Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I asked three people who were from different culture than mine what is their definition of culture and diversity.  They responded with the following:

1.      Breanna:  ‘’Culture to me is the representation of someone’s ethnicity, or the lifestyle of a group of people.  Diversity to me is when one things different from another’’.

2.      Taber:  ‘’Diversity is a mixture of whatever.  Like if your talking about music then you may have a mix og hip hop, country, alternative rock, rap, pop, jazz, etc.  or if your talking about having a diverse mix of fruit then you have grapes, papayas, applies, watermelon, strawberries, etc. culture is something you partake in as part of your living.  Something about you.  Like black culture, hip hop culture, skater, etc’’. 

3.      Melissa:  ‘’Culture to me is when we are influenced by our surroundings it could be religion, foods, careers and of course our heritage.  Diversity to me is different cultures coming all together.’’ 

After interviewing these people I feel I have confirmed my understanding of culture and diversity which coincides with our course materials.  All three responses covered all aspects of culture which were supported in the media presentation, "Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions’’.  The panelists defined culture in the field of early childhood by looking at children and their families’ race, ethnicity, language, religion, abilities, social class, and parenting styles.  All of these characteristics that influence culture effects the development of children.  I addition, Janet Gonzalez-Mena, from the media presentation, stated, ‘’And it's been said often enough to make it almost a cliché that culture is like an iceberg, that only the tip of it shows and all the rest, that's the part that's easy to celebrate; the food, the music, the customs, the books, the literature, all that wonderful stuff that's so diverse around the world. But the unconscious part, that huge 90% of the iceberg that lurks below the surface is where the tensions come in, as people have very different ideas about what children need’’ ("Culture and Diversity").  Her statement also supported the responses I received from the three individuals I interviewed because culture has so many definitions and contributes to so many aspects of life that eventually enhance and build upon the meaning of culture.  I do not this that the three individual interviewed omitted any aspects of what culture is due to the fact they covered the general aspects of culture.  However, culture is ever changing due to our diverse society which determines what is socially appropriate.    

Finally, through this activity I have been able to look deeper into my own culture to better understand why I carry myself the way I do and why I act the way I do or parent the way I parent.  In addition, this assignment has added to my understanding of diversity and equity as it relates to the health and well-being of young children and their family because I feel empowered to encourage families to share their culture in the classroom as well as I have a new look on what diversity really means.  In the past I felt diversity was a mix of various group that coexist, but now I feel like diversity really is a group of people that visually look different but are jointly trying to act and behave in a similar manner.