COMPASS II-2.0 Discrimination Key Findings

In the resident survey, 45% of respondents recognized that discrimination overall is a critical perceived problem in the community. Overall, 71% of respondents indicated no incidence of discrimination in their household.

Of these respondents, 47% cited discrimination based on race or color as being a critical problem. 61% of key informants view discrimination based on race or color is a critical problem. Nearly 8% of respondents indicated that someone in their household had been discriminated against in the past year based on race or color. Of those, about half were white.

Comments from stakeholder interviews and focus groups conducted for COMPASS II-2.0 show a pattern of experience with a bias based on race in the county in everyday life. However, there were only 5 cases of hate crimes in Tompkins County from 2004 to 2007.

Over the past few years, Tompkins County has been faced with several incidents regarding discrimination which have prompted efforts to address racism. In February, 2010, a forum was held offering community members an opportunity to hear about positive engagement as well as to express their experiences. A few of the efforts featured at the forum included: the Chamber of Commerce's Declaration of Shared Values to encourage and support organizations' efforts toward equity; the Multicultural Resource Center's Talking Circles around race and racism; Equity Workshops; Undoing Racism workshops.

Comments from attendees included appeals to include other groups facing discrimination; continued need for cross-cultural training; and reports on other efforts in the community to promote equity and the need for support to promote access to programming.

Age

About a quarter of residents felt that discrimination based on age was a critical problem in the community, and 13% said that someone in their household had been discriminated against based on age. Focus groups with unemployed workers indicated a limited experience with age discrimination in the area.

Gender

25% of respondents said that discrimination based on gender was a critical problem in the community, and almost 7% said it was a problem in their household. Income statistics show a continuing gap between males' and females' earnings in Tompkins County.

Although only 2% said it was a problem in their households, 33% of respondents and 35% of key informants view discrimination based on national origin was a critical problem.

16% of residents felt that religious discrimination was a problem in the community, and 4% said it was a problem for their household.

Disability

29% of residents said that discrimination based on disability was a problem in the community, and 8% said it was a problem for their households. 38% of key informants believed that disability discrimination was a critical problem. One fourth of residents who indicated they did not work due to a disability said that someone in their household had been discriminated against based on disability. Tompkins County has several resources to support people with disabilities including Finger Lakes Independence Center, Challenge Industries, and the Franziska Racker Centers.

25% of respondents and 24% of key informants said discrimination based on sexual orientation was a critical problem. 3% of respondents said it was a problem for them or someone in their household.

Other Discrimination

Respondents were also asked if they experienced any other types of discrimination. The majority of the responses were based on class/income.

Tompkins County has initiated several efforts to address issues around discrimination, including the community forums mentioned above as well as workshops around racism and equity. Several agencies support the work including the Multicultural Resource Center which works to create dialogue around diversity issues, particularly racism, in Tompkins County, and to facilitate community leadership. The Tompkins County Human Rights Commission offers consultation on questions, disputes and violations of anti-discrimination laws. The Tompkins County Workers' Center supports and advocates for individuals treated unfairly in the workplace. The Diversity Consortium promotes the benefits of diversity and inclusion through education, advocacy, support and sharing best practices. The Finger Lakes Independence Center (FLIC) works to empower and support persons with disabilities and to create an inclusive society through the elimination of social and architectural barriers. Challenge offers employment and placement opportunities to individuals who face barriers to employment. Franziska Racker Centers is dedicated to helping people with special needs and their families have good lives, with opportunities to learn, to be responsible, to feel cared for, to share and to be connected with others. In 2009, The Advocacy Center collaborated with Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services, BOCES Youth Development staff and Dewitt Middle School to develop a series of whole school education programs, including role playing to address sexual harassment issues.

Resources
Tompkins County Human Rights Commission
Tompkins County Workers' Center
Diversity Consortium of Tompkins County
Finger Lakes Independence Center
Multicultural Resource Center
Dept. of Housing and Urban Development