MOAR Diveristy in the 12th week

            This week in lecture, Denise Williams, diversity coordinator for the College of Human Sciences at Iowa State University, guest lectured about diversity. Personally, I love hearing lectures about topics like these, and this one did not disappoint (also there was ice cream). One thing that Denise talked about was what made up diversity. She asked if our group, the group made up of the peer mentors, Hixsons, and the Hixson Student Board, could be classified as diverse. At first, I figured that our group was not very diverse. I was thinking in terms of race and ethnicity. The group in that room was mostly Caucasian with few other ethnicities in the room. However, Denise informed us that race and ethnicity weren’t the other factors that could make a group diverse. Other factors that could result in diversity are socioeconomic background, gender, skill sets, age, and what you are majoring in. This opened my eyes as I had a strict view of diversity until hearing that it was more than race.

            Another thing that Denise talked about was stereotypes. She showed racist memes on the board that were influenced by common stereotypes. She also showed a video clip from the play “N*gger, We*back, Ch*nk” that talked about common stereotypes of Asians, Blacks, and Latinos. Her whole point about this information was that stereotypes can hurt. It generalizes a group, and it causes some people to form opinions about a person before they actually get to know that person. While some stereotypes may be positive about a race or group, they can also be harmful at the same time. If one stereotype is positive about a group, and a person from that group does not have that trait, they may feel like they do not belong. I never thought about that issue before. Next fall, I have to make sure to avoid using any stereotypes as it may anger a student or may cause them to feel bad about themselves. This lecture helped me by taking me deeper into diversity and allowed me to see that generalizing a person before you get to know them is wrong and often results in you being wrong about that person. Every person is unique, just as every Hixson next fall will be unique. In order to be successful as a peer mentor and a role model, I must accept this an incorporate it into my work.