.edu.

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