By Pablo Wong

The issue of race is again part of our break room conversations at work and in our dining rooms at homes across the United States. This topic deserves a closer look; not so much in the context of skin color,

but of fairness and equal opportunity. More importantly, the dialogue must include all voices and views, including those of White Americans.

As an American of Asian and Latino background, I celebrate my Chinese and Nicaraguan cultures. As an immigrant, who held my first Bay Area job painting apartment buildings in San Francisco’s Mission district, I am very proud to be an American and to be a senior manager and a productive citizen.
The U.S may elect its first African American President in its history – the son of an African American father and Caucasian mother. And the Democratic Party almost nominated the first woman as their presidential candidate. So, has the glass ceiling been broken?

According to Senator Obama, we need to talk about Race. But should the conversation be more about the existence of fairness and equal opportunity?
When I hear the word “Race,” I think about the struggle of African Americans and the Civil War; I am also reminded of the Civil Rights movement; and of Affirmative Action, along with some of its policies that resulted in quotas and reverse discrimination towards Whites and non-Whites.

Let me share some of my views; not about Race but about fairness and equal opportunity at home and at work.

If you were one of the very few White people at my 50th birthday party, you would have noticed that you were part of a minority group; and you probably didn’t feel discriminated because my guests were primarily family and close friends that have embraced diversity. But you may felt uncomfortable with some of the ethnic food, the music or the conversations in Spanish. I felt the same way when I visited Korea and China (I don’t speak Korean or Chinese).

Was I discriminating in my birthday party because I now live in the U.S. where more than 60% of the population is White, but less than 10% of my guests were white and the other 90% were Latinos or Asians? Or did I discriminate when 5 of 6 of my former business partners have been Latinos or Chinese?

I don’t think so. I call the reason behind the answer to both questions “special preference.” And at the root of my “special preference” is “cultural connectivity.”

In working for corporate America for more than 11 years, I realized that only 23% of my direct reports have been White. At the same time, more than 80% of my superiors have been White. Was my decision to hire my direct reports based on cultural connectivity or special preference? The answer is not really. The reality is that the primary focus of my teams in corporate America has been to market and reach out to Latinos, Asians and African Americans, and there appears to be more people of color in the pool of applicants. However, I admit that if I had two candidates to choose from with very similar skills, I would pick the one that adds diversity to my team.

Most White Americans who grew up primarily with White people around them are not different from me in choosing their friends and will practice “special preference.” My point is: it’s NOT DISCRIMINATION.

For too long, we as so-called minorities have been fighting to have a seat at the table. And some of us have made it to the table; but certainly not enough. Part of the reason why is that we have not done enough to educate and cultivate ourselves so we can EARN those seats and high level jobs. And I repeat: doing enough to EARN those seats. We have often fought too hard to have the seat assigned to us because it’s OWED to us. It is “our time” (and about time) to bury the “entitlement mind” set once and for all.

To have a degree from a prestigious University doesn’t necessarily guarantee a very good job or successful career. Communication and cultural competency are often barriers. And in this case I mean that a person may not have the best fit for the job in an American company culture; again, it’s about cultural connectivity. And Corporate America does have its own culture.

Senators Obama and Clinton, along with other people of color in corporate America, have done well to further advance and inspire non-Whites to seek positions of power. They both are a testament that the so-called “glass ceiling” has been broken. What we need to learn is “what to do with the pieces.”