Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 

In order to gain a different perspective on diversity and culture I asked a friend, Monica Wilkins, and two early childhood colleagues what their definition or understanding of what culture and diversity means to them.   Monica Wilkins is a store manager and comes from a diverse family where her grandfather was white and her grandmother was black.  My first colleague, Denean Cameron, is an early childhood business owner who worked at the local Jewish Community Center prior to opening her program.  Ms. Cameron is a breast cancer survivor as well as a student at Walden University.  The other colleague, Ms. Drukeenu Nolan, is a new to the early childhood field but was in foster care during her formative years.  When I initially asked each person to tell me what their definition or understanding of culture and diversity they had to think about it and asked me to allow them time to think on it.  After about an hour I received the following interpretations on culture and diversity. 

Monica stated she could not think of a definition or way to interpret what culture is to her but she did say diversity  is the, “execution of different genres.” (Greene, 2013)  Denean states culture to be, “what I believe in and where I come from and diversity as “respect & understanding of someone’s difference such as religion, race, sexuality, and gender.” (Greene, 2013)  Drukeenu stated culture to her is, “a way of living and beliefs and diversity as different cultures blending together.”  (Greene, 2013)   I can say that no answer that any of them gave is far from what I understand culture to be.  The best definition I have seen and heard for culture would be Nadiyah Taylor for the webcast cast from week 2.  Nadiyah said culture is, “almost like a pair of glasses.  You know, the gestures that we make, how we make eye contact or don't make eye contact, the way we hold our bodies, how we perceive the world, all of those things for me are cultural, and so I think it's really just our way of being in the world and very personal.” (Laureate, 2011)   

I think that my friend and colleagues all have an idea of what culture and diversity is. I think they did have difficulty explaining or expressing what culture and diversity is because I believe they do not think or give any thought to either.  What I told each of them is to take a moment and think about the people you socialize with.  And asked them, is there some things you do with some friends that you would not do with another?  Why is that?  I had them understand that is the diversity and culture that is the underlining reason for that.  We respect them for their beliefs and practices despite the differences we all share.

Culture and diversity are the dynamics of a person.  It is the embodiment of what a makes a person an individual.  A person’s individual culture can be diverse because of the generations and experiences that have come before, things of the present, and those yet to come. 

 

References

Greene, Q. (2013).  A Conversation with Monica Wilkins, DruKeenu Nolan, & Denean Cameron. 

            Baltimore, MD

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer).  (2010). Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions

           [Webcast].  Baltimore, MD: Author.