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By Pia Brown
I am the face of cultural diversity. I am Liberian, I am Swiss, I am
American. I have traveled extensively throughout Africa, Europe, the
United States and Canada. I was raised Lutheran, attended four years of
Meeting for Worship at a Quaker prep school, and now fellowship with the
African American Independent Catholic Rite.
I live the American Dream but don’t take simple things like electricity
and running water for granted. I have degrees from America’s finest
universities and was schooled in French and German but remain sensitive
to low literacy rates in many parts of our world. I understand the value
of freedom, democracy and the privilege to vote. I am a woman in an
industry that has long been male-dominated. I respect tradition
al knowledge and practices and their integration with modern science and
technology. I understand the importance of interacting with people of
varied and dynamic backgrounds, and the impact it has on the growth of
one’s intellectual, moral and spiritual capacity.
An American Experience
My cross-cultural journey began many years ago, but one of the most
profound periods was when my parents sent me to the United States for
college preparatory studies. Although I had attended international
schools and summer camps, had friends whose homelands spanned the globe,
and had spent a little time visiting the United States and a lot of time
in Switzerland, Newtown (a small Pennsylvania town) was very different.
I had to adapt quickly.
English is my first language, so there were no verbal communication
barriers, but I quickly learned that I was a bit different from most of
my schoolmates. Regardless of economic stature and any prior worldliness
and exposure, I still came from Africa and had to deal with stereotypes
to which I had been somewhat oblivious in my formative years.
 I
always looked a little different in my homeland and knew that my
grandmother sometimes affectionately referred to my sisters and me as
her “white grandchildren.” But on this, the beginning of my “American
Experience,” I quickly recognized that I was different in a number of
ways, and I vowed to always respect cultural differences.
I also learned that cultural awareness and respect is a two-way street;
the more I shared about my own culture, the more I learned from others.
Thirty-six years later, I still believe this to be the right formula for
social and professional success.
With detours through Providence, R.I., Washington, D.C., represents the
stop on my journey for the past 28 years. Not only is D.C. the nation’s
capital, but it is often recognized as the world’s capital, as evidenced
by its numerous ethnic communities, embassies, international financial
and development institutions, and human rights organizations
I am also privileged to work in an industry whose business attracts
attendees and highly renowned experts from every corner of the world. I
live in the community in which I work and am able to enjoy the best of
many worlds without leaving my block of young, old, African- American,
White, Ethiopian, European, disabled, blind and gay folk. (Can I get any
more diverse than this?)
A Diverse Industry
As I travel to work each day, I look at the diversity in my workplace.
In many ways it so resembles my neighborhood that I can only marvel at
what the future holds for this workplace.
There is not a convention that comes into this city and is housed in our
Center that doesn’t look like us — be it an auto show, major medical
meeting, religious gathering, technology event, new product launch or
employment and technology expo for people with disabilities. Diversity
runs rampant in our day-to-day activities as well, and in the attendees
who walk through our doors.
Our industry is rapidly growing and expanding its boundaries beyond
North America’s borders. This means that we must now expand our
knowledge base and pledge to be better citizens of the world by
acknowledging and respecting the lifestyles, business practices, values
and beliefs of other social groups.
We must initiate and vigorously accept any invitation to take advantage
of opportunities to exchange ideas and reevaluate the real underlying
reasons for some of our cultural mistrusts.
 We
must learn to separate fear from ignorance, and become risk takers — as
long as we don’t compromise our personal integrity. At the end of the
day, as business people, regardless of cultural origin, we want to close
our deals with the feeling that we won something — but more importantly
as people, that we learned many things.
We have choices. We can choose to remain in our cocoons, not see our own
faces and continue to deny the cultural diversity we each represent.
Or we can choose to celebrate cultural diversity and increase our
interaction with new groups of people, thus giving rise to increased
communication and collaboration from commerce to hospitality, and from
education to technology.
Let this face of cultural diversity (especially for those who did not
know my background) be one of the reasons you stop and take inventory of
your own cultural biases — and the limitations they have placed on you
and the future generations you impact. The true acceptance of diversity
will allow you to experience the world.
Pia Brown is director of event management at
the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
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