Week 4 EDUC 6164

Microaggressions

On Monday, one of my parents (Malinda) called me and I could detect that she was upset by the tone of her voice. As I sat in my office, alarm filled my thoughts because I knew that this single mom and her children had been in a really tough spot in the past year dealing with a domestic issue. I wanted to help her but, she began to cry and it took a moment to calm her down. When the crying subsided, she explained that she was in the lavatory at school and overheard two parents talking about her and how they knew she was “slow and dumb because she came from the South.” I found this very offensive because, I know first-hand that this manufacturing engineering honors students is far from dumb. I have seen her prototypes and grades and I have actually taken time away from the classroom to attend some of the events where her work was publically showcased.

As the conversation continued, she explained that one of the parents had befriended her and had accompanied her to court earlier in the day regarding the custody of her children. This was a hard blow to this young ladies character and she was embarrassed because she trusted this lady. I reassured her that she had the brains and beauty to outshine both parents and that everything would be alright. We talked for another 10 minutes, she thanked me and we hung up the phone.  The microaggressions, of the other parents were unintentional because they did not know that she was in the stall. Yet, the fillings of discontentment that Malinda had were towards the parent that she thought was her friend and this was a microassult on her character. Additionally, the parents being native to the Northern environment were the dominant culture and their mythical way of thinking was very far-fetched and misguided regarding the Region that Malinda came from and the impact it had on her intellect.

Intelligence has nothing to do with the Region that an individual originates from, intelligence is the cognitive or mental capacity of an individual. This situation was shocking because, I watch the two parents interact with one another on a day to day basis. The stereotypical belief of the two ladies were unwarranted and had a negative impact on Malinda’s character. I had a lot of heartfelt compassion for Malinda because, the negative opinions of the two women were uncalled for and unjustifiable.

Week 3 Blog 6164 Culture and Diversity Defined

So for this assignment, we were instructed to find out how my friends, family, acquaintances and colleagues would define culture and diversity; instead of only asking three people I posed my question on social media and the responses were overwhelming! What I gathered from the responses that follow were genuine response that were all worded differently but, came to the conclusive response that culture as we’ve learned in this course is the way that we have learned to live our lives and diversity is having the ability to accept the differences of others and exist as one community or region.

Culture & Diversity Defined

Person 1: Muslim American (Male) 24 years old from Michigan

Definition of culture is the way that I live my life and the beliefs that I have about society. My culture includes the omission of swine from my dietary intake, my belief that women are not included in conversation, they are seen and not heard and the fact that I pray five times a day this is called Salat. Diversity defined is being different but being able to live with people with differences.

Person 2: African American (Female) 69 years old from Alabama

Definition of culture depends on the Region you live in because it is the values of the region you live in; for example, in the South culture is based more on hospitality than anything else. Definition of diversity is being able to adapt to different cultures and belief and accept those differences.

Person 3: African American (Female) 50 years old from Michigan

Definition of culture is a learned behavior, beliefs, laws and social moirés that are passed down or taught within a community. Definition of diversity is being able to coexist in society with different cultures and religions in the same community.

Person 4: African American (Male) 49 years old from Arkansas

Definition of culture is the different lifestyles, religion and family structure. Definition of diversity is to be able to assimilate and accept different cultural situations.

Person 5: African American (Female) Age 28 from Michigan

Culture can mean upbringing and the way that you live. Diversity is a difference within a group of 2 or more people.

Person 6: European American (Female) Age 37 Michigan

Culture is the experiences and ideals and items of a shared location. Diversity is the differences in a culture from uniqueness of person, perspective, and belief.

Person 7: African American (Male) Age 42 from Michigan

Culture is the way of life and the belief of your people. Diversity is being able to handle different types of situations and environments.

Person 8: African American (Female) Age 47 from Louisiana

Culture is the habits and traits that an individual has as a result of their community, gender and ethnicity. Diversity is a mixture of cultures ethnicity and other traits.

Person 9: African American (Female) Age 45 from Ohio

Culture the different life styles of religion & color.  Diversity different ethnics of color in living generations.

Person 10: African American (Female) Age 47 from Illinois

Culture is the way you live your beliefs. Diversity is the same as variety.

Person 11: African American (Female) Age 33 from Alabama

Culture is behaviors or ideas or practices/customs shared within a particular group. Like my immediate family has its own culture. Diversity is when you have people from different backgrounds. Or maybe even different cultures together. Could be same culture but different races too.

Person 12: Irish American (Female) Age 31 from United Kingdom living in Michigan

Culture to me is a group of people from the same area, they all grew up with similar experiences and were exposed to their culture, e.g., American Indians grew up on a reservation and have similar experiences.  Different locations the American Indians have similar cultures but tribes have different ways of doing things or traditions. Diversity is made up of different cultures.  In my experience many college classes are very diverse from many different cultures and backgrounds.  I am 31.  I hope these answers help you Janella, not even sure if those would be correct definitions but you asked and i went to a dumb school (hazel park) so that’s my answer.  Good luck!

Person 13: African American (Female) Age 68 from Alabama

Culture behavior, practices beliefs among a group of people that are common either ethnically or regionally.  Diversity, the acceptance and mixing of people from traditionally different backgrounds.

Person 14: African American (Male) Age 49 from Tennessee

Culture-is embracing your heritage and respecting others, living in harmony, with sound morals and beliefs that bound you together as one. Diversity- allowing everyone to express who they want to be without being excluded because of race, sexual orientation, or religious belief.
African American (Female) Age 53 from Texas
Janella, you did not get my comment which is: Culture is a congruent set of behaviors, attitudes, and customs. Diversity is the similarities and differences. Mind you I have my PhD and I teach a human diversity class, so my answer is somewhat “diverse” than others LOL

•Which aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received—and what are some examples?

In the media segment “In Support of Family Diversity,” Derman-Sparks described culture as a range of a family beliefs. Benavides defined culture as a diverse set of traits that are accessed by early childhood professionals through children relating to race, culture, economic, language skills, and an array of abilities that the children do have.  Taylor offered a broader definition, stating that culture is everything that we do.  Culture is related to the gesticulations made by individuals, the way that eye contact is or is not made, body language and the way we see the world (Laureate, Education, 2011).

Regardless of race, religion or class status we are a diverse nation and the beliefs we have are often similar but different. Diversity as a concept prior to this course was, an assortment of people with different values, beliefs and ways of life co-existing in the same society. After viewing the course resource Playing for Change: “War/No More Trouble,” (2009) my perception of diversity was affirmed.

•Which aspects have been omitted—and what are some examples of such omission?

There were no aspects of culture that were omitted from my conversations with my network of friends and family.

•In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?

It appears that we are all on one accord and that the understanding that we have regarding both culture and diversity have similar meanings and examples.

“No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

My Family Culture 6164 WK 2

Scenario:

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of your country. The emergency government has decided that the surviving citizens will be best served if they are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees. You and your immediate family are among the survivors of this catastrophic event. However, you have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. You are told that your host country’s culture is completely different from your own, and that you might have to stay there permanently. You are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, you can only take 3 small items with you. You decide to take three items that you hold dear and that represent your family culture.

 

Task:

Provide a description of the three items you would choose:

My Bible

A Family Portrait

A small cast iron Pot

 

Explaining to others what each of the items meant to me would not be complicated. The items in my possession are reminders of my ancestors. The bible once belonged to my great great grandfather and it reminds me of his spiritual disposition and the strong faith that my family has in the teachings of the bible. The portrait is a constant reminder of the many generations of my family. Each generation depicts a branch of survival and exudes a powerful image of togetherness, heritage and values. The small cast iron pot was an invaluable tool that has been passed down for many generations. It provided a source of heat in the winter by boiling water on an open fire. It was used to prepare meals and it also served as a vault to hide valuables including papers attesting to their free status in a hole dug in the floor of the cabin and covered over with dirt and straw when looters were said to be in the vicinity of my ancestor’s town.  

If I were told that I could only keep one of the three items, I would be devastated however, the decision would not be hard. I would keep the cast iron pot because it could be used in the same way that my ancestors had used it. As for the picture, I could literally close my eyes and see the many shades and smiles because they had been ingrained in my mind over the years. While the bible belonged to my great great grandfather, the values and teachings had been taught to me at a very young age and they too had been deep-seated in my mind.

As a result of this exercise, I have a better understanding about myself and the values and lesson that have be preserved in my mind. I also understand that family culture is not necessarily materialistic, it is not always what you can touch or see. Having a strong connection to family culture is very important in my life and preserving that culture by keeping the pot would not only provide wonderful memories of the stories that my parents and grandparents told me about my family, it would be used in ways that would establish new memories.