Thank you, Ofelia, for opening up this discussion of mentoring for
diversity and for offering to share our thoughts with others on the
upcoming APA panel.  I¹ve been inspired by Anne Waters¹ posting to make a
few observations based on my own experience.  As a woman of Chinese and
Japanese heritage studying Western philosophy in Canada and the US, I have
never been mentored by someone who looked like me.  (In my entire life I
have met exactly three people of East Asian heritage doing philosophy in
the US ­ this was at the Eastern APA panel entitled "Asian Americans and
the Color of Philosophy" last December in New York.)

Encouraging diversity means much more than getting and keeping
philosophers who are racially and ethnically different; in my mostly white
male department, there are also very few mothers, students over 30 or
professors under 40, out gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered people,
people with disabilities, or Muslims ­ let alone feminists (!). There are
so many ways of being different.

And yet I have found wonderful mentors from first-year until now, most of
them middle-class white men, who have encouraged and supported me in my
passion for philosophy.  I have also started mentoring some of the
undergraduates whom I teach, and younger Ph.D. students in my department.
Although only two are women who look like me, I have good relationships
with several students for whom I¹ve written recommendation letters and who
occasionally "check in" with me to talk about their goals.  At present I
have zero influence on recruiting, admissions, and hiring decisions, so my
goal in mentoring the few "different ones" who make it into my philosophy
department is to make sure that they (we) feel welcomed, supported, and
encouraged to stay.

So, what is the secret of mentoring someone who doesn¹t look like me?  
Or, equally important for most of us, how do I find and cultivate a mentor
who doesn¹t look like me?  Here are some stunningly simpleminded things
that I¹ve tried, both while "courting" a mentor who¹s different from me,
and while seeking to mentor someone who¹s different from me.

1. Say hello to someone who doesn¹t look like you.  Not just the first
time you meet her, but every time you pass her in the hallway or see her
in class or at a faculty meeting.  Whenever I walk into a sea of faces
unlike mine and hit a wall of silence and benign indifference, it starts
to feel like nobody wants to acknowledge my presence (even though usually
it just means everyone is busy thinking about philosophy.)  Every one of
my mentors started with a simple "hello" and made the effort to remember
my name.

2. Spend a little time with someone who doesn¹t look like you.  This may
mean anything from chatting while walking across campus together, asking
her to meet you during office hours, making an appointment to discuss a
paper or even inviting her to lunch.  I am always surprised and delighted
when a professor decides to spend a lunch hour talking to me instead of
working in his/her office or meeting with "more important" people.

3. Meet people who are different in spaces where THEY feel comfortable.
(How effective would it be to have lunch with a female student in a
gentleman¹s club?)  I¹ve noticed that when my advisor meets with a group
of students in a Chinese restaurant, the familiar food comforts me and
makes me feel more at ease than when we¹re in an Italian café.  
Similarly, I make a point of meeting gay/lesbian/bi/transgender people in
queer-friendly spaces on campus whenever possible, even if that means a
group study space in a library with an openly gay librarian working
nearby.

4. Introduce mentees to others who resemble them, so that they can get to
know each other and share their struggles and triumphs as part of a
minority group on campus.  I sometimes hesitate to approach other people
of color, because I think we might have very little in common besides not
being white.  Having a mutual acquaintance do the introduction is very
helpful.

5. Introduce mentees to people who resemble YOU.  Since not every academic
is equally dedicated to encouraging diversity, it is often difficult for a
person of color to get to know a (white) senior faculty member.  I call it
the "try-to-catch-my-eye game."  You can help your mentee overcome any
initial awkwardness, misunderstanding, or unconscious bias on either side
­ say a few words of warm praise when you introduce her to others, or
better yet, invite your mentee to join you and your colleagues in some
activity.

6. Now here¹s the hard part.  Once you know your mentor or mentee fairly
well, enough that you trust her enough to try this, ask her what it¹s like
to be different from you.  Ask for details.  If she has children and you
don¹t, ask her how she is dealing with child care and whether the academic
schedule is hard for her.  If she¹s an out lesbian and you¹re not, ask her
if she has a partner, and whether she has experienced homophobia on
campus.  If she¹s African-American and you¹re not, show that you¹ve
noticed she¹s the only one in the department and bring up the topic of
racism.  Someone has to say it first.  The other person may not want to
take the risk of jeopardizing your relationship.  Each of you is probably
afraid of broaching these sensitive topics for fear of offending the
other.  If you know the person fairly well, chances are it will be OK. For
example, I don¹t mind having someone ask me directly whether I want to be
called "Oriental" or "Asian," and I welcome the chance to talk about
sexism with male colleagues, although they may occasionally say things
that anger me.  What really bothers me is when someone assumes that she
knows what it¹s like to be me, or when we try to have a working
relationship that sustains the fiction that there is no difference between
us, by avoiding all relevant topics.

I hope these remarks were helpful.  I¹ll end by advertising my event once
more: at the upcoming FEAST conference I will be facilitating a lunchtime
discussion entitled "How Has Racism Affected Your Life?"  This discussion
takes place on Friday, October 5th from 12:30 ­ 2:00 pm.  I would be happy
to answer anyone¹s questions or concerns about this discussion.  If you
decide to join us, please RSVP off-list to <[log in to unmask]> with your
name, racial heritage and any dietary restrictions or preferences.

Sophia Isako Wong
Ph.D. Candidate
Dept. of Philosophy
Columbia University

> Date:    Tue, 28 Aug 2001 15:59:49 -0400
> From:    "Schutte, Ofelia" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: aristocractic generations of academe
> 
> There will be a panel at the Eastern Division this year named "mentoring for
> diversity."  I agreed to be a speaker.  I would appreciate your feedback on
> this topic.  I think part of the intent is to come up with constructive
> suggestions about retaining women and members of underrepresented groups
> (not just hiring).  Please feel free to contact me directly in addition to
> any messages you'd like to post to the list.
> 
> Ofelia