2008 Photo Gallery
Realizing the growth of the foreign-born population between 2000 and 2005, Juana Watson, Indiana’s senior adviser of Latino and immigrant affairs, and Judge Gregory Scott, director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, began to develop a plan for MultiEthnic Indiana.
“The goal is to educate each other about who we are, why we are here and how we can help each other to better ourselves, the state and - in the end - the country,” Watson said.
Watson’s goal refers to MultiEthnic Indiana, a three-prong approach to making the state a more welcoming place for diverse ethnic groups. This idea grew from recurring requests for resources to aid various multiethnic groups during their stay in Indiana. As the phone calls increased, Watson knew something needed to be done to acknowledge Indiana’s evolving demographic.
The Sagamore Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think-tank headquartered in Indianapolis, leads the first approach. This effort includes researching and understanding the challenges, assets, strengths and desires of the multiethnic groups in Indiana.
The second approach includes the MultiEthnic Indiana Conference, which enables elected officials and business and community leaders throughout the state to learn, educate and celebrate multiethnic opportunities. Business persons, community leaders and elected officials throughout the state will learn about various cultures represented in Indiana and identify the challenges and advantages of a multiethnic state. The Indiana MultiEthnic Conference committee members hope attendees will learn and share initiatives in the workplace and in their communities to make Indiana a more welcoming place.
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The third approach consists of an educational campaign to educate Hoosiers about multiethnic Indiana. Potential changes to legislation may be introduced as a result of the conference. “We really have a fabric within our state which is woven from every ethnic region and every culture within the world,” Scott said. “Why don’t we bring those people together so we can learn from them and realize how similar we really are?”
After their first discussion, Watson and Scott formed a committee of skilled professionals to begin the first stages of planning for the Indiana MultiEthnic Conference. The group drew from the different perspectives of each member in order to fully develop the idea for a multiethnic Indiana approach.
“In the group, people started giving their opinions and ideas,” Watson said. “You think you know how everyone sees it, but some people are more business oriented and see it as a great way to welcome new companies. My first thought was to make them feel welcomed. I want them to feel included.” Scott felt that multiculturalism would help educate others about diversity, as well as help local businesses thrive. Of the foreign-born in Indiana, 61 percent are of working age, ranging from 25 to 54 (MPI Data Hub).
While the conference is largely focused on the business aspect of multiethnicity, it is also intended to bring awareness about the countries represented in Indiana. Watson originally saw the conference as an opportunity to showcase different nationalities. These presentations would highlight knowledge concerning different cultures. While the conference has grown beyond its original vision, it still maintains the goal of education and acceptance.
“Part of this is people being more receptive of one another - not judging someone from eyesight, but being able to judge someone from the experiences you’ve had with them,” Scott said.
Da Mica O’Bryant, the assistant director for external affairs at the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, feels that Indiana has become a state rich with ethnic diversity.
“In Indiana, we have the 13th largest city [Indianapolis] in America, so I think we are definitely a growing population, but we are also growing in how the world sees us and how we see the world,” O’Bryant said. “Indiana is a great place to do business. It’s a place that is growing and developing; we are on the brink of becoming multicultural.”
O’Bryant shares Watson and Scott’s hope that Indiana will grow in its cultural awareness. The MultiEthnic Indiana Conference will help to achieve this goal.
“I think one of the things that Martin Luther King Jr. said is coming true in Indiana,” O’Bryant said. “He said we have to learn together as brothers or we will perish together as fools, and I think that in Indiana we are learning to live together as brothers.” |
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