I have found that a lot of women and people of color themselves feel uncomfortable with people who look like them in a top position. We can talk all day about how we encourage gender and ethnic diversity or how we consider ourselves to be an enlightened and progressive community. Our future objectives and goals are all for naught if our mentality remains the same. Until we expand our leadership pool to one that is more reflective of our diverse community as a whole, progressive change will occur with the speed that it takes a running stream to shape a boulder. As recent census figures already prove, we are quickly beginning to fall behind other metro areas in terms of growth and development at an alarming rate.
Time is of the essence.
Limited participation will only ensure limited success. The rapid progressive change we need at this point will not occur without a concerted collective effort. This means bringing people to the table who haven't been there before. It is a message we should all take to heart before it's too late. Marshall Pitts Jr. is Fayetteville's mayor pro tem.