Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

This week was especially a stressful week for me at work, and there have been several situations that I would consider microagression.  For starters, in my building, there are five African American women, one caucasian woman, and four Caucasian men.  On Tuesday four of the black females went to lunch to together and upon return, my immediate supervisor, who is a Caucasian male, came into my office and told me that we could not go to lunch as a group anymore.  I was shocked to hear him say something like that and it made me angry.  I thought to myself that he was trying to insinuate that when black people get together, we plot against people or it looks unprofessional.  I really didn’t know the exact hidden message.  It somewhat hurt my feelings, but I am certainly not weak enough to break!!  I just hindered my good spirits at work because, you know, the Caucasians go to lunch together all the time and nothing is ever said.  As being the target, I can witness to the fact that stereotypes still exists in society not just in my situation but within tons of communities around the world.  Think about the Trayvon Martin case that’s happening in Florida as we speak.  The effects of discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes are tremendous.  People will start rallying and petitioning for justice and I just think the world is going to be worse off rather than work together as a people for the benefits of society.  It’s almost inevitable to say that racism still exists.  I hate to even think of that term but it just seems that it’s exactly as stated.  I treat people equally regardless of race or gender.  It hurts my heart to know that some people disagree with actions as such. 

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Valuing Culture and Diversity

*Ivory Modey- African from Nigeria

*Chase Spivey- Caucasian male from Nebraska

Ivory Modey- “Culture is tradition, the way of life, what has been passed down from ancestors, and the values in which you pass down to future generations."

Ivory Modey- “Diversity is what separates you from others, what makes you who you are, how people view you, and how you view yourself.”

 Chase Spivey- “Culture is ethical, personal preference of how a person lives their life, and your way of thinking including values.”

Chase Spivey- “Diversity is respecting all cultures, and having different elements of life that make you who you are.”

 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? Considering the answers of both my participants, the aspects that were actually included in my studies are: being aware of what makes me different from others and knowing that we as different people have to respect other cultures and their way of life.   

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

The aspects that I feel have been omitted are specific aspects such as religious aspects of culture (who people worship, religious beliefs and so forth), the economic aspect(where do you stand in society, what resources are available for you within society), and the surface aspect of culture (arts, entertainment, and clothes)

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

Considering how they responded, I can profoundly see the different aspects of culture and diversity depending on an individual’s lifestyle and beliefs.  Some people view culture just as a way of life while others feel that it influences everything surrounding an individual.  I feel that there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to culture and diversity. 

My Family Culture

In a situation such as this, I would be devastated for the fact that I only could only take three items with me to a place where I am unfamiliar with the culture and the people.  The three most important items that I would choose to carry with me as a representation of my culture would be: an american flag, my Holy Bible, and my lifetime photo album of family, friends, and places I have visited.  I would choose my American  flag because it is indeed a symbol of my nation's freedom and laws, liberty, justice, equality, cooperative effort, pride, glory, and much more. I really feel that its such a great symbol of the greatness of America. Men and women have fought in the name of the flag and I am one of those individuals who sacrifice my life to protect our nation.  I would choose the flag so that I can reminisce of the time and efforts of being a part of the Department of Defense.   I would choose the Holy Bible because it is a major part of my religion and it is how I keep my connection with God and how I keep a stable and renewing mind and spirit.  The Bible is what will keep me strenthgened and how I will look forward to expecting great days.  With this book I can remain spiritually connected with my Savior.  Lastly, I would choose to take a photo album of all my family and friends that has made a dramatic impact on my life, good and bad, which will remind me of all the lifetime gain of love that is instilled in me.  Memories are indeed a comfort zone for me because I am constantly reminded of how great my life has been and of all the people who has nurtured me and cared for me as well as the people that I have nurtured and cared for. 

My feelings would be feelings of selfishness, deprived, and pessimistic if they only allowed me to choose one of those items. It would be hard to choose just one, because one item does not fulfill my entire life story.   The insights I have gained about culture is that there are actual families that we never consider, who go through situations such as these and feel that sense of emptiness and lonliness.  It definitely is an eye opener and it makes me appreciate diversity on another level. 



Thank you,