DIVERSITY is a term typically over-used and rarely completely understood. Under the rationale of diversity, some schools engage in aggressive recruiting and admitting of certain groups of would-be students. Employers, using the same idea, engage in similar hiring procedures.
In all of the debates that inevitably ensue regarding any preferential program's propriety, the term diversity becomes an easy fall-back explanation. Typically, both sides of such debates have arguable positions, provided one gets beyond one-word discussions. The diversity rationale, however, has failed to justify a recent attempted rewriting of American history.
A statue intended to memorialize the heroic firefighters of the World Trade Center attacks will be based on the famous flag-raising photograph of Sept. 11. On that day, firefighters Dan McWilliams, George Johnson and Billy Eisengrein anchored an American flag in the rubble of the two WTC towers. A clay model of the intended 19-foot-high bronze statue quite obviously resembles the famous scene, with three persons engaging in the same act that captured worldwide attention.
The symbolism of the scene was obvious - America, at its most vulnerable time, led by those who had sacrificed a great deal, would remain strong and would rise again. One fact of the scene also was obvious: All three firefighters were white men.
The clay model, however, depicts the three firemen as white, black, and Hispanic. According to a Fire Department of New York spokesman, "... those who died were of all races and all ethnicities [and the] statue was to be symbolic of those sacrifices." Kevin James, a member of the Vulcan Society, which represents black firefighters, added, "I think the artistic expression of diversity would supersede any concern over factual correctness" ("Multiracial Ground Zero Statue Offends Some NYC Firefighters and Families," Associated Press, Jan. 11).
Both individuals' desire to symbolize the varying sacrifices of the FDNY is admirable. Their desire to disregard the factual accuracy of an actual, famous event should elicit concern in anybody associated with this statue.
Desires to put forward a symbolic statue would not be a problem, had the artist not decided to copy an internationally famous event. Any promotion of a statue that boldly deviates from what actually took place, however, does little but perpetuate a lie. That lie will likely undercut the actual goals of the statue.
More than just white males looked admiringly at the flag-raising photograph. Few people needed to articulate the symbolism of the event. All Americans, as well as international American sympathizers, saw varying degrees of resilience, determination, toughness and reflection. The nationality of America appeared most clearly in the photograph. A particular race or ethnicity did not.
The FDNY could achieve the goal of showing the diverse backgrounds of those who gave selflessly without altering the facts of that one scene. It could dedicate the statue to those of varying backgrounds, using a plaque. It could create a separate statue, commemorating the diverse individuals who died. It shouldn't, however, interfere with what took place.
The promotion of such an inaccurate statue might cause some to call into question the truthfulness of other memorials. It might cause some to refer to people in famous events as nothing more than symbolic figures.
Even when factual incidents do not put an organization in the best light, those situations place a greater incentive on that group's leaders to change. Maybe all three individuals were white because only 2.7 percent of the firefighters are black, and only 3.2 percent are Hispanic.
Some civil rights leaders might appreciate such a statue, as it might provide them with an example of what they would like to change. Some organizations - schools, civic groups or country clubs - that have only memorialized leaders of a certain race might feel embarrassed and want to change their practices. Empty symbolism allows an organization to exchange reality for a pretty, hollow and meaningless image.
Even more interesting, some might justifiably wonder why only men were chosen for the statue. They might wonder why only three races were chosen, ignoring Arabs, Asians and Indians, among others.
The symbolism of something that did not matter greatly - the firefighters' racial composition - would take predominance over the substance: the remarkable sacrifice of 343 firefighters who died in the attacks.
Diversity may justify trying to make a current workforce or university a more representative place. It shouldn't justify the tearing down of historical events.
(Seth Wood's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at swood@cavalierdaily.com.)
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