-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Racism at Homeland Security
Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 09:53:37 -0600
From: Abdul Alkalimat <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: H-NET Discussion List for African American Studies
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From: "Berry, William E." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
As you see from this story, when our students participate in themed
costumes, they are acquiring an education that will help them to succeed
in the workplace:
DHS employee put on leave after wearing 'offensive' costume
* Story Highlights
* Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff directs employee to
take leave
* Man in prison outfit, dreadlocks and darkened skin make-up came
to party
* Party host was Julie Myers, head of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement
* She and other judges at first gave man praise for costume's
"originality"
From Jeanne Meserve and Mike M. Ahlers
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The employee who wore what some said was a racially
insensitive Halloween costume to a party hosted by a top immigration
official is being directed by the Homeland Security Department Secretary
to take administrative leave.
The employee's leave will continue while a Department inquiry is
conducted, according to Secretary Michael Chertoff.
The employee wore a striped prison outfit, dreadlocks and darkened skin
make-up to the party hosted by Julie Myers, head of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement.
Myers was on a three-judge panel that originally praised the prisoner
costume for "originality."
After some employees complained, Myers apologized for "a few of the
costumes," calling them "inappropriate and offensive." She said she and
other senior managers "deeply regret that this happened."
A department photographer took a picture of Myers with the man, but the
photograph or photographs, originally posted online, were deleted after
it was determined the costume was offensive, ICE
<http://topics.cnn.com/topics/u_s_bureau_of_immigration_and_customs_enfo
rcement> spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said.
Asked about the controversy at a press conference Tuesday, Chertoff said
Myers was "right to apologize for having this proceeding take place" and
said she is reaching out to members of Congress and others to make sure
"they understood her unwavering commitment to equality and fairness."
"Here is the bottom line: People do dumb things," Chertoff said. "I get
very perturbed when there is anything that is done that suggests that
with respect to the enforcement of the law, we are anything other than
even-handed. I have zero tolerance for racism or discrimination in the
area of law enforcement. We have to be tough but we have to be fair. ...
The idea that you are going to come and impersonate someone of another
ethnic group, I think, is completely unacceptable."
Between 50 and 75 people attended the party, which was a fund-raiser for
the Combined Federal Campaign, a federal government collection of
charities.
Nantel said one employee, whom she declined to identify, was wearing a
black-and-white striped prison outfit, dreadlocks and a skin "bronzer"
intended "to make him look African-American." But, she said, it was not
immediately apparent that he was wearing the make-up.
"Most people in the room didn't realize he was wearing make-up at all,"
she said.
"It was unintentioned. The employee did not mean to offend although
there were some employees that were rightfully offended by it," Nantel
said.
"There were a couple of people who were offended," Nantel said. "When it
was confirmed through a conversation with the employee that he was
wearing make-up" the employee was counseled and Myers sent out a note to
employees apologizing.
"The photo was deleted because there was a determination that the
costume was inappropriate," Nantel said.
In a November 2 email to ICE employees, Myers said, "It is now clear
that, however unintended, a few of the costumes were inappropriate and
offensive. While we were all thrilled to be a part of the CFC
fund-raising effort, I and the senior management at ICE deeply regret
that this happened."
She reminded all employees to be compliant with the department's
diversity training requirement.
Myers has served as head of ICE since January of 2006 but is still
awaiting Senate confirmation.
An ICE congressional liaison said ICE officials briefed congressional
staffers about the costume party this week as a courtesy. But at least
one congressional staffer said they approached ICE after receiving an
anonymous fax about the incident.
Myers called House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson,
a Democrat from Mississippi, about the incident and is expected to meet
with him before the end of the week, a Thompson spokeswoman told CNN.
Myers also contacted the National Association of African-Americans in
the Department of Homeland Security. In a letter to NAADHS members, the
group's vice president, Sjon Shavers, said the group "appreciates
(Myers) reaching out to us so quickly in order to keep us apprised of
the matter and we commend her on moving so swiftly toward appropriate
corrective action."
As head of ICE, Myers heads the law enforcement agency charged with
enforcing immigration law in the nation's interior. It is the second
largest investigative agency in the federal government, with more than
15,000 employees, including 6,000 investigators.
Chertoff "supports the actions that Assistant Secretary Myers has
taken," DHS spokeswoman Laura Keehner said. "We do not tolerate
inappropriate behavior at DHS.
"The secretary has asked for an inquiry into the facts surrounding the
incident. Once the facts have been determined, we will take all
necessary and appropriate actions
_______________________________________________
Mellon Myers Undegraduate Fellowship Program at Macalester (http://macmmuf.org)
[email protected]
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html
http://macmmuf.org/mailman/listinfo/list_macmmuf.org
