Clarence Belnavis – Colors of Influence

Clarence Belnavis, a partner in the Portland, Oregon office, was profiled on Colors Of Influence, an online magazine for and about people of color in business and civic life. Clarence discussed how his cultural background helps give him perspective in his work. Clarence said, "What my background allows me to do is to step outside of a situation. You'd be surprised what sorts of cultural norms people assume, based on how an individual looks, how they talk, how they carry themselves." He also said that, often problems arise in the workplace because people fail to communicate with each other and more often than not, exchanges involving alleged discrimination have to do with misunderstandings. "Because of the very nature of the types of allegations raised in employment discrimination cases, they tend to be complicated. I work best when I have the opportunity to make sure that calmer heads prevail, and that everyone deals with the situation from a reasoned perspective."