Posted by on Apr 18, 2013 in Uncategorized | 1 comment

Throughout this semester I have been focusing on the issue of diversity and the various views associated with it. I’ve analyzed diversity form the perspective of a college campus, on a national scale and even on the international scale. I’ve posed questions about the meaning of diversity and its importance in today’s society. The consensus seems to be that without diversity we as a society cannot move forward and without the acknowledgement of this fact we actually move backwards. Today I’m going to get a little more personal and talk about what diversity means to me and how my life experiences have shaped my opinion.

Throughout my life I have been exposed to situations where problems concerning diversity have arisen. From grade Kindergarten to 3rd grade I attended a Catholic school in a rather urban area. Most of my classmates were black which gave me the opportunity to interact with kids my own race. However, after 3rd grade my family and I moved to another town and the school I attended was predominantly white. In fact, I was one of maybe 2 or 3 other black kids. I still remember my first day and the stares I got from children who had never seen a black person before. I got asked questions like, “Are you in a gang?” and “If you’re black, does your skin taste like chocolate”. These curiosities eventually led to deeper problems of racist teachers and exclusions by other girls because of my skin color; something I was aware of even at such a young age.

Even though there were times I felt out of place at a school where I saw little to no color I can say I’m glad that I went through that experience. Looking back, I was able to learn how to interact with people of all cultures and I learned by the examples of others how not to act. Hard situations are supposed to build character. I hope that through my CI blogs I have provided an insight into diversity and the issues associated with it.

One Comment

  1. I’m really glad you shared your personal experiences with racism at a young age. Have these experiences followed you to Penn State or State College? One of my African-American colleagues left after getting her MA degree in part because nearly every time she went to the grocery store someone asked to touch her hair.

    Do you have any larger reflections on these personal experiences? Aside from building character, do they change they way you think about yourself and others? Do they say anything about children’s perceptions of the world?

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