Diversity in the simplest form is a variety of anything. Diversity in wardrobe, cuisine, and sometimes even friendships is what keeps life interesting. After all “variety is the spice of life.” The word diversity in the world today is nothing more than a buzz word.. a word that is often used as a marketing tool. Diversity today means “assimilation of individuals from different cultural backgrounds.” Corporations, colleges, even cities and counties use it as an marketing tool to attract new customers, clients and residents. That’s all good, but there is a key element of diversity that is often missed; it’s the element of being inclusive.
Being inclusive is a two edged sword with “the need of belonging” and “pseudo diversity” at a constant fight with each other. Feeling of belonging is a fundamental human need. We all want to be a “part” of something, and at the same time birds of the same feather want to flock together. It’s a conundrum. On one hand we want to learn about different cultures and traditions and yet we are afraid to make friends or socialize with someone who comes from a world different from ours. While being friends with another one unlike you can be understood, it is hard to understand the concept of pseudo diversity; at least for me it was until a few months ago when I noticed a 6 year old comment on the subject.
It all started with a trip to Napa Valley, CA, sitting in a pizzeria, the kids comment, we are the only Indians here. I expected the older child to notice and comment but was taken by surprise when the younger sibling quipped in and said, “ya that’s weird. In my school, we are all Indians.” This sentence got me thinking, they are growing up in US and yet she has only Indian friends, eats Indian, talks Indian and one of her favorite songs is “Indiawale.” I looked at my older one, who loves India, mimics SRK and yet has friends in every shape, size and color and his roots are midwestern. How did this happen? Is it a personality thing? Maybe it is. However I do believe the environment has a big role to play too.
Kids and adults alike in our neighborhood even though immigrants are not minorities. They are the majority. The concept of minority is alien to this neighborhood. Some of you might take pride in this fact. For me its one of those “ok whatever” things. When I came to the US, I landed in a town with 10,000 families and we were the only colored folks there 🙂 Yes there is ignorance, there is lack of awareness of the world around them, however the warmth and love I got from folks there still warms my heart. I am yet to see the humility I saw there and I am yet to experience the inclusive-ness I experienced in the little town of Greensburg, IN.
When the kids elementary school had the idea of introducing the concept of having an “International Day,” I grabbed upon the opportunity. I was at the brink of frustration with this concept of pseudo diversity. Where is the diversity? With this question and the support of some amazing and outstanding parent leaders, it was decided to celebrate the world we live in. Every grade was a continent and within that they had a theme to work with. The best was when we discussed Asia 🙂 Should it be China or India? How do we decide? So we did something smart.. we gave them Mt. Everest 🙂 A little bit of both..LOL. Were they bummed.. you bet. There were many who asked..why not China and India? The answer is simple.. these kids live China and India every day. Some asked, why not Hawaii and Mexico for North America? Well, the most obvious vacations for folks in CA are Hawaii or Mexico. Every once in a while, Vegas and Grand Canyon get some attention, but beyond that it’s probably New York. Everything in between is lost in oblivion for CA. So for the continent of North America, it was let’s meet our neighbor Canada :). What do you think eh? Additionally, we travelled to Greece, saw the gods and goddesses come alive, experienced a base camp at Mt. Everest and met some of the mountaineers, travelled to Australia to see the aboriginal art and even the Galapagos Islands and understood why Darwin was in awe of the place. All this in one night. It was “around the world with 7 grades.”
The best part for me was to see the senior most grade celebrate Africa. Why? In the entire grade there is one kid with African heritage. She was the lone student interested in celebrating. Slowly and steadily here classmates joined in and embraced and celebrated her culture. From what I saw, it was clear that the kids surprised themselves. Shakira’s Waka-Waka came alive and so did a true Sudanese dance along with many artifacts from Africa itself. I hope in the process they made some new friendships. I hope now when they hear of Africa, they will think beyond the Apartheid and images of poverty that is spattered by the media. I hope they will embrace the continent where human beings were born.
Diversity is so much more than living in a place with people from different nationalities. It is about tolerating each other. It is about NOT bragging on the supremacy of one culture vs. the other. It is about accepting the flaws in our own society and recognizing the positives in another. Most importantly, it is about sharing, both happiness and sorrows.
If the world was meant to be as different as we perceive it to be, Pangea would be a fiction of our imagination.