The information that I have learned about diversity in the United States is that it is ever changing. I have taken the time to look at the person and not what background or ethnicity they are from. I see people for what they are as being human and having real feelings. Everyone is different and I have learned that it takes time to understand people who are different. In the past I would not and did not deal with people who were different as far as having too thick of an accent and I would dismiss them and not attempt to try and understand what they were speaking about. I didn’t have any patience with anyone that I didn’t see that fit into the mold so to speak. As I have gotten older and traveled I was able to see that all people have the same issues whether it is with jobs, housing and children. We all want the same things for our families.
I have even gotten to the point to educate myself of their backgrounds and traditions. I have a coworker is Muslim and I have familiarized myself with the customs and traditions so that I can better understand. I have taken the time to slow down and not treat people poorly because they may speak differently form me. I have also taken the time to be more respectful of people who are different and have different backgrounds.
I am constantly learning something new about my background and heritage. I am multiracial native American, white and black. I have been taught by my parents to be proud of who I am as a person not what I am. I have knowledge of my Native American ancestry as well as my African American history. These are the two histories I identify with mostly because I am around it so much more. I’m from Oklahoma (land of the red man) and I am always participating in red earth in which it is a celebration of the 5 civilized tribes that settled there in Oklahoma. I have seen many different traditions that my people have and