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2 The Reporter | Volume 40, Number 3

building leaders

Three years ago, when my oldest daughter entered the sixth grade, she told me that her dream was to attend Stanford University for her undergraduate education. To foster her dream, I promised her that for our annual spring break trip during her eighth grade school year, we would travel to California and go on a college tour of three or four universities in the area, to include her dream school. I started planning our trip in July 2012, the same month I started working for my new boss. I discussed my plans with him and he immediately recommended a great place for us to stay during our time in San Francisco. He described how nice it was, the great location, the awesome rates, and most important, the free full breakfast they serve each morning.

All I could think was what a great tip from my new boss—it sounded perfect, I was sold! I immediately looked up the hotel and found out that you had to become a member of the Marines’ Memorial Association to take advantage of the discounted room rates at the Marines’ Memorial Club. I signed up, paid my thirty-five dollar membership fee and immediately booked my reservation for our spring break 2013 college tour.

What a great trip! We stayed in San Francisco and toured Stanford and UC Berkley. Then we flew to Los Angeles and toured UCLA. We enjoyed

almost every aspect of our vacation…there was one exception…our stay at the Marines’ Memorial Club. Surprisingly, by day two of our four-night stay, we realized we were the only blacks in the hotel for breakfast each morning. Now don’t get me wrong, this revelation was not unusual for us, and it’s not what caused us to feel uncomfortable. Besides, we’ve lived in Jacksonville, Florida, we’ve been stationed in Abilene, Texas and Montgomery, Alabama—so being the “only” amongst a group was more than normal for us. The feeling we felt at this particular place was a different feeling, it was a feeling that we didn’t belong. We tried very hard to enjoy the free full breakfast each morning, but we were constantly subjected to uncomfortable stares and whispers as we ate. It was our vacation, so of course, I wore civilian clothes each day, so no one knew I was an actual active duty member of the military—but I didn’t think I would need to let anyone know that to be treated with respect.

Despite our misery (anyone who knows me knows that I had no intention of paying for breakfast elsewhere, especially when it was included in our stay), and my daughters begging that we not eat breakfast in the hotel anymore, we went to breakfast for the fourth and final morning. Not only were we subjected to uncomfortable stares on this particular morning, but as I was sitting with my daughters during breakfast, I actually overheard the conversa-

The Exclusive Club BY CAPTAIN VELMA C. GAY

(Image courtesy of iStock)

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Volume 40, Number 3 | The Reporter 3

tion of two elderly gentleman seated directly across from us. One gentleman looked at his friend with a disgusted look on his face, and he said, “Look, there are three black people sitting over there.” His friend immediately turned and looked at us. His friend went on to say, “I wonder what they are doing here?” The words expressed by the elderly men that day reminded me that regardless of my service to my country, regardless of my right to be a member of “the club,” there are still individuals who feel that I do not belong and I should not be included.

When I arrived back at the office after our vacation, my boss immediately inquired, “How was your stay at the Marines’ Memorial Club? Was it awesome?” I looked at him and I politely said, “Thanks for the recommendation Sir, but I don’t think we’ll ever stay there again.” I went on to describe our experience in detail. He was shocked, embarrassed and felt really bad for recommending the hotel. His exact words were, “What?!? You were in the heart of San Francisco… I would have never imagined you would experience that type of behavior.” Then, he thought for a minute, he said it never occurred to him that every time he stayed at the “club,” he rarely, if ever, saw any people of color. My boss realized he had never experienced this type of behavior. He also admitted that his thoughts, ideas and experiences about the club were all based on his own perspective.

As of 2013, the percentage of female Active Duty JAGs increased from 22% in 1994 to 29%, and the percentage of JAGs who are ethnic or racial minori- ties increased from 7% to 10%. Our current Paralegal force structure is even more diverse with 60% being female and 33% minorities. JAG Corps civilians are 43% female and 13% are minorities.1 To understand the challenges we face as leaders, we must understand that we operate in a world in which both leaders and followers represent different ethnicities, races and genders. Diversity is a reality that is here to stay, and its impact is increasing as our demographics continue to change. We cannot avoid this conversation. The issues affect all of us. As a result, there should be an automatic interconnectedness between leadership and diversity. As the population within the Air Force

1 Source data from AFPC, current as of August 2013.

becomes increasingly diverse, the way we teach lead- ership within our Corps should also become diverse. Attention to diversity is not solely about making sure there is representation from diverse groups in the ranks of our leadership. Attention to diversity means changing our theories of leadership so as to make them inclusive; it also means paying attention to the perceptions and expectations of diverse leaders by diverse followers and paying attention to how bias influences the exercise of leadership.

In order to truly become effective leaders in the JAG Corps, we must understand that diversity is not an “object” to be managed; it is a collection of people, living, breathing people; individuals with minds and emotions. People who come from different backgrounds, who grew up in different areas, who have different stories—people who do not just want to be represented, but people who want to also be included. President Lyndon B. Johnson gave a com- mencement address at Howard University in 1965 in which he stated, “Thus it is not enough just to open the gates of opportunity. All our citizens must have the ability to walk through those gates.” Does it mean anything, that as an active duty military member, I am able to pay my membership fee to become a member of this “exclusive club,” or is it important that I am actually included and feel accepted by the club once I show my brown face?

What is your current leadership style? Is it “exclusive” or is it “inclusive?” Do you focus on a list of cultural “do’s and don’ts,” or are you more concerned with establishing common ground with people from cultures other than your own? Are you aware of your own biases? Do you challenge false assumptions? Are you developing cultural dexterity? Are you embodying trust and fairness? Are you being con- sistent? These are just a few examples of introspective questions we can ask ourselves in order to help us develop some solid diversity leadership competen- cies. Diversity issues are relevant for every single one of us, regardless of our cultural backgrounds. You cannot be an effective leader in a diverse society without understanding diversity. Simply put, you cannot lead what you do not understand.

[W]e must understand that diversity is not an “object” to be managed; it is a collection of people, living, breathing people....

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