I’m Tired of Trying to Explain Why Representation Matters to White Men

There is no data for every aspect of life

Consider a few groups:
•U.S. Presidents, Senators, and members of the Congress
•CEOs
•the military
•teachers
•doctors at a hospital

Wouldn’t you want the best person for the job — regardless of their background or what they look like?

Here’s one way to make sure that happens: encourage everyone to pursue all subjects and areas of interest. Make school free for students, and well-funded by taxpayers—regardless of school district. Give people lots of support to let their abilities flourish. Encourage diversity—don’t say that it’s irrelevant. To get the best people for the job, draw from the deepest well possible.

How can we know if we’ve reached this goal?

If everyone in a particular position looks the same, there’s a good chance that you are not drawing from a deep well.

Not a deep well: (Celal Bayar addresses U.S. Congress, 1954; Wikimedia)

I still remember seeing a poster of the U.S. Presidents the first day I walked into my third grade classroom. My first thought was “that’s no fair that only guys can be President.”