My Experience with Diversity
Diversity has become ubiquitous over the years. It is a value that encompasses differences between groups and individual peoples based on various factors like sex, gender, religion, race, age, sexual orientation, culture, and etcetera. Understanding differences take recognizing and acknowledging them. Elements of diversity are a contemporary “new” norm in today’s society; however, we lived and continue to live in a society where those aspects aren’t still fully understood. This paper and oral presentation will reflect my personal experiences on diversity and how negative perception can affect diversity.
My background started in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. From a family of my single mother and youngest of
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I did, however, did understand there were differences. My mother and father were very different individuals. They shared ideals, but clearly objective to some of each other ideals. For example, my father thought it was appropriate to wear uniforms in my elementary years of school. He believes this because it was a standard of his native country, Guyana. My mother, however, didn't see the issue if I didn't wear the uniform, but rather regular clothing. The small differences gravely affected me because I didn’t know on which side I fell on. Do I identify with my American culture first, or my Caribbean culture first? It was hard to me to understand despite living a diverse area with droves of Afro-Caribbean immigrants and Blacks. It was so weird because my father side of the family was extremely diverse where I had Chinese, Portuguese, Black, and even Black British …show more content…
We finally moved to Coney Island ten days shy of the September 11th attacks. Coney Island was different for me because it didn’t have that large diversity like Crown Heights; something I was accustomed to. It was no until I reached high school and I received my education at Abraham Lincoln High School in the neighborhood of Brighton Beach. It was my first time having a true diverse of friends. Our group consist of Puerto Rican, Black, Chinese, Mexican, and Italian. Those years in high school were some of the best years I had because we understood our differences as friends and our difference made out “clique” unique to other
Every individual in society and in a community is unique in their own ways, and their diversity shows up in many ways. Some of these ways include: religion, race, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, and so on. Everyone’s backgrounds are different, and this is what creates diversity in people. Even though everyone might not be the same, only by uniting everyone can we create the big picture. It’s like a puzzle—even though people are different, we can come together to create a big picture that couldn’t be created by puzzle pieces of the same shape. To me, diversity symbolizes the unique backgrounds that we come from. Every individual in their communities and in their society are influenced by their background—and this can come from various reasons. If someone comes from a different socioeconomic background, or lifestyle, their thought processes and their view of life might be much more different than mine. Their reaction to a certain situation can be much more different than mine, and it is important for me to see all these viewpoints in order to be a more informed member of my community. Everyone is diverse in their expression, style, and
Schwartz, Stuart, and Craig Conley. Human Diversity: A Guide for Understanding. 14th ed. New York: McGraw-Hills Primis Custom Publishing, 2000. 3-7. Print.
The real definition of diversity includes different elements of the identity and culture of each person. Diversity involves cultural differences, such as origins, religious or political affiliation, race, and gender, and other more profound differences, such as experiences and personality. As Banks argues in her research, the real definition involves several elements of our identity (149). Therefore, the way in which we define and conceptualize diversity affects the way in which we interact with people of others culture, race, and affiliations.
Self proclaimed philosopher, english writer, and novelist Aldous Huxley wrote the book Brave New World. One of the issues in the novel is how uniform the society is. There is no diversity in the in Brave New World. Huxley carefully examined on why society is the way it is. He wants the audience to understand the philosophy of a unique society different from a normal society.
Diversity has many definitions but only one true meaning. This concept Analysis is dedicated to exploring the broadened sense of diversity through active concepts with respect to term usage, and current literature research to support the understanding and relevance of the term itself.
Diversity shapes the world we live in. Diversity can be defined as people coming together from different nationalities, races, religions, cultures, sexes, and genders to form a group, organization or community. With diversity comes both positive and negative factors, especially to those who fail to understand its value. Today, most people view diversity as an overall good thing because it allows people the chance to experience something different, gain a new perspective on life, and it influences understanding, clarity, and knowledge outside of what we are normally accustomed to. On the other hand, in social institutions such as education, religion, family or economy one may face certain consequences for being different. With diversity comes
Diversity, as it relates to thoughts, ideas, ethnicity, race, and a host of other areas, is the quintessential ingredient needed to establish a free nation. Amendment I of the United States Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Through this simple statement made so many years ago, the founding fathers laid down not only the framework for the basic freedoms that Americans cherish, but also the foundation for establishing a diverse nation. You see, without diversity, there cannot be freedom, and without freedom, there cannot be America.
Every person their own unique attitude and beliefs that will affect their understanding of diversity, equity and democracy due to the fact that everyone is brought up differently. Diversity means range of different things, where if a person is exposed to more experiences in life, their understanding of diversity is in a much wider range. For instance, being born in a multicultural country such as Canada rather than the opposite will have a larger influence in the way of their understanding of diversity of different cultures and races. Whereas, equity means the quality of being fair and impartial. Every person is born in a different environment and lives through many different experiences. For example, a person born in a low income family, in
In infinite ways, diversity is a major asset to the United States nation. A diverse society contributes to the progress of the economic development of the country. It creates an open mindset by the exposure to foreign ideas and people with different backgrounds, enabling the society to develop an open mind approach to life and business. Various People comprehend the word diversity differently. Diversity is both good and bad in abundant perspectives. When people bring up diversity it needs specific mentioning. There are three types of diversity categories; diversity in skin color and ethnicity, diversity of fundamental values, and diversity of viewpoint. The two types of diversity that live in today’s America that are destructive and terrible
Indisputably, everyone learns from things that they are not accustomed to or that are different. Everything that we see or don’t has an aspect of human diversity due to the existence of differences between one another. Hence, diversity exists everywhere and, honestly, makes life more interesting! As a common theme in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” diversity proves to be an invaluable life lesson to major characters in the film and in the cultures they represent. However, all too often in the real world, some people take the meaning of diversity and use it as a lever to induce discomfort, polarization, and conflict between individuals or groups.
Modern American culture praises the concept and thought of diversity through cultural awareness, but fails to actually follow through with the act of diversifying within the society. This is due to the fact that people want to be around other people who think, act, look, and behave in ways that are very similar to their own. Americans are not only drawn towards people who look like them, but they are also drawn towards those who hold similar values and positions. This desire to be near others who share similar traits and values goes against the desire to be diverse. Today's society is constantly calling for more diversity, yet no one desires to act upon this call and put it into practice correctly.
Traditionally, diversity refers to an assortment of races, ethnicities, genders, ages, disabilities and perhaps sexual orientations. A definition of diversity, however, should not be constrained by traditional categories such as these. Such a definition should also include categories such as religion, educational level, life experience, geographic location, socio-economic background, marital status and work experience. Indeed, each person employed by a company possesses unique qualities that encompass many factors.
When we relate to diversity as a negative societal attribute, we divide. It is inevitable. While some assimilate, others divide. We, as a species, are composed of various identities. To ignore this, is to create division and ignore reality.
Diversity and inclusion should also apply to humans; by bringing people together who are different, it can create a whole that is enhanced by the uniqueness of each individual. What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? In this week’s readings, the subject of dimensions of cultural diversity were covered comprehensively in both books. Understanding and Managing Diversity presented a nicely laid out illustration. Primary Dimensions Secondary Dimensions Age Geographic Location Gender Military & Work Experience.
When most people think “Diversity” they think of the most communal characteristics: such as: Age, race, gender, sexual orientation, body type, ethnicity, and a person’s