Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

   Throughout this week I didn't detected any examples of microaggression, so I started to think back over the years and I remember when I was working for this company and I was switched to a different floor. As I began to meet my new coworkers, I started talking to this one girl, as we talked and to start to get to know each other, she asked me where in the city did I lived. I told her that I lived on the west side of town; she asked me if I knew a girl who like me was black and lived in the city. I informed her that I did not know her. This conversation left me thinking that she believed that I should know all black people or that all blacks knew each other. I wasn't sure if I was insulted or how I should feel about it, because I don’t feel that she said it in a rude way. I guess it left me more confused than anything else.

     I don’t often think about discrimination, prejudice and or stereotypes because it is something that you just live with or deal with when it happens. It’s the world we live in, I would love for it to never exist but it does. But going through this course and reading and viewing the resources for this week I have a better understanding of the feelings that come with being a victim if it.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Response from the questions ask,

What is culture?

What is diversity?

 An African American male -37 years

Culture - Although we are all human it is what defines us, it is what separates everyone.

 Diversity- is your own uniqueness regardless of your culture. So even though you are in the same culture within that you are diversity from them.

An African American female-37years

Culture- my beliefs and values, my music the food I eat and my attitude

Diversity- is a blend of people and cultures.

 A male 55years from Trinidad/ Canada

Culture-Distinct habits, behaviors, religion and lifestyle choices, general found in a group or population of people.

Diversity-The recognition of the differences in culture, habits and practice and religion.

The responses that I received are what we have talked about in this course. We have discussed that culture is who we are. I don’t believe anything that they talked about has not been mentioned in this course. I have become stronger in my beliefs of my culture and diversity.

My family culture

    The three items that I would take to the new country that I was  assign to, would be my bible, pictures of my family and my hair products.

    My bible is my life; I live by the word and believe in the Bible. My family is God fearing people who believe in the Bible, so with the Bible at my side, I would be comfortable in another country. Pictures of my family because I could always look at them and remember the good times when we were all together. My hair products because I love doing my hair and those around me, braiding hair is part of my culture, so by me taking my hair products, I can keep a part of my culture with me. 

    If I was told that I could only keep one item out of the three, I would feel bad about giving up my family pictures, but I have them in my heart so I could give them up, my hair products could give up. I would have to keep my Bible. It would be the only thing that would give me hope that one day things would be different. I would read it and find hope.

   The exercise really made think about what was important in my life, and how I view the many things in my life. Think that it would be hard starting in a different country, especially if you are forced.