Contact: Paul Jadin, 920-437-8704
Tim Weyenberg, Chamber Board Chairman, Foth & Van Dyke, 920.497.2500
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Green Bay, Wis. (January 13, 2006)
The following compelling letter was sent to Tim Weyenberg, board chair for the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce by Tim Nixon, Diversity Council Co-Chair, Godfrey & Kahn. Please print the letter in its entirety. Both Paul Jadin and Tim Weyenberg are available for comment. (Tim Nixon is out of the country until January 16.) Call Paul Jadin at 920-437-8704 or Tim weyenberg at 920-497-2500.
January 12, 2006
Writer's Direct #:
(920) 436-7693
tnixon@gklaw.com
Tim Weyenberg, Chairman of the Board
Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
c/o Foth and Van Dyke
P.O. Box 19012
Green Bay, WI 54307-9012
Dear Tim:
A little over 40 years ago, the world was different. It was only several years earlier when Life magazine could write about Joe Dimaggio, without criticism, that, "He didn't smell of garlic or talk with an accent --- a true American!" In that climate, the Green Bay Packers took the astounding step of hiring an Italian American as a head football coach. Many thought he would fail. Whether Vince Lombardi failed need not be addressed.
Lombardi, victim of irrational and hateful discrimination himself, would not permit it on his football team. That was how a championship dynasty was created. Bold actions like picking up an un-drafted black quarterback from the University of Southern California and moving him to free safety created an all pro. In 1961, Lombardi had the Packers stay at Fort Benning, Georgia, instead of hotels that refused to permit black players to room with white players. This was leadership needed in Green Bay in the early 1960's to rejuvenate a franchise that had fallen on hard times. It created a standard for excellence still recognized and immortalized in football's ultimate award-the Lombardi Trophy.
Green Bay and Brown County again stand at a point of destiny. The world we grew up in no longer exists. Foreign competition erodes our traditional economic base and challenges us to change and compete with the rest of the world. Like 40 years ago, we need to reach out and embrace ethnic and "minority" groups that traditionally have been less than fully welcomed. 40 years ago it created greatness.
To survive and thrive we need to include everyone here. That means families like mine, which have been in Brown County for three and one half centuries, as well as those that arrived three and one half days ago-and everyone that arrived in between.
While most of us are trying to get our boat into the world economic race, others seem content through ignorance, or otherwise, to punch holes in the bottom-or stand quietly by while others do damage. We, however, can and must speak out strongly and forcefully for including everyone in our efforts to carry Brown County into this challenging, exciting and yes-sometimes scary-new global economy.
Lombardi when asked about race, expressed a different view. He said that the only colors he recognized were "green and gold." We, as business leaders, must recognize "green" in particular. This is one of those wonderful occasions when morality, justice, doing the right thing and, making an honest wage and profit, all happily lead to the same actions.
Accordingly, the Chamber Business Diversity Committee writes to ask the Chamber to formally take a strong and aggressive stance in favor of including residents of all colors, all backgrounds, in our economy. Let our collective and individual voices be heard to say that everyone who is willing to work to build our community is welcome here. As the organized representative of the business community, let us carry the message throughout the area that we are all on the same team and that we will succeed, or fail, together. It isn't just the right thing to do. To survive, it is imperative.
As others have more artfully stated, we need to be inspired and to become a place that is "welcoming, inclusive and constantly striving to be our best." We need to recognize that our recently arrived neighbors bring needed talents to our economy. We will be measured as a community and region by our vibrancy and diversity. As business people, we know that our recently diverse populations are our present and future markets. All great wealthy trading nations successfully integrated diverse people and places in productive and profitable relationships. So must we. Statistics bear out this indisputable point. Wisconsin will shortly be facing a labor shortage that could further damage our competitive ability.
Moreover, civilized society requires us to move past simple tolerance to embrace and "leverage" differences. We need to define diversity beyond the bare legal definition. As you know, this is part of a greater regional business effort led by New North and others. Milwaukee is already ahead of us with IDEAL. We cannot wait to implement.
Just like Green Bay welcomed the Italian American coach and the black players he brought here, it must now honor, follow, and renew that legacy by welcoming our new arriving residents. 40 years ago this boldness resulted in unprecedented success and a standard of excellence. If we have that same courage, foresight, vision and wisdom, the result will be the same-or greater.
GREEN BAY AREA CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
By: ___________________________________
Timothy F. Nixon, Chair
cc: Paul Jadin
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