ABSTRACT
Advancing caring and justice as part of professional practice represents a challenge rarely undertaken as an integral part of organizational practice. While there are many critical social issues that merit the attention of practitioners across professions, the diversity challenge cuts across all issues. The arguments made on behalf of the University of Michigan in the Gratz (2000) and Grutter (2003) cases provide compelling rationales for increasing diversity in leadership of the military, industry, and education (Cheng, Altbach, & Lomotey, 2006). Yet the public resistance to the use of race as a criterion for college admission or employment has led to banning affirmative action in California, Washington, and Michigan. The passage of Proposal 2, eliminating affirmative action in Michigan, is particularly ironic, given the Supreme Court’s discussions in these cases, which confirmed the need for continued use of affirmative action. These conditionsthe compelling need for diversity at a time of public resistance to Constitutional methods to achieve this end-create a paradoxical situation for educators, employers, and professionals of all types. The diversity challenge is related to racial justice, but it also relates to tolerance of differences in faith traditions, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. Given the critical nature of these issues, my discussion of transformational practices focuses on action with care and justice, but the underlying issue of transformation probably has broader applicability.
