AARP's Commitment to Diversity

Source: AARP.org | July 12, 2004

AARP's Commitment to Diversity

"Out of Many, One"

Here in the early days of this new century, it's abundantly clear that none of us can survive alone. If the United States is to be a member of the global community, we must acknowledge and leverage the great wealth of our diversity.

AARP recognizes that on every level – community, state, national and global – the only way to successfully serve those 50+ is to reach out to the full spectrum of the population. If we are to help people improve their quality of life, and live independently with dignity and respect, then we must touch the lives of people of every hue, nationality, cultural background and lifestyle.

"We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders."
Maya Angelou

AARP can bring about the goal of positive social change by continuing to fight against barriers that have long separated people, because, in a real sense, the world is one great family. In Hawaii, the word for family is "ohana." From the moment a newcomer sets foot on the Island, he or she is family. And that's exactly how I felt when I first arrived in Hawaii, that I was family and that I'd come home.

And that's how I feel about AARP. We are family; we are ohana. And, truth be told, we're all much more alike than we are different. As noted author Julius Lester says, "I write because the lives of all of us are stories. If enough of these stories are told, then perhaps we will begin to see that our lives are the same story."

I've been an AARP volunteer for many years, first through the Women's Initiative, later as an NLC member, and then as a member of the Board of Directors. But I've always been an African American woman, and from my unique perspective, I've witnessed monumental changes in our country throughout my lifetime. I've seen changes designed to transform "separate but unequal," into "liberty and justice for all." But we know it takes more than mere words to bring about change. It takes action. And we at AARP fight discrimination on all levels, based on age, sex, race and ethnicity, religion, ability and lifestyle.

Diversity cuts across every AARP issue. So, our challenge is to be certain that we are serving members and cultivating future members as fully as possible. To this end, we have developed African American/Black and Hispanic Initiatives to increase our outreach efforts to these communities. One example of our many successes has been Segunda Juventud, our bilingual Spanish-English quarterly newspaper. Initial circulation has tripled since the first issue two years ago. Another example is the publication of Juan Williams' new book, My Soul Looks Back in Wonder, in support of our Voices of Civil Rights project.

We, as an organization, have many challenges before us, yet by combining our diverse talents and resources, all of them can be overcome. Remember, together, we have the power to make it better.

Marie F. Smith
AARP President