What Is Diversity?

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.

Diversity to me means a large spectrum of differences. In a population, it means an abundance of differing cultures, races, ethnicities, and

The dictionary definitions for the term “Diversity” are fairly similar in nature. The American Heritage Dictionary describes the following “The fact or quality of being diverse; difference” and also “A point or respect in which things differ…variety or multiformity”. Merriam-Webster describes the definition as “…Being composed of differing elements” and goes on to

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines diversity as "the condition of having or [of] being composed of differing elements [ 因 especially the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization [...]" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2012). Diversity is, often, omnipresent in the United States, especially in metropolitan areas. Yet there are pockets in this country, and especially in the world, where diversity is a concept that is unaccepted, even shunned, by society. Despite such negative attitudes toward diversity, most know that this element is truly positive, and adds a very special dimension to any society, in any field. This paper will focus towards answering five questions relating to diversity both from an academic and personal standpoint, and will discuss this topic in detail below.

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences.  These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.  It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment.

Dr. Seuss once said, “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one else who is youer than you.” I think this statement makes a great testament to the greatness of being a diversified people. People are classified negatively by their race, gender, economic status, and many more categories, but what someone views as a weakness just might be another’s strength. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines diversity as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements, especially the inclusion of different types of people in a group or organization.” I agree with this definition, but I don’t know that it fully covers the multiple aspects that go into the topic of diversity. My experiences this semester in class, in my observation hours, and in my diversity hours have allowed me to see a wider definition of diversity than I ever knew.

First, when speaking of diversity many people tend to refer the word to race, so the definition of race and it’s explanation should be known, (McNamara, Burns) explains that race has voluminous meanings, confusing many people in the real use of the expression. The biological definition would explain that it’s genetically alignment with distinctive gene frequencies with hereditary characteristics. The simple answer, we can see the differences between people of different races (McNamara & Burns, 2009). Seems like such a simple definition for such a complex problem within our society within the world today.

To me, diversity means, people with different races, cultures, religions, language, and beliefs making one community, or whole country itself. One of the great example of diversity would be the United States of America because in the United States of America there are many people with different languages, races, religions, and people come to the United States from different culture. Therefore, America is the one of the most diverse nation. Additionally, to me diversity also means the respecting people with differences. For example, when people come from different culture, they have some different beliefs. I am from different culture and we do have some different beliefs. For example, in our culture eye contact is not as important as it is in

Diversity can be defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, and valuing differences among people with respect to age, class, race, ethnicity, gender, and

To me diversity is the interaction between a group of people who come from all regions of the world and accept each other for being different. Interacting with someone who comes from a different background and has distinct ideas than your own, creates an exciting environment when joining forces to meet a common goal.

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, religious

My definition of diversity is acceptances of people with different culture, ethnicity, gender, economic status and background. Diversity means that my ideas will be represented to achieve a common goal. At 9 years old, I left my malaria- infested country to come to the United States. My first day of school was overwhelming I have never seen so many different shades of skin color. All I have been accustomed to was shades of brown in my country. I was now the odd ball in a room of strangers. I immediately played the role of mute. There were other kids that had my skin color in the classroom, but I was the only African. My identity was obvious, tallest in my class with long skinny limbs and an unhealthy looking weight that led one to believe

I was raised in a very non-diverse small all white town about 2 hours from a large city in north Texas. My parents and grandparents prepared me well on how America had grown into a diverse population of culture and ethnicities, from around world. When turned 18 in the early 80’s I went to work and live in the city that opened my eyes to diversity. Overtime I developed great friendships with people that were African American, Hispanic and Asian that were neighbors and co-workers that I spent a lot of time with regularly. One black friend I had was openly gay and shared insight to us about him and his partner’s life. This opened my eyes and thinking of how little I truly know about others cultural environments.

In our class discussions, we talked about diversity. Before taking this class, I perceived diversity through the lens of race and religion, because these are the ones often addressed when discussing when discussing diversity issues. Therefore, I defined diversity as a mixture of people from different races, and different religion coexisting in together in the same environment and/ or country. However, through the class readings, lectures, videos, and discussions, my definition of diversity has changed. I now know that diversity includes not only race and religion, but also includes other things such as skin color, nationality, social class, physical abilities, sexual orientation, age, education, and skills. Therefore, I define diversity as

Diversity is defined as a difference or a variety in many a dictionary. In others, it is also defined as unlikeness. Everything in the world is different from each other; even identical twins don’t have the same fingerprints. This goes to show that the world is a huge variety, a diversity of creatures that can be scientifically proven. Thus, we must be thankful to God for the harmony that comes with being diverse. Without diversity in every creation, there is a possibility of no harmony between all living beings on Earth. That is why we, as humans with the amazing ability to think, and best of all, to think rationally, must do our very best to nurture and cherish the harmony that exists within every kind of diversity on Earth.