Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

For this weeks blog assignment I asked 3 people about their perspectives of diversity and culture.

Holly: A 52 year old African American woman “Culture is a heritage of customs, traditions, mindsets sort of like a thread that binds a group of people together. Diversity is the blending of different customs, traditions, mindsets without altering their culture with the understanding that it is the difference that brings value to the blend. (Does that make sense?)”...

 Mahita: A 38 year old bi-racial, African American/Caucasian woman: I look at it like diversity being different types of cultures... and culture being part of our background that makes us who we are...

Al: A 31 year African American male: Diversity is being different or being the minority...culture is a standard of the majority...the majority determines if you are diverse or not.

What I have learned about culture so far in this course:

Diversity is various groups of people coming from different backgrounds, of different races, religions, and and identifications.


Diversity includes experiences and circumstances that create diversity amongst human beings such as economic and social statuses.


Diversity creates pathways to social identification classifications identities help us recognize similarities and difference within a group.


Culture as a wide range of characteristics including, but not limited to race, economics, gestures, and body language.


Surface Culture consist of the obvious outward classifications such as race or ethnicity


Deep Culture moves beyond surface cultural references and permeates attitudes and feelings derived from interpersonal relationships of influence.


Having dominance in culture sets the standard according to how others should present themselves

Cultural discontinuity has to do with losses or inabilities to continue cultural practices, ideas, or values for reasoning specific to interruptions with cultural connection.

Cultural invisibility occurs when aspects of culturally related significances are not acknowledged, not accepted, or ignored.

I believe Holly placed considerable thought in to her answer and nicely summed up some meaningful aspects of culture and diversity together. For example she clearly articulates her thoughts of culture and diversity as sharing similar components, but differ in the view one is founded in bonds and the other highlighting dissimilarities.

Al pointed out that in culture there is a majority and minority group. His statement “The majority determines if you are diverse or not” relates to the notion of dominating cultural power. Some aspects that were not highlighted by the three interviewees were the effects of cultural dominance and social classification.

I have realized that everyone has their own ideas and thoughts about culture and diversity. Even though each individualized thought and opinion is stated differently there is commonality in the meaning behind each point of view.

My Family Culture

I put a lot of thought in to this weeks blog assignment trying to figure out what items are significant to my family culture, and are valuable in my life.  The first item that I believe is a strong influential connection to my family culture is a scrap book containing recipes that my grandmother put together for her daughters.  This book contains some favorite meals from my childhood.  I would want to carry on the traditions derived from foods that my family has enjoyed for many years.  This is relevant to me because that traditions such as having large family gatherings for meals have not continued in recent years within my family.  I would like to learn some of these recipes and bring back the togetherness that once existed within our union.

The second item that I would want to take with me if is the picture book that contains photos from my childhood, in particular events that have been celebrated in my life - through college graduation.   I believe that these pictures are a way of reflecting on memories and specail traditions that my family has held.  My intention would be to carry out theses traditions once settled in a new country.   Such cultural representations include vacations, holidays, sports events, and first days of school.

The third item that I would take is the diary that I kept during my high school and early college years.  Although I haven't continued to write during most of my adult years, I occasionally look back to my entries to reflect on events and feelings that have occurred in my life and helped mold who I am today.  When reading these old passages the feelings surrounding those memories come pouring back to me.  Depending on the entry, I may even remember certain songs or cues that recollect feelings, taking me back to the moment.

If I had to choose between these three representations of my self and family I would be devastated.  Anyone who knows me well understands that I hold on to things that I consider to have sentimental value, which turns out to be many items in my life.  I'm not sure that any of these holds more value than the others.  I believe that I would feel that my rights are being ripped away with unjust decisions forcing me to choose between my possessions that have been part of my life and hold considerable meaning. I would imagine that would lead to feelings of mistrust in a new surrounding where I am not a part of  the dominant culture.  Those feelings of mistrust may also lead to feelings that this new culture of people is not open or accepting of my culture. 

This exercise has led me to think about people who are forced to leave their homes, communities, and counties to start a new life other that what the are used to living.  They have to learn to adapt to cultural changes and follow new cultural expectations that are not similar to their own while trying to preserve their own.  Whatever the reason for relocation and reformation of life, the result or feeling of emotions around these changes are common amongst all groups.