What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? by: Frederick Douglass 1852

     After reading one of the greatest speeches ever given by Frederick Douglass on July 5th, 1852, it gave me pause to think in contemporary terms. Mr. Douglass eloquently conveyed to the President and white citizens of the day, that their fore fathers who drafted the Declaration of Independence, succeeded in attaining their freedoms from Britain and were able to "reap the fruits of their success." For the Black man, these great principles of freedom soon led to the downfall of their slavery! Even today, the Black man continues to be called upon to prove his manhood in order to further define the phase "all men are created equal"  and to access their God given rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness! 
                                                                   
      Comparatively speaking, in 1852 as well as in 2011, anyone who holds value to a belief of the principles of the Bible as well as, the Declaration of Independence, are without a doubt self-righteous if they do not acknowledge the existence of  racial oppression, individual, structural and political racism!  We continue to place blame on the victims as well as, support the distorted opinions regarding the realism of racism by turning a blind eye. What a wonderful way to avoid personal responsibility. We need to raise and hold ourselves to a higher level of personal values and standards in order to contribute to the lives of others. To accomplish this, we must begin by  assessing where we are operating from in respect to our cultural identification.
  
     When will we as a nation, retreat from the process of denial and take ownership for the need to establish policies relevant in viewing man, woman and child based upon their distinct uniqueness and cultural personhood ? This simplistic question generates convoluted opinions which are accepted by mainstream America as absolute truths and in turn, ultimately perpetuates the ongoing cycle of justifiable oppression.

      During the festivities this 4th of July, take a moment to reflect inwardly and begin to examine how you may look at others, as you would wish to be looked upon.  History tells us that in 1776, the first firing of fireworks was to celebrate the separation of the colonies from England and to some, it was a celebration of the "death" of the king's power over them. As you watch the full color spectrum of the fireworks displayed, ponder how interesting life would become if we celebrated the "death" of racism and the power this holds over our country. How wonderful it would be, to possess the ability in realizing all of mankind through the color reflective lens of a multicultural kaleidoscope! 
God Bless America!


http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=162

‘Model Minority’ - Are Stereotypes Harmful? by: Mia Michaels

Stereotyping is basically an overgeneralization about people without the benefit of our factoring in our individual uniqueness. The Asian communities are known for many attributes, one being their dedication, and valuing educational pursuits. Does affixing a label that Asians succeed far better in school a label that has the propensity to be destructive? Does this label communicate the positive qualities of this culture? Can an entire culture possess a similar trait? These are all questions that we must not take for granted. These are issues that all of us must question.


Every cultural population is comprised of varying ethnic groups. Alma R. Clayton-Pederson, vice president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, stated, “The notion of lumping all people into a single category and assuming they have no needs is wrong”.  The New York Times reported that the SAT scores of Asian-Americans are like those of other Americans, they tend to correlate with the income and educational level of their parents.

Stereotyping most definitely can lead to individuals becoming prejudice against another cultural community. I am sure you are asking yourselves how attaching a positive trait to a group can be harmful? In this and other instances, the needs of a particular individual will not be addressed due to the over generalition of the cultural group in which they have membership to. 

I am an Italian American. Although a simplistic example, traditionally, I enjoy Italian ethnic foods however, I am one who finds more pleasure from a meal of seafood dishes. We all need to interact with the individual rather than develop assumptions based upon their cultural community membership. Just like the family we were born into, our cultural community is comprised of very distinctive members who bring uniquely diverse and incomparable qualities to the table, not just spaghetti and meatballs! 

Where Does Cultural Diversity Begin?

Welcome! This blog is an opportunity to expand yours and my world view, together as a team. An opportunity to discover ourselves and the culture that sent messages to us while growing up. A chance to begin looking at others through their cultural lens not through ours!

There are vast and ever changing cultural elements which makes up a society and gaining a working knowledge of these elements is an ongoing process which will ultimately provide a multi-dimensional view of society. Based upon early childhood experiences, I received numerous messages. When I became an employee of a social services agency, and began working with people from a variety of different cultures and from different geographical areas, a shift began to occur. When specific  experiences arose which evoked feelings of anger disappointment, sadness or confusion, I began to  look inward and assess what exactly was the cause for these emotions to surface. But I needed more...I needed information, a historically based history of the cultures from my community. As I grew, I  became more intuned with my own personal biases and internal questions. This produced an increasing eagerness to explore further. 

As a critical thinker, I am always searching for information that will assist in answering those questions that continue to be formulated with my forever  increasing multicultural awareness. By gathering the data, and categorizing it, you will no doubt begin to see themes emerge as one would find if they were involved in conducting a formal research study.   I also began to engage co-workers of color where a mutual relationship already existed. In a culturally respectful manner, I began to ask questions and was gifted answers that  provided a more in-depth view of their particular experiences and history. 

 But what about the larger picture? What about society and the agencies we work for? Organizations need to shift from operating in cultural silos and move towards an environment of cultural inclusiveness. If management wants to recruit and retain the best and the brightest employees, they must recognize that they need to be more than culturally accepting but rather culturally inviting.  Opportunities for development, growth and promotion for their staff members must also be inclusive in order for the organization to become and remain successful.  By creating an environment which reflects minority contributions in the overall organizational mission, vision and values, management is making a multicultural investment if you will. 

The answer sounds simple but this is only the tip of many icebergs, many more conversations, opinions, ideas, research and most importantly, we must begin to talk to each other and to learn the art if listening!