Microaggression

I have experienced many situations in which microaggression was felt. As a mother I pride myself in the way in which I rear my children. I have taught them to stand up for what they believe in and never let someone treat your wrong. They attend a majority white school that is considered a top school in the district. It took a while to get them accepted to the school but once they began to attend I began to notice many subtle forms of racism. One that stands out the most are the ones done to my children. I have had some situations in which teachers have assumed just because of their color they were not capable or able to do things. I expose my children to different cultures in life. I teach them to be acceptable of all people regardless of their race and socioeconomic status. There have been a few situations that I have had to stand up for my children. I do not want them to feel inferior to others just because of the color of their skin. I recently experienced my own form of microaggression at my new job. Being a woman, I am often stereotyped as not being able to perform certain duties. I work in corrections which is looked at as a "man's" job. I deal with small forms of microaggressions daily but I do not let them stop me from achieving my goals in life.
     This week's lesson have taught me that forms of discrimination still exist in the world today. It saddens me that it is so, but it has lead me to teach my children about the world that we live in. I want them to understand this world but not be affected by the way people treat them. I teach them to strive for their goals and not let the ignorance of others deter them.

Diversity and Culture

Chanelle: She defined culture as the traditions, ideas, and customs that a group of people share. The group of people do not have to share the same race but share characteristics that are similar to each other. She stated that diversity means differences. These differences can be religion, ideology, customs, cultures, race and value.

Jay: Defined culture as way different races view the world and the ideas they hold. He defined diversity in the terms of different races and religions.

Sarah: She viewed culture as the unique characteristics associated with different groups of people. She gave an example about how different the culture of the South is when compared to culture in the North. She stated that diversity means differences. These differences can happen inside a single culture but are respected by all members of the society.

In my conversation with these three friends many examples of culture invisibility were given. Sarah discussed the culture of Mexicans as being only the language and food that they eat. This showed that she did not know much about the actual culture of the group of people and that there were many other unique characteristics to Mexicans.

In the definitions given the idea of how a group of people view the world was not given by any of the people I identified. 

The responses from these three people made me think of how people have their own working definition of what culture really is. Just like the people in our resource videos, these three thought of different alike but similar definitions of culture. I think that it is very important to understand the definition of culture because it is the first step in accepting diversity among different cultures. 

Family Culture

Family culture is very important to me. As a child, I was taught the importance of family and remembering the struggles my ancestors live through in order for me to enjoy the life I have today. My values and beliefs are not just my own but they were passed down from generation to generation.

My Perspective, Diversity and Equity course wants me to imagine that my family and I are survivors of a catastrophic incident. As a survivor we are being shipped off to stay in a foreign country completely different from my normal family culture. I am allowed to bring three items to remind me of my family culture. If my family and I were forced to leave this country and live in a place completely different from my culture it would not be hard to decide what three things I would take with me to preserve my family culture. I would take the family Bible, a picture of my great great grandparents, and a family quilt.

The Bible has been my key to life. I was taught using the Bible and I am currently training my children to live by the Word. Being in a foreign country could have a great effect of my family’s faith, but having the bible with us will remind us of our Christian beliefs. The picture of my great great grandparents would be a visual of my heritage. My grandmother would always tell me stories about her parents and I plan to pass these stories down to my children. The quilt I would take symbolizes my own children. I began to work on the quilt using clothes from my children. It is a way to remember their births and different mild stones in their lives.

If I had to choose which of the three items I would take with me if I could only take one it would be the Bible. I live by this book and anytime I need comforting or insight into my problems in life I can got to Bible. I was taught this as a child by my mom and grandmother.

I learned that many of my family values are in fact religious based and may not be so different as any other Christian of any other ethnicity. These values I have been taught are passed down and have been helpful to all generations of my family.