Cultural Diversity Reflection Paper

Cultural diversity can be defined as the cultural differences that exist between people such as, language, traditions, and the religious beliefs along with the way society carries itself. It is inevitable in the United States to notice the wide variety of cultures that with the years have come to share this land with Americans.

A way this movie can relate to this class would be the diversity issues of race, and gender. In my Cultural Diversity class we learn a lot about diversity in race and gender and what causes it to take place which can lead to your values of families back then. Values were completely different years back. If you’re taught what is right is to have slaves and it’s all you ever see then people will follow along. Because, if you don’t follow along with the values of ones close to you sometimes it could of lead to death, judgement from family and friends, or even becoming a slave yourself as punishment. Values are described as the deep subjective ideals and standards by which members of a culture judge their personal actions and those of others(Page

Cultural Diversity can define as the state of being different relating to the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a society. When discussing cultural biases, we are all made up of our cultural influences and inherit some of the racial, and gender, biases of our society. “Everyone (regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation) possesses biased beliefs, attitudes, and stereotypes toward others” (Sue & Sue 2013).

What is diversity? A simple definition of diversity means differences. Diversity does not only mean differences between the Black population and the White population. Diversity speaks to differences among culture, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation of all people to name a few. To function in our changing world, I think it is important to have an understanding and appreciation of diversity. Some people talk about having tolerance, but I think it is more important for people to have an appreciation. Tolerance means to put up with something that is bothersome. It would be great if everybody could be aware of our differences and learn to appreciate others for who they are.

Cultural diversity is the understanding that within a given society, there are many cultures and backgrounds being represented in that society. Diversity can be represented by the different languages being spoken natively or by racial and ethnic orientation. The diversity of cultures is what allows for an exchange of ideas, goods and values from one culture to another. Such diversities within cultures can only exist if they are maintained and are seen as equally as important as any other. Cultural diversity is also ever changing the landscape of the United States as we are welcoming more immigrants.

Although employers generally feel justified in denying immigrants employment based on the needs of their businesses, immigrants have regularly filed discriminating lawsuits against these companies since the 1980’s under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects immigrants from being discriminated against based on their national origin (Texas Law Review, 20xx, p. 1496). Title VII has been used to litigate against employers who institute English-only rules as non-native English immigrants equate this to national origin discrimination (Texas Law review, 20XX, p. 1496). It seems that under the civil rights act of 1964, these individuals would have a legitimate claim of discrimination but despite the strong links, courts rarely rule in favor of the plaintiffs in these cases. The courts find that there is not significant harm caused to the plaintiff or sufficient business reasons were laid forth by the employer as reasons to justify its decision (Texas Law Review, 20xx, p. 1496)

In order to promote social justice and cultural diversity, Americans should strive to find change through the following: education, community involvement through open and relevant dialogue and social and civil activism which is necessary to promote change within American society. It was Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, who once said in reference to social justice “Honest communication is built on truth and integrity and upon respect of the one for the other.” In order to promote social justice and diversity, it is critical that a clear definition of the terms are gained in order to apply them to the education process.

I do believe that Ada represent a multi-cultural diverse community in a small scale. It is a community where the dominant community is Caucasian, then is followed by Native American community, Afro-American community, Hispanic, and Asian community. Moreover, this cross-cultural diverse community is appreciable on East central campus. In addition, Ada’s community is represented mostly from college students.

Cultural diversity can be defined as the existence of a variety of cultural or ethnic groups within a society. On the surface, many may think cultural diversity in the workplace is pretty self explanatory. However, if you go a little deeper you will find that diversity in the workplace not only consists of culture, but also race, religion, communication, background, and demographics all which play an important role in what configures the differences within a workplace. Understanding the root of why people act a certain way, have a specific dress code, or how they approach conflict may possibly be the difference between an innovative, productive work environment and an inefficient, non productive work environment. It’s important that those in the workplace try their best to get along and not pass judgment on those who seem different from first glance. Ensuring cultural understanding makes sure that entire chain of command operates smoothly to allow the business to perform at maximum potential.

The American face is changing. Academic and public historians must also change to be more inclusive in how they interpret and tell story of United States. This includes expanding historic preservation to include site and landscapes that better reflect a variety of heritages. The preservation of sites associated with recent immigration, especially the contributions of the American Latino community, is important to the 21st century to for historic preservation to remain relevant in an increasingly diverse society. It is important to include Latino Americans in the national preservation dialog, as they are America’s largest minority group. We can no longer be content to preserve the history of a single dominant culture and a single point of view.

Culture and diversity are a huge part of our everyday lives. "Diversity refers to all of the ways in which people are different"(1) and culture refers to language, beliefs, and rules. There are many aspects of diversity that make up our personal identity. Four specific ones that come to mind for me personally are, that I was born and raised in the same place known as Kennewick WA, my whole family, immediate and extended live in the same region, I am a Christian and grew up in the church, and I was homeschooled when I was younger then put into public school. Those are all things that are unique to me and have influenced my personal diversity.

According to Betancourt, Green, Carrillo & Ananeh-Firempong (2003) cultural competence refers to understanding the importance of social and cultural influences that a minority group may have as an inherent trait. The authors also affirmed that a cultural competent system acknowledges, integrates and incorporates the relevance of culture, evaluation of cross-cultural relations, , and adaptation of services to meet culturally unique needs(pg.294).

The generic definition for diversity is the condition of having people of different races and cultures in an organization, such as a school. Culture is similarly generically defined as the beliefs, customs, and attitudes of a group of people or an organization. A deeper perspective encompasses sociocultural theory, where the social and cultural context of a person’s thought and actions are considered. According to sociocultural theory, we do not live in a vacuum. Interaction with social forces, or those omnipresent social influences that surround us, goes a long way toward explaining our attitudes, character, knowledge, feelings, and other individual attributes (“Diversity Consciousness”, 2010, 2004, and 2000).

Being a first-generation immigrant, I have experienced both the challenges and privileges of being raised in two very different cultures. I initially struggled to assimilate into the American society, but my parents explained to me that cultural adjustment was a matter of give and take. With their advice, I learned to be more accepting of people who were different from me, and I have grown to appreciate diversity. I will share my South Asian culture with the Saint Louis University by organizing events that promote cultural diversity on our campus. I am also fond of learning languages. Besides English, I can speak Gujarati, Spanish, and Hindi. My language skills are invaluable, as they would allow me to interact with different cultural groups on campus in a more personal manner. These distinctive personal traits will

Since I started this class, I have a learned a great deal about cultural diversity in the classroom and abroad. My perspective has changed slightly but my knowledge of this subject has improved. In my family, my father taught me about the civil rights movement and the evils of segregation in the U.S. My parents taught me to be tolerant of all humans, no matter what they look like, how they dress, or their sexual orientation. My family has always been liberal thinkers who taught me the dark history of racism and bigotry in this country. As an educator I would be accepting to all race, creeds, and religious peoples.