Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

                         

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

 Anita L. Coles

      The three individuals in which I ask to provide me with their definitions of “culture and “diversity” had very interesting views and or definitions. The three individuals were a husband and wife of different racial backgrounds, and women who is 90 years young, although married, the husband and wife each provided their own viewpoints and or definitions; the wife is in her late 30’s and the husband early’ 40’s.

What I found to be very interesting was that all three individual’s definition and viewpoints were closely related; however, the way each one expressed their viewpoints concerning culture and diversity was amazingly different. The wife provides her definition and viewpoints almost poetically.  I had the husband and wife email me (I requested this because I wanted to keep their viewpoints separate even if they both had the same or similar ideas.) I would like to share both of their viewpoints:

Wife:  Culture to me is about traditions, valves, food...I guess basically just how

 we are  raised. I think smaller Part of race…religion has a larger part in  

             how we were raised though I do think the history of race does affect

 the culture though[sic]. Diversity to me makes me think of how we lived on

             from around the world. We were all different races, religions and nationalities, that

             is what made it so amazing. Different languages, food, transitions, ways

 kids are raised. And for the most part all in a respectful way[sic]. Mostly wanting to

             learn about each others[sic]cultures[sic] (2013)

            

        Husband: “Culture=the way a person is brought up, the

Way they dress the foods they eat and so on.  

Diversity=the differences between cultures...the way a

Group looks the way they act and so on” (2013)

 

I interviewed my aunt by way of telephone; my aunt expressed her viewpoints on how it was when she was a young child. Her culture consisted of a “pretty normal day like anybody else’s except for Sundays. Sundays everyone had to attend church, first staring with Sunday school, morning worship, go home eat dinner take a nap and go to evening services.  That was a standard [family culture/ritual] every Sunday.

We would always go to the eldest home after church to eat dinner. No one could play any games, watch television, read a comic book... if [it] did not have to do with God and or church you did not do it on a Sunday period. The way we dressed was no pant ever; long dresses and or skirts and always a hat to cover the head, a head that was not covered was[being] disrespect to God and  mankind.” (2013).  

I think if I were to be in agreement between all there definitions and or viewpoints I would say that there is a place in all there viewpoints and definitions that I would or could feel comfortable with. However, I do think that Derman-Sparks and  Olsen-Edwards(2010) summed it all up for me “ a person’s cultural group is related strongly to his or her ethnicity, which reflects the place of origin and cultural background of the person’s ancestors ---whether parents, grandparents, or relatives who lived hundreds of years ago”(Derman-Sparks, & Olsen -Edwards, 2010, p. 56).

 

 

Reference

                Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen-Edwards, J. (2010).  Anti-bias education  for young children and ourselves. National Association for the Education of young children. Washington D. C.