Part 2: Diversity and Inclusion

 This week, the class was assigned to watch the documentary Documented created by Jose Antonio Vargas.  Vargas is a journalist born in the Philippines who happens to be an undocumented individual living in the U.S.  He considers himself an undocumented American due to him living in the U.S. since he was 12 and creating a career for himself in the U.S.  Vargas speaks passionately about his dislike of the term "Illegal immigrant/alien". The term is derogatory to him especially since he has built a life in the U.S. and serves his place just like the average citizen.  We also were assigned to look on "Define American", a media organization that uses stories to shift the conversation on immigration. While searching through the individuals' stories, I chose one by a person living in Loganville, GA.  This town is less than an hour from my hometown, so I thought it would be important to inform myself with local stories. Damilolo Adesina, an immigrant living in Loganville, wrote that "An American fights for their country, but welcomes ideas of others and understands that global ideas and perspectives can be assimilated into “traditional” practices."  I agree with this statement, as our nation was formed through immigrants. Also, when searching through the website, I saw that readers like myself can get involved by signing up to speak to schools and communities around the nation. I feel it is vital to be informed about the culture of other nations and be educated on different perspectives. Globalization has made our world smaller, and it is almost impossible to isolate cultures.  My belief is that acceptance is the best way to be successful with other nations.

Credit: https://thriveglobal.com/stories/practice-self-love-acceptance-daily-f-k-perfection/

  Another film that was assigned was White People.  This film discusses the life of white people and what it means to be "young and white".  One interviewed individual who happened to be African American said that white people stereotypes are that "They are stuck up.  They're all racist. They might be nice to your face but behind your back they will say something." When Vargas asked a white male his view of African American stereotypes he said, "Black people can get ghetto real fast." Emotions soon ran high between the two individuals.  This shows how words really can affect someone.

Credit: https://writingtheother.com/writing-characters-of-different-races/ 

   The topic soon switched to only the perspective of white people, as Vargas asked students in a predominantly white classroom what white privilege meant.  A young woman spoke up that "It means you grow up thinking things belong to you." A man then said that "I'll never know what that's like... to understand systematic oppression."  All in all, white people in the U.S. have a stigma around them that they have a superiority complex, and they are safer than other races when dealing with consequences. It is unfortunate, but I believe this is true.  There are sadly times when I am in an area that may be diverse, and I would be lying if I said I always felt comfortable. The media has twisted the diversity aspect of our nation.  

  These films interact in their similarity of the topic of acceptance.  With immigration, there is a stigma with ethnicity and race. The reality of our world is that race and ethnicities will mix whether we want them too or not.  Being kind will be the real test in allowing our world to thrive.