April is International Celebrate Diversity Month.
Let me start by asking you a question. Have you ever been pointed out for being different? If yes, Was it done with a positive or a negative approach? And the other way around— have you ever complimented someone on their difference, or do you face differences as some discomfort or threat?
No need to answer; just calling for some self-awareness here.
Since 2004, Celebrate Diversity Month has taken place in April, following a campaign led by two American consulting firms, ProGroup Inc and Diversity Best Practices – as mentioned in nationaltoday.com. This campaign highlights the urgency of understanding other cultures to ensure a better world. And I would like to stress this: to ensure a better world.
As mothers, a better world is all we can ask for. A world that represents a safe, fun, and loving place to grow. A world where skin color, accent, or the food our kids eat may not be subject to teasing but instead a reason for communication, gathering, and growing stronger and wiser.
Diversity should not take away. Diversity adds.
Diversity should not divide. Diversity multiplies.
Diversity should not need to be mandatory. Diversity is natural.
I realize that for many people, this may be a learning process. It was for me. I came from a place of privilege, and I have lived most of my life in a cultural comfort zone. Not until I moved with my family to a new country did I truly understand how it feels to be looked at as different. And I may not complain, but having been seen from a new perspective, also gave me a unique world perspective. And if there is something I may conclude from my experience of cultural exposure, it is that I am a more self-aware, stronger, and wiser person. But I keep learning, and, as a mother, I want my kids to embrace and be embraced in diversity, so here are some ways to easily instill diversity in our children:
- Express curiosity and enthusiasm in diverse cultures.
- Show them books with characters from different parts of the world and backgrounds.
- Make them feel proud of their differences.
- If you have the option to travel, show them different places, different people, and different cultures.
- Set a good example.
The world is changing and getting more diverse. The future looks more varied. It is in our hands to ruin it or to make it work. For us. For our children.
Let’s, all together, make this world a better place!
