CENTER FOR COMPUTATION & TECHNOLOGY

The following concept may be a milestone for Baton Rouge, but would be a yawner if it were to be applied in progressive cities in the South: “One Baton Rouge means the acceptance and integration of people of all colors, religions, sexual orientations, nationalities and people of all walks of life into every aspect of Baton Rouge community life so that we all will be enriched by each other.” Sadly, we agree with the members of the One Baton Rouge committee that our city needs this basic education in not only toleration but active interaction with people of diverse backgrounds and interests. With the blessing of Mayor-President Kip Holden, the 24-member One Baton Rouge committee is planning a series of public events in May to highlight the value of diversity in public and private life. “It is, we think, kind of a catch-up thing,” said the Rev. Chris Andrews, a committee member. If Baton Rouge is to be a vibrant part of “a more cosmopolitan world, we have to be more sensitive to that.” “We are not naive about the magnitude of our task,” Andrews said. Again and again, the lessons of diversity and civic unity have been played out in peers of Baton Rouge around the South. The cities visited by civic delegations organized by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber are dynamic examples of cities taking action on sometimes controversial issues. In Austin, which had its economy take off compared to Baton Rouge in the past 30 years, the city was often criticized for its outspokenness on issues of diversity, including gay rights. A reputation for social tolerance, and acceptance of not only difference but eccentricity, led to the city's proud slogan: “Keep Austin Weird.” Slightly less weird cities visited by the BRAC delegations — Nashville, Tenn., Raleigh, N.C., — also have seen their economic fortunes improve through efforts to promote tolerance. The lessons have not been lost on some civic leaders in Baton Rouge. “We're attracting young creative minds from across America to events like the Red Stick International Animation Festival” recently held in Baton Rouge, Holden said. “These talented, creative young people not only expect the community to be diverse and tolerant, they insist on it.” Stephen Moret, president of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, added that 90 percent of the nation's Fortune 500 companies have adopted anti-discrimination policies, including areas not covered by federal law, such as sexual orientation, marital status and political affiliation. Moret and other community leaders, including LSU Chancellor Sean O'Keefe, backed the One Baton Rouge effort at Holden's recent news conference. The committee itself represents the city's diversity: “Our committee is representative of the community in every possible way,” Rabbi Barry Weinstein said. Except one. They recognize the city has a problem. We would argue that Baton Rouge's mainstream culture has failed to grasp how much the city is out of step with its peer cities in becoming more welcoming to outsiders in whatever sense. True, some of the political barriers have been broken: Our city has a black mayor, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Jindal, who is of Indian descent, carried the parish in the 2003 election. But on hot-button issues such as gay rights — One Baton Rouge committee members noted that is a tough issue for some people — the community has not seen the leadership speak up often or strongly. One worthy exception: Former Mayor-President Bobby Simpson, who enacted a comprehensive nondiscrimination policy in city government. Many leading businesses have followed that example. “There are a lot of good people in Baton Rouge,” said committee member Robbie Madden of the YWCA. “The good people though have been a little too quiet.” While the public discussion of this issue is welcome, we would be happier if One Baton Rouge's agenda included a more specific platform. Still, it's important to have the discussion. Toleration and acceptance of difference is no longer an option in the “creative class” world.