[Hearts-of-GOLD] And in more troubling news...

[sim.aberson]

NOAA had a recent program commemorating African American History Month; 
participants could attend the actual event in the DC area, or from the 
field via webinar.  The speaker, Richard Hill, Director of Equal 
Opportunity and Diversity Management for the National Weather Service, 
gave an engaging talk on the Migration of 1879 and the Exodusters. 
During the question-and-answer session following his talk, he described 
the history of African-American migrations in the US and why they 
happened, he talked about events that could lead to African-Americans 
being seen as expendable, and what saved them in each case.  He 
mentioned the Great Depression and said that what saved African 
Americans then was the advent of World War II when men were needed for 
the Armed Forces and women were needed for factories.  He then stated, 
"God Bless Adolph Hitler."

Being in the field, I was unaware of what was going on in the room at 
the time.  So, I contacted numerous people, including the head of NOAA 
who introduced the event, to express my dismay.  The following letter 
was sent out to registered participants in the event six days later.  If 
anyone participated without registering, they would not have gotten the 
letter sent directly to them.

Sim

_____

Good Afternoon,

I wanted to take a moment to address an incident that occurred on 
Wednesday, February 13, during our African American History Month 
Special Observance.  At the end of the program during a question and 
answer period, the speaker jokingly made a comment that appeared to 
praise Adolph Hitler.  Needless to say the comment was unnerving and 
upsetting to many listeners.

I want to emphasize that the speaker’s statement does not represent the 
beliefs of the Office of Inclusion and Civil Rights, or the views or 
beliefs of leadership within the Agency.  For those who were offended by 
the comment, I assure you that NOAA remains committed to diversity, 
tolerance, and inclusion for all and will continue to promote these 
values across the Agency.

I also want you to know that the matter was addressed immediately after 
the event.  The speaker has apologized profusely for his indiscretion, 
and wants everyone to know that it was an inadvertent comment that he 
understands was inappropriate.

I have directed my staff to put measures in place to do what we can to 
ensure mistakes such as this do not occur in the future.  This was an 
unfortunate incident, but hopefully we can grow from it and continue to 
move forward toward creating a workplace that values diversity, is 
tolerant of all persons, and truly inclusive.


v/r
Kenneth M. Bailey
Director, Office of Inclusion and Civil Rights
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)