Patricia, what is LOCKS?

And Abby is my favorite.  Homogenized culture isn't.

On Fri, Nov 6, 2009 at 11:28 AM, Jones-Turner, Patricia <
JonesTurnerP at chesterfield.gov> wrote:


> As a director of a program and a licensed and ordained minister in

> VIRGINIA who has LOCKS (not dread locks), I find that one's ability far

> out ways their hair style.  Body piercings, tattoos, excessive gold and

> silver may be assessed differently due to gang implications in this area

> so it becomes a safety issue and not a cultural stereotype. For any NCIS

> fans out there who have seen the character "Abby" who is totally

> competent but her "look" is not one that has been embraced by our

> society at large.  But whose to say how many Abby's are out there who

> get overlooked because of our unwillingness to step outside of the box

> labeled "my perspective".  I am a contradiction in terms, in more ways

> than one, but I am proud of that because it demonstrates the power of

> "My God", who uses the foolish to confound the wise.

> There is nothing more attractive than African American hairstyles.

> Society as a whole simply needs to get over it. So please don't under

> play the content of one's character by asking us/me to assimilate. I am

> not interested in being a part of an homogenized culture. I love

> diversity.  Maybe those companies who are stuck in the 60's are not

> places people of color or others who are diverse should seek employment.

> Today, it may be your hair and tomorrow they be ask that you change your

> religion or cross ethical boundaries with the boss.  Where does it stop?

> Assimilation is not the wave of the future.  Sorry.

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: diversity-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:diversity-bounces at nifl.gov] On

> Behalf Of David Rosen

> Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 2:19 PM

> To: The Diversity and Literacy Discussion List

> Subject: [Diversity 1148] Re: dress codes, boundaries, ethics,social

> class and culture

>

>

> Arthur,

>

> Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think you are referring to how

> teachers and students dress for class and work. If so, if the students

> are all preparing for a certain kind of work, that should guide how

> teacher and students dress in work-related basic skills and job skills

> training classes. For example, it is perfectly appropriate, I think,

> for instructors in a community college welding program to dress in

> work clothes that welders wear, clothes that are quite different from

> what medical technicians wear or what people preparing for corporate

> office jobs will need to wear. This isn't a "dress code" as much as it

> is "dress for success at work" issue.

>

> I have a friend who is a Hip Hop artist. He has dreadlocks. A few

> months ago he was having a tough time surviving as an artist. As he

> also has work experience is restaurants, I suggested he might have to

> cut the dreads if he was applying for restaurant jobs, especially in

> this tough job climate. It was painful for me to make this suggestion

> because I realize how important his art is to him, and that he hopes

> one day to earn his living through his art. On the other hand, he's a

> parent, his family needs him to earn a regular income, and he cares

> about being a good father. I mention this story to further develop the

> simplistic scenario of the first paragraph with some of the

> complexities of that are sometimes involved in decisions about

> appropriate dress. On the surface, it may be simple, just "dress for

> success." Underneath, these decisions may be extremely difficult,

> involved with personal identity, cultural or religious affiliation,

> class identity, responsibilities as a parent or other family member,

> or other important life choices.

>

> What does this have to do with literacy? Increasingly adult literacy

> education programs are being asked to emphasize preparation for work.

> Dress standards, in the context of this goal, is one of several

> important decisions that some adult literacy education (including

> ESOL) programs need to consider.

>

> David J. Rosen

> DJRosen at theworld.com

>

>

>

>

> On Oct 23, 2009, at 1:28 PM, Upham, Arthur G - DCF wrote:

>

> > Custom is to warn about LONG posts so due warning:

> >

> > I have been reading with great interest this ongoing discussions

> > about dress codes, boundaries, ethical codes of conduct (some of

> > which are codified in current law in many locations); and social

> > class and culture.

> >

> > I would like to follow up on two aspects of these.

> >

> > 1. Boundaries and codes of ethical behavior--which impact dress and

> > sexual mores.

> >

> > I find that when I have boundary issues it is unfortunately not lack

> > of knowledge about what boundaries are or should be in the

> > situation, but lack of acknowledging the unmet emotional needs

> > driving myself and possibly the other person involved into

> > minimizing boundary issues or ignoring them. So while I find

> > discussions of boundaries in the abstract edifying, I do not always

> > find discussion and general agreement in theory are enough to deal

> > with the actual.

> >

> > 2. dress code and class and literacy reading writing instruction,

> > teacher/tutors and students:

> >

> > Now this is a much longer set of thoughts on which I am not an

> > expert, but the discussion has been churning around in my head and I

> > would like to use this as a chance to see what others think as well.

> >

> > Who are the people we are trying to help improve their reading and

> > writing skills? Why do they want to do this, what is their general

> > goal? If this is just personal improvement, fine. Teacher dress need

> > not be much of an issue at all. Whatever you and the student are

> > comfortable with, no issue.

> >

> > However, the refugee section I work in within Wisconsin state

> > government is currently placed administratively within the larger

> > group that oversees Wisconsin's welfare program (W-2), a program

> > whose primary goal is to enable participants to move out of public

> > assistance by securing employment--hence many of them need to

> > increase their reading and writing skills in order to do this.

> >

> > But here is my concern. In this state, the W-2 population is very

> > largely located in our one "large" city, Milwaukee, about three

> > million residents. Statistically, the greatest majority of these

> > welfare recipients is: single, mothers, one to three children,

> > youngish (18-25), some high school completion, inner city/poor

> > neighborhoods, largely African-Americans, who live in shared

> > communities with shared cultural norms, expectation and outlook.

> >

> > I heard a presentation this week from the chief economic forecaster

> > in the Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Development, projecting the

> > picture of the workforce needs and shape in the next 20+ years, its

> > trends. Manual/assembly jobs will continue to be off-shored as

> > costing less--fewer and fewer jobs available for those who

> > traditionally had lower reading/writing skills and could turn to

> > manual intensive jobs for a living. No need to stress the impact,

> > for example, of the collapse of the auto industry in the US. These

> > jobs are not likely to return.

> >

> > At the same time, the trend in jobs available will continue to be

> > for at least some technical skills at the level of a 2-4 year post

> > secondary education--even now employers who hire someone without a

> > secondary education are few and far between:  most won't hire

> > without this minimum. So jobs will require a higher educational

> > achievement.

> >

> > So back to the questions of dress, class and reading/writing in this

> > scenario: the purpose of teaching reading and writing to this set of

> > students is not just to give a sense of personal achievement and

> > increase power, but to help them achieve a stable financial income

> > through improved employment opportunities, but improved income will

> > also likely mean adjusting social status--move to a better

> > neighborhood, get a better home (a home at all). Having any chance

> > to get this kind of job with require both improved reading and

> > writing skills, but also willingness to accept and adapt the social/

> > work culture, dress code, business culture that goes along with that

> > job which may not be the codes of the neighborhood or sub-group of

> > origin. In this case, teachers/tutors are also agents of change and

> > models and gatekeepers or ushers.

> >

> > So back to dress code: If I dress a lot like my hypothetical

> > students, I put no barriers stressing how different I am, but I also

> > don't help usher in the set of codes/norms that they will need to

> > adjust to in the workplace.

> >

> > The Workforce Development forecaster also noted that in his view of

> > educational and workforce data, the patterns that strike him are:

> >

> > 1. first three years of a child's education are critical indicators

> > of future education outcomes;

> > 2. the mother's educational attainment is often a good indicator of

> > the child's--the higher the mother's achievement, the more likely

> > the child will also have a similar attainment.

> > 3. as mentioned, this attainment will be a major factor in

> > employment and income: poverty or above.

> > 4. There will be few jobs for any who rely on minimal manufacture

> > related skills (manual intensive work) so poverty is likely for

> > these whose reading and writing and computational skills are low and

> > who do not accept or choose to conform to the culture of work for

> > the level of employment.

> >

> > The refugees we work generally come to the US with a very strong

> > drive to do what it will take to learn what they have to in order to

> > support themselves and their families; the long term welfare

> > recipients are too often generally depressed, discouraged,

> > emotionally stressed out, have had generally a poor experience in

> > school, have few role models for success, have struggled with

> > relationships, are burdened with few job possibilities--one of the

> > greatest challenges their literacy/reading/writing teachers/tutors

> > is to inspire them with hope that things can be better, that they

> > can achieve and find real rewards for doing this. The dress one

> > chooses may also play a part.

> >

> > Arthur Upham, PH. D.

> > Refugee Specialist

> > DCF/DFES/BWF

> > Refugee Assistance Services Programs Section

> > 201 E. Washington Ave.

> > Madison, Wisconsin 53708

> > 608-266-6807

> > arthur.upham at wisconsin.gov

> >

> >

> > ----------------------------------------------------

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>

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-- 
Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt
Community Writer for NEWS AND MESSENGER
www.insidenova.com
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