First of all, we should all accept the fact that diversity exists in the world. Second, the struggle for equality is a universal challenge in this century. And third, we should understand what divides and unites us in order to live in harmony with each other. Appreciation of diversity is important because it teaches us to accept differences in others and look beyond the language, culture, race and color. By understanding diversity – learning about different cultures; their dressings and eating habits; and their value systems will help us to see the world from different points of view, and therefore, we become more educated individuals. Also, if anyone ever travels to any other part of the world, adjustment will be really easy because they are used to being with a diverse group of people, etc. The most important thing is that if we do not accept diversity, we are not accepting differences in other people. If we do not accept differences, there will be no equality. If there is no equality, there is NO HARMONY. For instance, the people of Staten Island wanted to see a better Staten Island – they all wanted peace and understanding. Their goal mission was: education through interaction” But in order for this interaction between people to work, they had to break the barriers, which in this case were the differences, the cultural barriers.
Therefore, they were trying to “create more and varied opportunities for people to explore and reflect on their differences.”
After the Towers fell in 2001, the Staten Island people were going through feelings of sadness, fear, anger, and anger. So, the staff of NYCID knew that these feeling needed to be addressed. So, they brought together a lot of Islanders with different backgrounds for an intercultural and interactive pot-luck dinner. Except for the Islanders, there were also other people such as civic, religious and political leaders who came to share their feeling about the present issue. In the beginning of the evening there was tension, because there were different people; people who did not know each other; people from different backgrounds. But, through facilitated dialogue, when the evening was over, everyone was amazed at the progress that was made. So, the NYCID agreed to keep doing this interactive meeting once a month, where people would learn more about each other. As they went along to work on the festival Celebrating Diversity, they realized that people were getting hungry. So, they decided to create an area in the event that would allow cultures to bring their ethnic foods and sell them to community. By this people would grow culturally by sharing ethnic foods. They also made it possible to include media in this event, so they could spread diversity awareness.
Diversity appreciation is important for Westminster College, too, just as it is for any community. But, I would say that it is very important for Westminster College because we have a lot of International students. This school is known for consisting diversity. It forces students to challenge their assumptions and to learn. So, instead of just using it as an advertisement tool, its members should actually appreciate it. Furthermore, one of the main goals of Westminster College is to create good leaders. And to do that those students should appreciate diversity because their feelings about/reactions towards people in those groups can powerfully affect the type of leader they become. To prepare students for a life in a diverse society, and to help protect them from bias and discrimination, teachers should encourage students’ positive feelings about themselves while fostering understanding and acceptance of differing beliefs, values and traditions. We should include diversity in class discussions more often. And when discussing diversity, teachers should stress human similarities first, and then help students appreciate people’s differences. No one needs to have “all the answers ready” before discussing anti-bias topics, even teachers. Our own positive self-identity, our interest in, curiosity about and respect for others, and even our ignorance or misunderstandings, are all part of the journey toward honoring diversity. Since a person can best try to understand a different culture by experiencing what it is like to attend a cultural event of a different ethnicity other than their own, then domestic students should attend the International Clubs more frequently. Also, we could probably organize a “food event” which would happen once a month, where for each month a certain nationality group of students would cook their ethnic food, and others could attend and try it. As the American population changes, college graduates will need even more the skills and desire to deal with individuals with a wide array of backgrounds and perspectives. That is why diversity is important at Westminster College.
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