The founder of the British Diversity Awards, the Windrush Achievement Awards and author of 'Managing the Diversity Maze', Elaine Sihera made history yesterday when she successfully presented the first thought provoking annual Diversity Lecture in the House of Commons. Championed by Lord Navnit Dholakia, President of the Liberal party, and hosted by Simon Hughes MP, a candidate for mayor of London, the pioneering Lecture used current issues to examine diversity practice in Britain, with a personal overview of its effects and direction.

The first African Caribbean to have the privilege, Elaine addressed a specially invited audience of senior personnel in commerce, public service, the media and MPs from across the country. The lecture explained the concept of diversity, the relevance of 'perception and respect' to its successful implementation and, drew on recent gaffes like the Kilroy debacle, the difficulties in achieving effective practice and fulfilling human resource expectations. Elaine used her own background in Jamaica's musical industry, her personal experiences in Britain and the legal process to illustrate how perception dominated the way human beings view and interact with one other - a point which explained why there was so much misunderstanding and misperceptions between community groups.

In pointing out the importance of understanding and appreciating diverse cultures to achieve greater harmony in society, Elaine gave this personal experience: "When I first came to England and attended assertiveness courses, I was told that to finish off a person's sentence without allowing them to finish speaking was being aggressive; showing a lack of respect for that individual. This bothered me greatly for a while because, as a native of Jamaica, that was all we did...finished off each other's sentences. Jamaicans did not see such an action as aggressive. They viewed it as an informal kind of encouragement and alignment with the views of the speaker. A sort of personal welcome to indicate that they shared another's thoughts and empathised with his/her feelings. In fact, if you did not finish off someone's sentence, you were likely to be treated with suspicion and the conversation would become more formal, perhaps drying up altogether. The reaction of the speaker would change from being open and friendly to suddenly watching what they were saying, in case it was not appropriate. Gradually I matured enough to realise that, if I accepted that opinion of our actions, I would be accepting the definition of another culture as applicable to mine, yet which had little relevance to it. But, you can imagine the situation where people from two cultural perspectives try to communicate in Britain. One finishing off the other's sentences because he felt he was being friendly and reassuring while the speaker thought that he was being aggressive! I leave the rest to your imagination."

She pointed out that every human being craved to be 'appreciated and valued'. Diversity practice, with its respect for difference, fulfils that basic need for everyone. "The essential need of every human being, without exception, is to be appreciated and valued. True diversity aims to fulfil that need. Appreciating the definition of the word itself is therefore not sufficient. One has to also recognise the part perception and respect plays in achieving equity and the difficulties in maintaining effective diversity practice due to tribal instincts and the vagaries of human nature.

We might all be gathered in this illustrious room today in the spirit of diversity but we are a multicultural gathering, not a truly diverse one. The difference is very subtle. People of different cultures in this room are expected to fit in with the majority culture, to be absorbed into it without their values and norms being appreciated in return. A truly diverse gathering appreciates difference, values that difference, recognises the variety of perceptions involved and addresses fears and concerns, from whatever quarter. True diversity does not stifle dissent or comment. Only by acknowledging another's perception can we gain vital understanding of their world and educate BOTH perceptions in the interaction on ways to accommodate difference."

Using the legal system to show the lack of respect for difference, Elaine continued: "Our legal system is not based on a notion of mutual respect. It is essentially one of demanding respect for itself from its users. The notion of a diverse approach would thus be incongruent within such a system because one cannot have diversity where there is no respect for difference. Again we're told the legal system is there to SERVE the public. But all the trappings of the service: like the wigs, the splendid robes, the deference required for judges and the legalese involved is deliberately designed to detach itself from its users; to instill fear for its authority and autocratic status without a corresp onding respect for its public. But genuine respect is usually earned, it is not a right."

"You cannot have respect without giving it in the first place and this point is a very crucial one. That is why our legal system is perceived to be failing or is being flouted by many users. It does not respect most of the people it serves, not their customs, not their values, not their perceptions, which makes it hard for them to respect it in turn.... The problem with such a variance in perception is that the legal system becomes a needlessly frustrating experience for many because those who run it perceive it primarily as a court of law while those who seek redress, particularly from different cultures, perceive it as a place of justice. That is why, regardless of the outcome, justice is often perceived to have been denied. Instead, people feel unheard, inferior, inconsequential, frustrated and alien." The Hutton Report was quoted as an example here.

To an rapt audience, who listened the forty minute lecture, Elaine pointed out: the basic difference between equal opportunities and diversity;

- the key elements in appreciating diversity;
- the essential role of personal perception in our lives;
- the one-sided power which lies in every social interaction;
- the marked difference in reasons for low morale between Mainstream staff and Black staff;
- the way fear determines our approach to others who are different;
- the way knowledge expands our horizons but can be selectively used to keep us in entrenched positions;
- the role respect plays in acknowledging and appreciating diversity;
- a snapshot of minority communities and their concerns;
- the problem she saw with diversity as a whole.

Concluding her views on the power of perception, Elaine added: "Perception is thus the most powerful individual attribute because it dictates what we WISH to see rather than the actual reality around us. Our culture, values and norms would have filtered out anything which does not match our expectations, leaving only the elements which reinforce our background, our childhood experiences and how we wish to view the world....Any form of difference is initially perceived as being threatening to our ourselves, our possessions, our territory, our status and our significance. We fear being overwhelmed; we fear being sidelined and we fear being replaced altogether in a relationship, because our primary instinct is to preserve ourselves, our family, what we cherish and our own kind. So even when we can see that this new thing might be beneficial, we will still reject knowledge of it to reduce our fears. Members of the BNP come to mind. They are likely to filter out all positive knowledge about minorities which does not match their perception or which confirm what they fear and believe. Convincing them otherwise would thus not be easy."

George Farrow, a senior executive of LloydsTSB and long time supporter of AnSer house of Marlow UK, introduced Elaine to the audience. Simon Hughes, the Host, concisely summed up what was needed to be done politically to address diversity issues while Rita Donaghy, the Chair of Acas, concluded the event by demonstrating the importance they placed on diversity, particularly to the organisations it served in its important work.

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