Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Studying diversity and culture has opened my eyes to the vast number of diverse people here in the US.  As our country is continuing to become more and more diverse, it is imperative that we accept and embrace those from all walks of life. Asking friends and family their definition of culture and diversity gave me some insight as to how we view others.




Friends/Family Definitions of Culture 

• Daughter: Social set of rules set by generations before us. Examples of culture include ethnicity, how people act, and eating habits.
• Friend: Culture to me is the fabric of how a race celebrates who they are, i.e. Spanish people celebrate their Latin culture with Cinco de Mayo, African Americans with Kwanzaa, and Jewish people with Rosh Hashanah.
• Friend: Culture what defines me as a member of a particular group.  I am Jamaican and I therefore do the things Jamaicans would do, not because it’s the thing to do but who I am, my parents, their parents, etc. I am proud of my heritage and hope to continue our family legacy.

Friends/Family Definitions of Diversity

• Daughter: Group with different types of people like racial, shy, outgoing, personality
• Friend: Diversity is how you would describe the various types of people within the US by race, creed, color and sex. 
• Friend: Diversity to me means difference. Race, sex, gender, even economic status in the US is so different/diverse. I like that because it gives us a taste of how the rest of the world is without actually having to travel to all the different places.

Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?
Aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the responses I received from friends and family includes ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status.  

Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?
Those aspects that have been omitted include the diverse population of people who are disabled and/or have special needs. 

In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics? 
When I reflect on other people’s definition of culture and diversity, it lets me know that they are topics that many people, it seems, don’t consider very often and maybe, and possibly even something that is taken for granted, which may be the reason why there is so much inequality in this country.