Edi on DEI

I just came back from LibLearnX and have things to say. I had my laptop out today and was composing my thoughts, but then a late morning press conference came on screen, giving the President the opportunity to convey the nation’s condolences to survivors of the plane crash in Washington DC. I woke earlier to the news of the tragic crash and the loss of so many lives. I pray those lives are at peace and faith and love sustains their families.

I began to think about the logistics of that crash, specifically the roles of the controllers involved. I was married once to a controller, had three amazing children with him. I remember that being so close to the airport, the tower would have been handling that plane, but they wouldn’t have been handling that military helicopter. I wondered if the chopper was using visual flight rules, but  no; it was handled by military controllers. He talked a lot about his work! We all know about the stress associated with that career, and the safety of these flights and the lives on board is why.

I’ve worked in the area of social justice, diversity, and inclusion for a very long time. My work, the contemporary work of anyone in this area has not involved affirmative action; we just want a level playing field. While the structure of storytelling may vary from culture to culture, the skill to tell a good story, the craft of writing a good story can’t be quantified but, it also cannot be denied. There are skills there and those skills should give creators with disabilities or who are BIPOC and/or queer the same opportunities as those who are not marginalized in such a way. Too often, it doesn’t.

Being a writer or illustrator isn’t the same as being a Controller. Writers can build a career though talent, connections, or even the synchronicity of presenting the right story in the right place at the right time. That’s not how it works for controllers. They apply to take a standardized test that assesses intelligences like spatial awareness, multitasking, emotional intelligence and decision making. They’re not looking for geniuses, but they are looking for people with the skills and abilities specific to the job.  I’m not sure about now, but then the position didn’t require a college degree because it didn’t impact job performance. Civil service jobs require specific skill sets.

I remember my ex being involved in an organization to recruit more Blacks into the field, but all they really did was recruit; they couldn’t demand quotas or any other special consideration. To be a Controller, one must pass the test, complete months of training in Oklahoma City and then undergo years of on the job training. There are no race or gender based short cuts because people who cannot fully perform this job will jeopardize lives.

In 2022, 9.74% of air traffic controllers in the United States were Black.

There’s a greater percentage of books by Black authors than of Black air traffic controllers. Come to think of it, I can’t remember reading a book with a Black character who had a relative who was a controller. Surely there has to be one?!

Young readers of all races and ethnicities miss seeing Blacks working this profession; they don’t have it normalized for them. They don’t have a visual of someone in this job and never consider that yes, Blacks belong in this career, too. Diversity and inclusion in books is critical because it opens young peoples minds not only to realities, but to possibilities.

So, when someone insinuates that “diversity” caused this accident or the fires in LA or any other disaster… wow… what sort of mentality does it take to accept that? I hear that accusation and I think if that were true, if inept Black controllers caused that crash, then how culpable are their white supervisors who have kept them on the job?

I know that’s not the case. Even with the bias and prejudice my ex faced, he loved his job; he was good at it. The men and women, the people, who perform that job are proud of what they do and are serious about the lives they’re protecting. They may be … less than professional… in the lunchroom, but not when they’re plugged in. Their Boss should have the backs of those working in such a demanding job, working to keep us all safe. I do. I would hate to see any individual made guilty of this tragedy and I hate to see an entire race of people blamed for this. Odds are, it wasn’t a Black person. Whiteness does a lot of horrible things, but no, not here. Not with this.

Be well and do good.

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