The Easiest Way To Make The World A Better Place!

So what can I do to increase my cultural competence?

One of the challenges of fostering a more inclusive society is that we often lack authentic and meaningful relationships with people who are different to us. Indeed, research indicates that in many parts of the country, we are more racially and economically segregated today than we were just 20 years ago. So how do we learn more about each other?

In the course of my work with schools across the county, I'm often asked to suggest strategies to help individuals increase their culture competency. Or, more simply put, how can I learn foster my ongoing learning about people backgrounds and perspectives different from mine.

Today a friend shared a simple yet powerful strategy that I would now like to share with you:

Why Diversity Doesn't Always Help!

So this is it-- my first blog post. After 5 years of serving as an independent resource to hundreds of schools in the US and abroad and 18 years of involvement in educational spaces dedicated to diversity and inclusion, I have finally "found the time" to create a blog. In the spirit of full transparency, I was also " strongly encouraged" by Joe Mazza, my STEM professor at University of Pennsylvannia, where I am currently a doctoral student.

While I don't regard myself as a "blogger" or "writer," per se,  I am nonetheless committed to my longstanding idea of providing a resource for educators, faculty and staff, and students interested in enriching community and promoting inclusion within their schools-- public, charter, independent, and parochial. I hope that this is the first of numerous relevant, meaningful and instructive posts to that end.

After successfully jumping the preliminary hurdles of identifying a platform and setting up the blog, I then encountered the challenge of naming the blog. This was doubly frustrating because I wanted to choose a name that could be easily recalled and searchable amidst the sea of blogs, but I also acknowledged the baggage associated with the word "diversity."I have found during the nearly two decades that I have have engaged in diversity work that "diversity" doesn't always help!

Why? In many circles, "diversity" functions as an identity and represents specific historically marginalized groups, ranging from blacks, Latinos, Asians, gays, Jews, women-- anyone but straight Christian men. While this view is rarely articulated, it is commonly understood. Think about it-- whom do you picture attending a "diversity" meeting? I've even heard a number of people proclaim , proudly, that they are "diverse"-- which suggests that other people aren't diverse. It makes sense, then, that people think that "diversity" initiatives only serve to benefit the "diverse." Or, that the goals of "diversity" aim to indict or take away from "non-diverse" people in support of "diverse" people.

Conversely, many have lamented not being able to attend diversity meetings as they felt that their needs and identity would not be addressed. So whom do diversity initiatives benefit employing this framing? It's time we rethink and reframe "diversity" if the goal is truly to promote fostering an inclusive, equitable and democratic society.

So part of intentionally naming this blog" Diversity Derrick" is an effort to reclaim and reframe "diversity" in a way that actually promotes increased humanity, while integrating the perspectives and experiences of all people. Diversity should ideally encompass all identities while also galvanizing people from all backgrounds to collaborate toward our common community goals. This also suggests acknowledging the ways in which identities are stratified in a society that don't value all people equally.

If you have 7 minutes, I invite you to watch my Tedx Talk where I explore this notion of the double-edged sword of diversity:

And with that, the first blog post has been written!
Derrick