By Laura JacobsAccording to Websterís Dictionary, the word ìdiverseî means simply ìdiffering from one another.î But as I, along with many other Student Council and SADD members from across the district, learned Monday, Aug. 30, it means so much more.
Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. presented a workshop for school leaders in order to help Forest Lake schools be more open to diversity. What I learned the most is that diversity is not just the way we dress or the color of our skin. Itís also our values, our religion, our knowledge, our friendsÖeven what we watch on television.
Every aspect of our life makes us different.ÝMoore encouraged us as students and as people in the community to really discover what makes both the people around us and ourselves diverse through activities, surveys and lots of realization exercises.
He showed us that even though you might think someone is the same as you, you could really be hurting them because no two people are exactly alike. A question he asked was ìCan your words or actions be hurting someone and you donít even know it?î It seemed like the answer was always yes.
I never really realized how much my words could hurt someone else.
An activity we did was to write down groups on the board that often had generalizations made about them, and then list all of the things that were assumed about that group.
We did lots of different cultures and the board was filling up, but then we got to the column marked ìWhites.î
About 90 percent of the people in the room were white. As I saw the list underneath the column, I thought: ìDo people really think that about me because Iím white?î
If I was hurting because of what people think of me, how might the people feel that we say things about because of their culture? I didnít want anyone to have to feel the way I did about these comments.
A key word in the workshop was change. We were changing our ways of thinking, our words, our hurtful actions, and the analogy was to ìwipe our windshield (the board) clean.î
It isnít as easy as it sounds.
From a young age, everyone around you is teaching you how to think, how to act, what to say. Itís not something we can control.
Sometimes even the people we hold dearest can raise us with wrong stereotypes and even anger toward people who donít deserve it.
These are the spots on your windshield.
As we get older, we have the intelligence and ability to decide for ourselves what words and feelings are wrong or uncivil. As we learn what we really feel personally, we are able to slowly but surely clean off the spots on the windshield.
Once itís clean and we can really see the people beyond the spots, we can really open our eyes to diversity.
Sometimes youíll get a few spots, but once youíve shown yourself what is inside of people instead of out and what makes us different for the better, the spots wonít matter.
Even if you werenít present for the workshop, there are still a lot of things you can do to open yourself up to accept diversity.
First, think to yourself, what do the spots on your windshield represent? Make a list like we did of all the generalizations that youíve made about different groups. Sure, there may be one common thread, but it is never true for everyone in that group.
Second, make an assessment of your life. How diverse are you? Think about your family, your friends, your job, and your activities.
How many different cultures are represented? Where or what could you go or do to expand your circle and get to know people from other cultures?
Last, what can you do to create change? Another thing Moore expressed to us is that change is not easy. The process of getting deep inside yourself and really changing your ways will be difficult. Maybe there are some groups you need to learn more about. Find a way to be exposed. Be a leader in the fight against hate.
As Moore said, ìSilence is hateís best friend.î Donít keep quiet if you see people who are anti-diversityóespecially yourself. Talk to your family and friends about diversity.
Speak up. Make a difference. Change.
To contact Dr. Moore or find out more about his program, you can do so by using the following:
Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., CEO and Founder, America & MOORE, Research and Consulting, www.eddiemoorejr.com, Director of Intercultural Life, Central College, Pella, Iowa or email MooreE@central.edu.
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