Teaching Inclusion

When I was a child I did not hear much about diversity and inclusion. I was taught briefly about civil rights and the movement that provided me an integrated classroom. I was told about Martin Luther King and his fight to unify Americans of every race. By no means was I ignorant of the importance of loving my brother that I see everyday.
The thing that was not taught in the classrooms was about acceptance and embracing different cultures for who they are. I was told about history not how to make history. I often heard stereotypes and abrasive language that hurt myself and others. I remember being one of the only Black kids at a sleep-a-way camp.
A girl told me that my skin was dark because God burned me in the oven. This was said in the company of camp counselors and nothing was said to reprimand the young lady for her words. As I reflect on that situation I remember that we were only in the third grade. This young girl's behavior was a by-product of something that she was taught not something that she was born to think. The reason why schools hire me to come in and talk about inclusion is because it may not happen at home. It is everyone's responsibility to take captive negative thoughts and words to protect the kids of today. Take some time today to recognize any biases or stereotypes you may have absorbed. Have those behaviors been passed on from you to someone that you hold dear? The best place to start navigating damaging thoughts about others is to have a conversation and then apply action to change the mindset that this thought pool has come from. The Dimensions of Diversity Alliance is a group of many causes-but action is the key to making us successful.
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