Race, gender (and philosophical) diversity all good

A reader chastised us over today's editorial about diversity in sports and politics.

He noted it's not diversity if your name is "Clarence Thomas, Condi Rice, J.C. Watts, Elizabeth Dole or Alberto Gonzales," apparently because we named Democrats prominently in the editorial. (He might have missed the mention of Dole in paragraph 12.)

Answer: Of course it is, and I've favorably written about many of them, particularly Watts and Rice, in past editorials and columns.

A testy message board can be seen at the end of the editorial as well, including the well-worn notion that we are all Americans -- no hyphens.

True, but those willing to face the truth would acknowledge the historical road of progress in America has been less smooth for those who were born tan, brown or chocolate or female. The point is that things have changed and are changing still. So what's the harm in celebrating that?

I believe in the opportunity that America provides for all people today. The fruit hangs a bit lower for all now. But those unwilling to acknowledge historical inequities need to open their eyes and gain a fresh perspective.

Recently, Katie Couric noted how she was the only major network female anchor at a White House press briefing.

She wrote: "As I was looking at my colleagues around the room—Charlie Gibson, George Stephanopoulos, Brian Williams, Tim Russert, Bob Schieffer, Wolf Blitzer, and Brit Hume—I couldn’t help but notice, despite how far we’ve come, that I was still the only woman there. Well, there was some female support staff near the door. But of the people at the table, the “principals” in the meeting, I was the only one wearing a skirt. Everyone was gracious, though the jocular atmosphere was palpable."

Even the well-compensated Couric, who appears to have it all, acknowledges the obvious -- to a point. All of those "principals" at the meeting surely work really hard and deserve to be there. Surely some can tell stories about the hardships their ancestors faced.

Yet should it matter that all but one were men and none were born tan, brown or chocolate?