Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

I am pretty sure I have experienced microaggressions throughout my life.  However, I can vividly recall the experiences with my daughter better.  There is one particular incident that I can recall when my oldest daughter was about 2 years old.  My husband and I were in Belk, and we were having a conversation with my daughter like we always do.  An older Caucasian woman kept following us and staring at us.  She made us feel weird because we couldn’t figure out why she was staring at us.  After about 5-10 minutes of staring at us, she came over to us said that she noticed my daughter spoke so well and that she was so nicely dressed.  This lady really looked and sounded very shock that an African American child could speak and dress so well. She didn’t say it, but her facial expression and wording said it all.  My husband and I told her we wouldn’t have it any other way.  We told her that we never talked “baby” talk with her, and we have always used correct English with her. We advised her that we make sure she is well dressed where ever we go.  This is one thing both of our parents taught us. When you go out you are representing yourself and your parents and don’t go anywhere looking a mess.  My mom always said even if you have on jeans and a t-shirt make sure your hair is combed whenever you go out because you never know who you may run into.  My husband and I get comments like those all the time with both of our daughters.  I guess society plays a major part in how African American children are viewed as always speaking “slang” or not being dressed appropriately.  In today’s society it’s sad to see that people still see race as being a factor when it comes to a person’s speech, intelligence or the way they dress. As I reflect on this week’s information on microaggressions, I feel we must work together as a society to eliminate stereotypes such as these.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The conversations I had this week on culture and diversity were very interesting.  I spoke with two of my friends who were males and one female.  Each ones perspective on diversity and culture was similar because they seem to only think of what’s on the surface.  I explained to them that culture goes way beyond the surface, and with “deep” culture we can find out a lot more about a person. They all seemed to think culture and diversity was one in the same.  Their definitions of culture were mostly what you see on the outward appearance.  They believe that culture is a person’s traditions, beliefs, attire, food, language, and religion. They believe diversity is what makes a person different. Diversity can be several things, but it’s is what makes us understand why we are all different. The aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course helps me understand what makes us who we are.  Culture is basically what makes a person who they are.  Diversity on the other hand is how we look at people.  Diversity helps us better understand that we are all raised differently.  However, it makes us learn to be open to learning about different cultures and the way things are done.  This exercise helped put some things in perspective on culture and diversity.

My Family Culture

If I was in the middle of a major catastrophe that completely devastated the infrastructure of my country, I would have trouble choosing three small items to take away with me. The three items that I would chose would be my Bible, family photo, and a locket that my daughters’ gave me for Mother’s Day.  My first item would be my Bible because my faith in God is what keeps me grounded. My family’s faith in God is what makes us stronger.  I can read my Bible and remember that trouble don’t last always.  I may be in a catastrophic situation at that moment, but God didn’t bring me this far to leave me now.  The second item I would bring would be a family photo.  I would bring this photo in the event that we got separated.  This photo will remind me that I can weather the storm because I have to survive for my family.  The third item will be a locket that my daughter’s gave me for Mother’s Day.  I would bring this because my girls are my world.  I am an only child so I cherish every gift and moment that I am able to spend with them.  If upon arrival to the refugee camp I was told that I could only keep one item, it would have to be the Bible.  The Bible will provide a daily guide for me and my family.  It will give us reassurance that the catastrophe is only temporary.  I feel confident that it is the only item that my family and I would need to take with us.  This assignment really made take a step back and look at what matters the most to me. I realized that all the material things I really wouldn’t miss.  I realize that family is all that matters. If we can weather the “storm” together, we can conquer anything.  I pray that we never experience a catastrophic event.  However, our faith in God will see us through any situation.