Continued lack of acceptance of cultural diversity is a critical problem for our society. We cannot take our country to the next level if we are not able to overcome this issue. This country was built on the concept of freedom and the concept of diverse population, with people bringing in different skills and backgrounds from various countries around the world. But are we truly able to channel all our strengths in the right direction?
There are continuing significant issues in schools, colleges, and workplaces (and in our society in general) that have to do with non-acceptance of cultural diversity. For example, bias-based bullying continues in many of our schools across the country. An innocent life can be totally derailed because of bullying that was based on cultural bias. Non-acceptance of cultural diversity in the workplace can lead to a highly non-productive environment as well as can cause serious long-term impact for victims.
The following are some of the questions that we need to continue to address so we can create positive impacts:
- Are we truly accepting of cultural differences?
- We are often able to demonstrate our “acceptance” outwardly, but there are reasons to believe that we still don’t accept it whole-heartedly
- Have we really made any significant progress over the last 50 years?
- Yes, we have made a lot of progress, but there are enough examples to demonstrate that there is still a long way to go
- Are we moving in the right direction – are we truly becoming a melting pot?
- There are reasons to believe that we might not be moving in the right direction – our course might need correction.
- How critical is it for us to become more effective in this area?
- This is our strength and we must cultivate it appropriately. We must turn this around in the right direction.