Diversity Story

I have had two memorable experiences that surrounded the issue of diversity throughout my educational career. I grew up in the urban sector of Los Angeles, California and I attended public school throughout my entire primary and secondary education. I had never gone to school with students who were not Black or Latino/a. So, when I entered college, it became somewhat of a culture shock to sit next to a classmate whose hometown I never knew was on the world map. However, that did not intimidate me, but I became more intrigued about learning from individuals and their worldviews. It was not until I transferred to the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) that I was confronted with the impact of racism and discrimination. UC Irvine is located in the suburbs of Orange County, approximately 40 miles outside of Los Angeles. During class discussion, I encountered many views about people from dilapidated areas and horrible comments about people of color. One incident that I can remember was when I was in my Social Psychology course discussing the Zimbardo study. The Zimbardo study surrounded a group of college students from Stanford University that, for research purposes, mocked a prison environment. Half of the students were prisoners, while the other half of students were prison guards. The study was prematurely interrupted because most of the subjects were becoming psychologically and physically harmed while participating in the study. So, while discussing the importance of the study in class, one White girl raised her hand and commented that she often wonders if the study was conducted at Compton College, a community college on Compton, California, rather than Stanford University, would the results have been the same because many students at Compton College are familiar with a prison setting. Immediately, my friend and I became offended by her comment. My friend was actually from Compton and was not amused by the young lady’s comment. The instructor was mortified by the comment, but merely glossed over it, neglecting to acknowledge that some students were uncomfortable for fear that the tension arising in the room would escalate. By the instructor remaining silent and not addressing the girl’s statement, it made me feel as though it was not important enough to address.

Another incident that impacted my life was when I was in graduate school at Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) and a noose was hung on the door of one of the professors of my department whose work and research surrounds the issue of multiculturalism and race. I could not grasp the idea of something so horrific happening on the campus of one of the most prestigious and premiere universities in the nation. It lead me to the conclusion that even at the upper echelon of higher education, racism is alive and well. It was with these experiences and countless of other comments in the classroom, that my interest in difficult dialogues about race in the college classroom was born. Furthermore, as a future researcher, practitioner, and educator, this topic sparks a special interest for me because I want to contribute to the body of literature and also become an advocate for the marginalized individuals who have been mistreated and overlooked by society.

I experienced diversity in college at different stages in my college career. While attending Santa Monica College (SMC), I became immersed in many different cultures because simply put, I had no choice. There were so many cultures, nationalities, and ethnicities that flooded the campus, it was difficult not befriend or learn about other’s culture. I can distinctly remember having a friend from Egypt and being enamored by the fact that this person thought of me as interesting enough to befriend. I am not quite sure why my reaction would be that of amazement, but I can only assume it was that way because I had never had a friend who was not African American or Latino. SMC also offered many cultural clubs and organizations. I was apart of the Black Collegians Club (BCC) and our sister club was the Pan African Student Union (PASU). PASU was unique in that many of their members hailed from various Caribbean and African country. And while our complexion resembled one another, our culture was vastly different. Thus, this experience gave me new insight that though someone may look like, their cultural experience might differ from mine.

Though my diversity experience at SMC was quite positive, conversely UC Irvine suffered from a lack of diversity. I remember transferring to UC Irvine and it felt as though I had boarded a plane and traveled many miles to the other side of the world. Everything about Irvine was so neatly manicured and pristine. I was accustomed to an environment disheveled and disorganized; nonetheless, there was harmony. Even in its neat presentation, I can sense disharmony at UC Irvine. During my duration at UC Irvine, there was only 2.1% African American population. However, there was a large Asian community at UC Irvine. While a marginalized group represented the largest population on campus, they were considered the “model minority” and other marginalized groups were that of non-existence. I remember feeling lost in the shuffle and frustrated because I rarely saw a face that resembled my own. I often doubted my purpose at UC Irvine and questioned my decision in attending the campus. Honestly, I believe I only stayed because my time there was not long and earning my bachelors degree proved to be more important to me rather than how many Black folks are in my classroom.

After graduating from UC Irvine, I traveled east to New York to attend Teachers College, Columbia University. I never imagined my name being apart of an Ivy League institution. TC was diverse in numbers and strived to be consciously diverse. It was at TC that diversity and multiculturalism became household names and I gathered their true meaning. Multiculturalism and diversity was infused in every curriculum and classroom that I took at TC. At each level, no matter the subject, we discussed racism, discrimination, diversity, and multiculturalism, and how each affects how daily lives and the lives of clients. It was at TC where my passion for racism and social justice ignited.

Diversity throughout my college career impacted me greatly. I learned that no matter if one is at the upper echelon of educational institutions, ignorance is persistent and alive. Furthermore, I gained knowledge about diversity being a state of mind and how people one another, rather than how many minorities attend a campus. A campus can certainly be fortunate to have many ethnic cultures flood its campus, by the college culture be unwelcoming and uninviting in its attitude and behavior.

I want to develop more into a person whose passion for her people is not manifested into disdain and anger for other groups, based on the historical treatment of minority peoples in the US. I want to gather a deeper understanding of racial dynamics in America and understand the culture of America not from a Black woman’s perspective, but an American’s perspective. Moreover, I would to pursue the notion that diversity may not be as positive as one might believe because it appears that the more America becomes diverse demographically, more acts of racism and discrimination are committed. So I struggle with the concept of diversity be a good tool to alleviate racial tension, or has the word “diversity” become so watered-down that it holds no affect or weight?