One-armed host should spark diversity discussion not dissention

Cerrie Burnell has ignited a controversy in London because the one-armed actress was hired by the BBC as a children's television host.

Burnell was born with an incomplete right arm that ends in a stump at her elbow and parents are worried that the host's arm will scare their children.

Most children are naturally inquisitive and ask innocent questions that many adults are embarrassed by. And Burnell said children do ask questions.

"Children come up to me in the street every day and say 'What's that?' I wouldn't say they're frightened, but certainly they're inquisitive," Burnell said in an interview. ''I would always take the time to explain to a child. All they want is an explanation."

But while children want an explanation, adults wanted Burnell off the air. Parents complained to the network that their children would have nightmares after seeing Burnell. Rather than complaining to the network, parents should have used the situation to explain to their children about differences and diversity and how to appreciate and respect them.

Sir Bert Massie of Great Britian's Equality and Human Rights Commission said, "I think what's happening is a number of adults do have prejudices, do have very negative views about disabled people, and instead of admitting the views are their own, they're projecting them onto their children."

I hope the parents who complained take a second look at the situation and their insecurities with people with disabilities and teach their children to embrace the diversity in people, not fear it.

Gimme some dap!

If you Google "fist bump" and "Obama," you will see a ton of stories reported by legitimate news organizations about Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, giving each other a fist bump, where they lightly knocked knuckles.

This is the perfect example of a story that's not a story. And more importantly, it shows the need for more diversity in newsrooms across America.

You may not know this, but everyday in just about every newsroom, editors meet around a table to discuss what's going in the paper the next day. Most of these editors are white men. So, when the photos of the Obamas giving each other a fist bump, AKA dap or pound, circulated around the country, the editors thought it was a story.

It's cute, but it's not a story.

Black folks have been giving each other dap for years. It's what we do to greet each other, when we agree on something. I think a University of Maryland visiting dance professor read too much into it when she was quoted in stories saying, "He's looking right at her, she's looking right at him -- it's a partnership, it's 'We did it.' "

The Washington Post dubbed it "the first bump heard 'round the world." And The New York Times suggested that June 3 be National Fist Bump Day, since there's already a national High-Five Day. It's the third Thursday in April, just in case you want to go around giving people high fives.

My point is that if editors were more of a reflection of society - truly diverse - when those photos were presented as a story, someone would have been in a position to say, "That's old news. I do that with my boys on the basketball court every Saturday" or "I don't see the story here. My sorority sisters and I have been giving each other dap for years."

My hope is that Americans will elect Obama in November and his history-changing inauguration will drive HR departments in newsrooms (and every other industry) to follow suit and pay more attention to the lack of diversity in their buildings and make the necessary changes.