Diversity Served on A Hot Platter
We all know I am eclectic in a multicultural world. But what about those who are not in experience with diversity? I am about to serve it- raw or cooked.
An associate wrote a lovely article in the Chicago Tribune which I will post the link here so you can take a look. It is truly worth a peek. Here is my experience with it all:
I was born in Milwaukee, WI to African American/Black parents. I went to a school that was predomenentaly white when I started. I was raised Lutheran- Missouri Synod and our church had two other Black families. My neighborhood began as mostly White and gradually grew to mostly Black. I attended a diverse middle school and high school and went to a college that was 14% minority.
I moved to Chicago- the Uptown neighborhood where it is highly diverse from Vietnamese, Nigerian, Cameroonian, Ethopian, Indian, White, Black and everything in between. I met my husband who is Mexican-American with Italian ancestry. I attended professional school in Lombard, IL graduating with only 5 other Black students and a rough estimate of 20 minorities out of a class of 70.
We settled in the Bucktown neighborhood where I occasionally volunteer. I have to say I love my neighborhood. My neighbors are awesome! People are friendly but once in a while when I venture out of block I get the looks. I used to get the statements of, "Are you the nanny?" I used to be offended by the comment and figured it is because so many people have nannies. I began to make friendships with the nannies because the moms never really spoke to me. There have even been instances where I was volunteering where one of the ladies insisted on knowing my daughter's heritage and wanted to touch her hair. I don't get as offended as I used to since we attend church in the western suburbs where I will hear that much more and the occasional older White lady ( sometimes man) will try and pat my son's hair or rub my daughter's head like they are part of a petting zoo.
I get it- people are curious. I even get it in the Black neighborhoods who ask me, "What your son mixed with?" I definately get it with my daughter who is the same color as her dad. Oddly enough I get the, "What are you mixed with?" which that throws me off even more because apparently I look like I am not all the way Black.
My life is diverse. As a White person that may have grew up in Pleasantville where there are no one of a different culture it may be a shock. I grew up around being around more than just Black or White. I encourage everyone to meet people who don't look like themselves and you will see there are still similarities even though you don't look alike. I say this too because as the US is getting older there is much more mixing and blending of families and I do not mean White people and Black people getting married and having babies.
So, here is diversity on a hot platter- it is happening all over if you are prepared for it or not. I say this if you are White, Black, Brown, etc. Someone like me will walk past you with her multicultural children and you will occasionally hear me yelling out in Spanish or hear me say goodbye in Mandarin or even scold my children in ASL- just take it as it is- that I am a mother trying to raise her children to be healthy, happy, fun-loving, intelligent, peace creating human beings. I am a wife who married her best friend and confidant and will do what she can to make him happy. I am a daughter-in-law who loves her mother-in-law as Ruth adored Naomi. Don't try to figure us out but just nod if I am doing a great job.
An associate wrote a lovely article in the Chicago Tribune which I will post the link here so you can take a look. It is truly worth a peek. Here is my experience with it all:
I was born in Milwaukee, WI to African American/Black parents. I went to a school that was predomenentaly white when I started. I was raised Lutheran- Missouri Synod and our church had two other Black families. My neighborhood began as mostly White and gradually grew to mostly Black. I attended a diverse middle school and high school and went to a college that was 14% minority.
I moved to Chicago- the Uptown neighborhood where it is highly diverse from Vietnamese, Nigerian, Cameroonian, Ethopian, Indian, White, Black and everything in between. I met my husband who is Mexican-American with Italian ancestry. I attended professional school in Lombard, IL graduating with only 5 other Black students and a rough estimate of 20 minorities out of a class of 70.
We settled in the Bucktown neighborhood where I occasionally volunteer. I have to say I love my neighborhood. My neighbors are awesome! People are friendly but once in a while when I venture out of block I get the looks. I used to get the statements of, "Are you the nanny?" I used to be offended by the comment and figured it is because so many people have nannies. I began to make friendships with the nannies because the moms never really spoke to me. There have even been instances where I was volunteering where one of the ladies insisted on knowing my daughter's heritage and wanted to touch her hair. I don't get as offended as I used to since we attend church in the western suburbs where I will hear that much more and the occasional older White lady ( sometimes man) will try and pat my son's hair or rub my daughter's head like they are part of a petting zoo.
I get it- people are curious. I even get it in the Black neighborhoods who ask me, "What your son mixed with?" I definately get it with my daughter who is the same color as her dad. Oddly enough I get the, "What are you mixed with?" which that throws me off even more because apparently I look like I am not all the way Black.
My life is diverse. As a White person that may have grew up in Pleasantville where there are no one of a different culture it may be a shock. I grew up around being around more than just Black or White. I encourage everyone to meet people who don't look like themselves and you will see there are still similarities even though you don't look alike. I say this too because as the US is getting older there is much more mixing and blending of families and I do not mean White people and Black people getting married and having babies.
So, here is diversity on a hot platter- it is happening all over if you are prepared for it or not. I say this if you are White, Black, Brown, etc. Someone like me will walk past you with her multicultural children and you will occasionally hear me yelling out in Spanish or hear me say goodbye in Mandarin or even scold my children in ASL- just take it as it is- that I am a mother trying to raise her children to be healthy, happy, fun-loving, intelligent, peace creating human beings. I am a wife who married her best friend and confidant and will do what she can to make him happy. I am a daughter-in-law who loves her mother-in-law as Ruth adored Naomi. Don't try to figure us out but just nod if I am doing a great job.
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