Irving Wladawsky-Berger

Elitists and Populists

In a recent post, I wrote about the current meaning of political labels along the liberal - conservative spectrum, especially as they were used in the very long 2008 campaign for US president.  My personal conclusion was: "The terms ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ are alive and well when it comes to social issues, but they are increasingly irrelevant when applied to economic policy."

Another set of terms we heard a lot during the campaign were "elitist" and "populist."  Barack and Michelle Obama were cast in the role of chief elitists by a variety of political opponents and commentators.  The populist mantle was primarily worn by John Edwards and Mike Huckabee during the primaries, and even John McCain was cast as a populist toward the end of his presidential campaign.  But without a doubt, the role of populist-in-chief in the recently concluded campaign fell to the Republican vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin.

The frequent use of these terms caught my attention.  I started hearing that Barack and Michelle Obama lived in the "elite" Chicago neighborhood of Hyde Park, where their daughters attended the "elite" University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, and that Barack Obama taught constitutional law for twelve years at the "elite" U of C.

Wait a second.  I lived in Hyde Park for almost ten years, from the time I arrived in the US from Cuba in October of 1960 to the time I moved to the New York area to go work for IBM in June of 1970.  I attended the Lab Schools for my last two years of high school, and then went on to study at the University of Chicago for the next eight years.  I think of Hyde Park as a very diverse kind of community anchored by the university, home to many different kinds of people.

The 2008 HENAAC (Hispanic Engineer) Conference

Earlier in October I was in Houston to attend the annual Hispanic Engineer's National Achievement Award Conference (HENAAC).  HENAAC key mission is promoting science, technology, engineering and math careers in underrepresented communities, especially the US Hispanic community.  It has been doing so for twenty years now. 

The highlight of the annual HENAAC conference is the award show that recognizes the achievement of Hispanic engineers and scientists in a number of categories.  The top honorees this year were Ellen Ochoa - deputy director for NASA's Johnson Space Center and former astronaut - who was named the 2008 Hispanic Engineer of the Year, and Dan Arvizu - Director of DOE's National Energy Renewable Lab - who was inducted into the HENAAC Hall of Fame.  I was honored by HENAAC in 2001, when I was named Hispanic Engineer of the Year, and in 2004, when I was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The conference included a variety of meetings and seminars, as well as a number of programs aimed at students, including a career fair.  Among the meetings was a panel - for which I acted as moderator, - of past Engineers of the Year and Hall of Fame inductees to explore innovative solutions to the number one issue HENAAC deals with:  how do we convince Hispanic kids and their families that the pursuit of engineering and science careers is one of the best paths to a well paying, highly stimulating job?

A Dialogue on Sexism

In the last few weeks there have been lots of articles in the press about the alleged sexist media coverage of Hillary Rodham Clinton's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.  Many have suggested that, just like the historical candidacy of Barack Obama has presented us with the opportunity to have a serious dialogue on race, the equally historical candidacy of Senator Clinton should lead to an equally serious dialogue on sexism in US society.

I could not agree more.  As the father of a young woman, and as someone who has worked closely with female colleagues throughout my long professional career, I strongly believe that we will become a much better society if we take stock of where we are in our battle against sexism, and what we need to do to keep making progress into the future. 

Over the last thirty years, women have made huge advances in the US - and in the world in general.  But, one would have to be very naive or ideologically driven not to agree that sexism continues to be a serious negative force in our country.  The facts speak for themselves. 

In 2006, women earned on average 77 cents for every dollar men earned, - up from 60 cents in 1960.  In the US Congress, 74 out of 435 members in the House of Representatives are female, as are 16 out of 100 in the Senate - the highest numbers of women in the history of Congress, but still under 20 per cent.  In business, 12 of the Fortune 500 companies are run by women, as are 24 in the Fortune 1000.

Most statistics show a similar picture.  The glass is most definitely getting fuller - but, there is a ways to go.

A Dialogue on Race

The other day, a memory from a long, long time ago suddenly popped into my head.

In 1962, I was a 17 year old senior finishing high school at the Laboratory Schools - the wonderful K-12 schools associated with the University of Chicago.  In those days, Hyde Park, the Chicago neighborhood where the U of C is located, was one of the most racially diverse neighborhoods in the country, and the Lab Schools’ student population reflected that diversity.  A significant portion of the students came from middle-class black families living in Hyde Park and nearby areas. 

As I remember, sometime toward the end of our senior year our class was invited to a party at a doorman building in the fancy section of Hyde Park near Lake Michigan.  I went in a car with some of my friends, and as we approached the entrance of the building, we saw that three of our fellow students that had gone ahead of us were talking to the doorman.  This group of three included a girl who happened to be black - as were so many of our classmates in the Lab Schools.  But the doorman would not let her go up to the party, because, he said, that blacks were not allowed in the building. 

This group of three did not argue with the doorman - they just turned around and left.  I wish I could now write that I also turned around and left with them, but I did not.  I don't know why.  I went up to the party along with the rest of the group I was with.  I knew the girl who was giving the party, Linda, fairly well, and recall that she was very upset.  She had tried to convince the doorman to let everyone up, but was unable to do so because this was the policy of the building.

Immigration Debates

The ongoing election season in the US has been fascinating.  We have seen the candidates now come down pretty much to John McCain for the Republicans, and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democrats – all, I must say, first-rate candidates.  I seldom judge candidates on their position on any one issue.  Rather, I try to see how comfortable I am with their approach to governing, and with the kinds of people they will listen to and appoint to key positions. 

But above all, I try to discern each candidate’s overall style and character.  And this time around, I find that a candidate's attitude toward the immigration debates raging in the country is a very good proxy for how I feel about them.  I don't mean necessarily their actual position on immigration - which is a very complex subject, with lots of room for different ideas on how to solve it.  What I find most revealing and important is the tone with which they approach the immigration issues - is it angry and strident, or is it rational and thoughtful?

The Golden Rule

General Peter Pace is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, - America's highest ranking military position.  A few weeks ago, General Pace said in a discussion with editors and reporters of the Chicago Tribune:  "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts.  I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way.” 

He further added:  "As an individual, I would not want [acceptance of gay behavior] to be our policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so-and-so was sleeping with somebody else's wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not.  We prosecute that kind of immoral behavior."  His moral views about homosexuality are based on his upbringing, he also said in the interview. 

I first heard news reports of General Pace's comments while driving in my car.  I was incredulous and felt that this must be a misunderstanding that will quickly get cleared up.  Just about anyone who knows and meets General Pace mentions what a caring human being he is, as well as being a great leader.  Furthermore, someone in his position, given all his extensive dealings with the press and all the media training he must have received through his career, would not express such beliefs publicly, even if he happened to hold them. 

But the day after his Chicago Tribune interview, General Pace issued a statement that said:  "In expressing my support for the current [don't ask, don't tell] policy, I also offered some personal opinions about moral conduct.  I should have focused more on my support of the policy and less on my personal moral views."  Senior staff members further added that he was expressing his personal opinion and had no intention of apologizing.

General Pace is obviously entitled to his opinions, but I suspect that he wishes that he had not publicly said something so hurtful to so many.  I immediately thought of the impact of such remarks on my gay and lesbian friends, as well as those who have children who are gay or lesbian.  I thought of my IBM colleagues who are working so hard in our Global Workforce Diversity programs, whose aim it is to create a culture of diversity and inclusion across the company so we can attract and retain the best possible talent.  I wonder how the many thousands in our armed forces who are gay or lesbian felt upon hearing their leader say that their feelings and actions are immoral.  My feelings went out to the families of the men and women who have been killed or seriously injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, and happen to be homosexual.

Reflections on Immigration

In mid-January I went back to Mexico for meetings with clients and academics, as well as colleagues from IBM.  As you might imagine, the immigration debates going on in the US are being closely followed in Mexico.  The people I spoke to were generally very critical of the Mexican government because it has not done nearly enough to improve economic conditions in the country so that the poor don’t feel the need to go North in search of a livelihood for them and their families.

But, they also had many questions about our actions in the US.  I was asked, for example, why, almost twenty years after the dismantling of the Berlin Wall - with all the ugliness it symbolized - here is the winning superpower of the Cold War planning to build a new, even bigger Berlin-style wall.  Such questions caused me to reflect back on immigration, and the debates it has ignited in the US.

Immigration is a very complex subject.  There is no doubt that the US needs a comprehensive immigration solution that properly takes into account various factors, including the security of our borders, the enforcement of workplace rules and labor demand and supply. We also need to find a practical and decent way to deal with the existing population of illegal immigrants in our country.  President Bush made immigration reform a key priority in the 2007 State of the Union.  I sincerely hope that this coming year, the Administration, the House and the Senate will engage in a civilized dialogue and come up with a good, bipartisan immigration reform bill.

The Freedom to Be Who I Am

Diversity is a subject that means a lot to me, and one on which I've been active within IBM and at HENAAC - the Hispanic Engineer's National Achievement Award Conference.  I am proud of IBM's diversity programs in the workplace, and those of many other companies, which focus on making sure that women and members of under-represented minorities feel welcomed and valued, and are given every opportunity to advance in their careers.  I strongly support efforts to promote the value of education in general and more specifically, careers in science, engineering and technology to girls and young women, blacks, Hispanics and native Americans working closely with groups like NACME and HENAAC. And I'm thankful that the US and many other societies have not only enacted laws forbidding discrimination but have truly become much more accepting of different groups.
   
But, as an excellent article in the January 15 issue of the New York Times Magazine makes clear, this progress on legal equality cannot mark the end of our efforts -- or our learning.  The article,  "The Pressure to Cover" was written by Kenji Yoshino, professor of law and deputy dean for intellectual life at Yale Law School.  (Warning: the New York Times charges $3.95 to access this article online unless you subscribe to Times Select.)  It is based on his recently published book, Covering - The Hidden Assault on our Civil Rights.  Kenji Yoshino is a gay professor of constitutional law, and a major part of the article's appeal is that it reflects both his personal experiences and his legal expertise. 

Where do we come from?

In April, the National Geographic Society and IBM launched the Genographic Project.  This is a fascinating research initiative to map how the Earth was populated and trace the migratory history of the human species using sophisticated laboratory and computer analysis of DNA contributed by hundreds of thousands of people. 

Everyone is invited to participate by purchasing a kit which you use to to get a DNA sample by swabbing your cheek and returning it for analysis in the enclosed transport tubes.  You later get back the personalized genetic analysis, telling you when and where your particular group originated and how they likely journeyed through time.  Since this is all based on statistical analysis, the more people participate, the better the results of the project. 

A few of us at IBM were early participants in the study and gave permission (the entire process is anonymous otherwise)  to have the results appear in a story on ibm.com.  It is only when you read about your own family's journey, as well as those of your friends and colleagues, that the Genographic project moves from the scientific initiative that it is, to something much more personal.