COLUMBUS, Ind. — Community leaders and educators gathered virtually Tuesday to discuss the importance of encouraging diversity and uncovering bias.
These speakers shared experiences and solutions during “Unveiling the Bias,” the latest installment in the Lead by Design series presented by IUPUC’s Center for business and Economic Development. The series focuses on diversity in the community and how it can fuel economic development.
“It’s incredible that we all get to be able to participate in this dialogue, despite being away from each other,” said Nicole Pence, event moderator and owner of Pence Media Group. “… This is the third time we’ve been able to come together and say, ‘This is a conversation that we want to prioritize. This is dialogue that we want to be a part of. These are solutions that we want to hear from other people.’”
The event was free, with members of the community registering and attending the discussion via Zoom. In addition to presentations from speakers, the event also included participatory elements, such as poll questions and 5- to 15-minute breakout rooms.
In these rooms, small groups of audience members discussed topics presented by speakers and questions offered by Pence. While the main session was recorded by IUPUC, these smaller groups were left private.
The event’s first speaker was Mark Stewart, president of United Way of Bartholomew County. Stewart also serves on the boards of the Heritage Fund, Community Education Coalition, Healthy Communities and the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress.
Stewart focused on community demographics regarding diversity in Columbus. He said that population growth helps contribute to a “healthy economy.”
“Over the past decade, our community has had healthy population growth at about 9 percent,” he said. “However, it’s important to recognize that about 90% of that population growth came from people of color. In 2010, the population of Bartholomew County was about 90% white. Today, it’s about 80% white. And within BCSC … the white population represents 70%.”
Stewart emphasized that while our community is becoming more diverse, our leadership does not necessarily reflect this diversity. One study by the Heritage Found that out of 94 local boards, commissions and committees, only six reflected the “demographic makeup of our community.”
In addition, Stewart added that not all diverse people groups find Columbus to be a “welcoming” place to live, especially the LGBTQ community, which was shown to be the “least likely” to feel welcome in our community in a recent survey by the Heritage Fund. He said that the community is “missing out on a lot of talent” from groups who may not feel welcomed in Columbus.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
