Williams promotes diversity

Equality and fairness must be part of the true definition of diversity, the mayor said.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mayor Jay Williams thinks that diversity is more than just having people of different racial backgrounds or appearances.
Diversity needs to be defined in a three-dimensional sense, he said, with equality and fairness being as much a part of the equation as racial difference.
That's how diversity has to be defined as Youngstown 2010, the city's blueprint for the future, moves forward, the mayor told a gathering of about 250 people Wednesday at the 2006 Celebration of Diversity & amp; Recognition Banquet at Youngstown State University.
Williams, one of the architects of the 2010 plan, said there must be the same opportunities and access for everyone.
Having a "nice color rainbow" of participants is convenient, but it isn't true diversity, he said. As individuals, people must look introspectively to see if they are ready to address diversity in a three-dimensional sense, he said. People have to learn to accept diversity of opinion and thought, he said.
Looking back
Williams, Youngstown's first black mayor and, at 34, its youngest mayor ever, said there was criticism when 2010 was unveiled in December 2002 that the program didn't offer a diverse agenda.
"Nothing can be further from the truth," he said, recalling that there as a great deal of ethnic, political, racial and even regional diversity represented when the plan was presented to the public.
Diversity is "a very important part of the fabric" of 2010, he said.
Efforts were made to talk to and involve every segment of the community when the plan was being drawn, he added.
Williams delivered the keynote address for the evening, but a group of 27 U.S. military veterans who were at one time deployed overseas but are now students at YSU got the special recognition.
"These veterans exemplify diversity in action," said Cheryl Levy, a YSU student services counselor, who introduced the group.
They were thrown into military units with a diverse group of people who instantly had to learn to rely on each other, Levy said.
Sponsors
The banquet was sponsored by the YSU Office of Student Diversity Programs, YSU Partners for Workplace Diversity, the YSU Foundation, the YSU Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity and The YSU Student Diversity Council.
William J. Blake, director of the Office of Student Diversity Programs, urged those in attendance to fill out pledge cards to help raise funds for minority student scholarships.
The YSU Foundation recently got funds to match a $500,000 challenge grant for that program, bringing the total minority scholarship account to $1.3 million.
Another $500,000 matching grant is being offered, Blake said. Contributions will be matched dollar-for-dollar from that grant, enabling the account to nearly double, he said.
The fund awarded 17 minority scholarships ranging from $250 to $10,500 this school year.
gwin@vindy.com