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Happy Diversity Month!
In 2004, we started celebrating National Diversity Awareness Month to appreciate and recognize our great country's differences. Diversity is the range of differences that make up an individual's identity beyond race and gender. Based on Edward T. Hall's Cultural Iceberg Model, only 10% of one's culture is visible (e.g., food, clothing, dance, music, literature, and language). To get to know a person, we must go below the surface to learn how one thinks or feels about certain issues (e.g., communication style, values, beliefs, and perceptions).
Gardenswartz and Rowe state that there are three dimensions of diversity:
Internal (primary, personal, and unchangeable): age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and physical abilities
External (secondary, social, and controllable): education, political affiliation, religion, marital status, and income
Organizational (structure, position, and culture in a work setting): union affiliation, management status, work location, division, and seniority
Helpful Tips
Host a Diversity Day at work
Try a recipe from another culture
Support minority-owned businesses
Try a new language via YouTube or App
Attend different cultural events in the arts
Host a virtual movie night or lunch and learn
Watch movies, documentaries, and talks on diverse topics
Develop a calendar to recognize historical events and heritage months
Invite your business partners to sponsor the multicultural events
Talk with someone from a different culture to learn about values and practices
Carve a space in your building to showcase local artists from various backgrounds
Take pictures in your cultural attire or a family heirloom and share them on social media
What to Watch
Reading Suggestions
The School in the United States: A Documentary History by James W. Fraser
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Trainers: Fostering DEI in the Workplace by Maria Morukian
