Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

What does culture mean to you?  This was the question that I asked three different people.

- Culture is about your family. Diversity is the celebration of differences in others.- 36 yr. old middle class bi-racial male

- Culture is my community, and friends.  Diversity is differences in a community, and knowledge of that difference.- 22 yr. old upper class Caucasian female

- Culture is everything about my history, my family, my community, and my future.  When I was growing up, diversity was not accepted.  It wasn't until the mid-1960s that people of different backgrounds were socially permitted to co-exist. - 69 yr. old middle class Caucasian female.

I look at these answers and think to myself about diversity and culture.  I believe that each person made valid points in their definitions of both.  However, I believe much of this is surface culture.  According to Derman-Sparks and Edwards, "deep culture is language, migration, gender roles and connections" (2010).  This is the way that we should interact with the children we serve.

I believe that listening to others' beliefs about diversity and culture proved to me that perople really don't understand the importance of these topics.  I feel that there is still so much to leran. I appreciated the point that was made by the older generation, that we have begun to break the ice in celebrating diversity.  We still have a long way to go.

References:

Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J.O. (2010).  Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. 

        Washington, DC:  National Association for the Education of Young Children. (NAEYC).