Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

           I experienced racial micro aggression from another time in my life even though the act was not directed toward me.    I was in a store that was owned by a Chinese Family.  I didn't go to the store often but whenever my mother wanted to make a club sandwich she would send me to get cold cuts from the Chinese store.  This particular day I was at the counter being checked out and a young black man entered the store.  He stood to the side and just looked.  The Chinese man stopped ringing my cold cuts up and starting talking to the young man.  You don't want anything get out of my store.  You people always want something for nothing.  I was so shocked at what I had heard.  It was an insult to me but I did not respond negatively because my mother had taught me how to react to certain situations when I was five years old.

            In my mind I knew that I would not be visiting his store again because I too am African American.  After I existed the store the young man asked me what was wrong and had he done anything to justify what had occurred at the store with him.  He stated I only wanted to get a pack of cigarettes which was behind the counter where he was.  My thought was that he assumed that all young black men would harm or rob him.   I could not believe that he used racial micro aggression because most of the immigrants that come to the United States are not always respected and accepted. 

            My Observational experiences this week have affected my perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people.   I have learned that there are great deals of people in the world that are still discriminated against every day.  I have also learned that stereotyping and insulting others can cause severe stress and harm to them, and last I have learned that what we say and how we speak to others can affect them negatively.  As educators we must choose a positive way to speak to others because this is how we expect others to speak to us.   Although we all often state that our society is getting better with micro aggression others still experience discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotyping of some sort.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

            The definition of culture was asked to a friend of mine of a different race, a family member, and a friend who has a different religion.  The definitions that I received were somewhat similar for culture.  The participants may not have used the exact same words but their responses shared commonalities.  They all defined culture as the traditions, customs, and religious practices of a set of people.  The morals and values were also mentioned. 

            The definition of diversity was also asked to the same people.  Again all of their responses shared commonalities.  Their definition of diversity was said to be based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliations.  One participant in particular stated that her definition of diversity meant understanding the uniqueness in everyone and also recognizing that we all are different.  She stated that her stand on diversity is that we should all be able to respect each other and celebrate each other’s views in a positive manner.

            The majority of the aspects of culture that I have studied in this course were included in the answers I received from the people that I interviewed.  For example the religious practices, their traditions, their behavior are all examples of what I have studied in this course.  Some important aspects were omitted during the interviews.  For example in culture the foods that are eaten are very important.  This is an example of surface culture (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  These are things that are easily seen, tasted, and defined (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).  Another thing that was omitted in culture was ethnicity.  A person’s cultural group is related strongly to his or her ethnicity, which reflects the place of origin and cultural background of the person’s ancestors (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).

            In diversity most of the aspects that I have studied in this course were included in the responses from the people that I interviewed.  For example they talked about race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliations.  The one thing that I thought was important was omitted in the responses and that is age.  People can be really biased when it comes to age whether they see you as too young or too old. 

            When I think about other’s definitions of culture and diversity I believe that my own thinking is influenced because although we are all different we all share some commonalities in our definitions of what culture and diversity is, and if we recognize the differences in each other and respect those differences we can overcome many barriers.

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).

My Family Culture

              In the event my family and I had to be relocated to another country because of a catastrophe we would probably be devastated.  However, the three items that I would choose would be my Holy Bible, a photo album of my family, and my nephew's train.  The Holy Bible represents our religion, my faith, and it is my book that I rely on through good and bad times.  My Holy Bible also includes important documents such as copies of social security cards, birth certificates, and shot records, and school report cards.  My family photo album is filled with pictures, special events, and memories that we can look back at during tough times.  My nephew's train is the one toy that he cherishes over everything that he has ever owned.  I would really want my nephew who is only seven years old to have something that will keep him occupied and happy. 

             Each of these items represents our life, our culture, and our faith.   If upon arrival to my new country I was told that I had to give up two of the three items that I chose to keep I would be devastated as well as sad.    However, I would have to comply to the rules of the country that I will be living in.  Since I will have my immediate family with me it would probably be easy to give up the photo album and I am sure that I could probably find another train for my nephew but I believe that I would most likely hold on to the Holy Bible because the new country may not have the same religion and I really would want to keep my faith that I have and be able to read my bible whenever I can.

            The first insight that I have gained from this exercise is that culture is embedded in our hearts.  What we eat, the clothes we wear, our religion, our political preference, and many other characteristics that define our culture.  We don't need materialistic things to keep reminding us of our culture.  The second insight that I have learned is that if the need arises I can and will be able to adapt in other's cultures.   The last insight that I have gained from this exercise is that things can happen to us that can force us to live outside of our culture.