Culture is the lens with which we evaluate everything around us; we evaluate what is proper or improper, normal or abnormal, through our culture. People naturally use their own culture as the standard to judge other cultures; however, passing judgment leads to no good and only implements discrimination and the misconception that humans are fundamentally different from each other.
Cultural diversity is an integral part of the message that Nú Ninja spreads and is the foundation for our brand. This idea allows for everyone to celebrate their cultures without fearing judgment from others. Not only does a culturally diverse society allow people to be comfortable within their own cultures, it also allows people to be exposed to other cultures as well. People can learn so much from another’s culture, but only if they are exposed to it and embrace it.
Dr. Lisa D. Belfield, an adjunct professor at Purdue University in Indiana, explains that “Learning about other cultures helps us understand different perspectives within the world in which we live and helps dispel negative stereotypes and personal biases about different groups. In addition, cultural diversity helps us recognize and respect “ways of being” that are not necessarily our own, so that as we interact with others, we can build bridges to trust, respect, and understanding across cultures.” This quote shows the importance of cultural diversity within society and that the idea pushes us towards a world that is more accepting of one another. Differences should not scare us, but excite us about the possibility of gaining more knowledge about the world. Everyone has something to contribute to society because of our differences. Rather than being a “melting pot” we should refer to society as a “salad bowl”. A melting pot insinuates the idea that everyone’s cultures eventually fuse together to become one. However, that idea does not support cultural diversity. Instead society should be seen as a salad bowl where all the ingredients make up one dish, but on their own they still have their separate identities. This idea is more welcoming to the fact that different cultures exist and benefit society in the long run.
In order to move towards a more culturally diverse, or a “salad bowl”, society we must recognize the pioneers who have allowed us to get this far towards our mission. Here are six leaders that contributed to the movement of cultural diversity and have changed the world for us.
Mahatma Gandhi was born October 2, 1896 in Porbandar, British India. He was born into a family that came from different religious backgrounds, so Gandhi already had a sense of what diversity could do for people. Gandhi studied law at University College, London and tried to acclimate to their culture, while still keeping his own. The knowledge that he gained at the university led him to becoming a lawyer where he then moved back to India. In 1893 Gandhi went to South Africa to practice law and faced much discrimination. He was subjected to violence because people were intolerant of the color of his skin, how he dressed, and his heritage. These acts of violence pushed Gandhi to fight for his rights in South Africa rather than sailing back to his home country to avoid conflict. He knew that even though he may be persecuted for fighting for his rights it was something he truly believed was necessary in order to create a better society. This was the start of Gandhi’s movement for civil rights which he continued pushing for throughout the rest of his life. During his lifetime he led non-violent protests, marches, and was a key figure in achieving Indian independence from British rule. Gandhi understood that cultural differences were not a means of separating people, but rather a way to bring people together to create a more diverse society.
Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 in Arizona in the United States. He came from a family of Mexican American migrant workers and eventually dropped out of school to work on a farm with his family. Chavez recognized the injustices that were happening towards Mexicans and Mexican American people. They were being treated unfairly not only in the farm fields, but also in terms of the lack of political power they held as well. Chavez knew that these people were working tirelessly to provide America with goods, but the country would not recognize this group as an integral part of its society. Chavez was inspired by both Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi to fight back without using violence to show American political leaders that even though Mexican Americans were different, they still deserved the same rights as Americans. Through peaceful protests and strikes Chavez was able to to upgrade Farmers’ working rights and help Mexican Americans as well as other minorities gain better rights in America. Chavez understood the need for cultural diversity and did not give up fighting for it just because America could not see its importance. Mexican Americans were different and American political leaders thought they could use those differences to separate the two cultures to benefit them. He knew that America could eventually be capable of respecting more than one culture and that is why he is one very important figure in the fight for cultural diversity.
While everyone knows the ties between Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott, many people do not know the name of the woman who was behind the idea. Jo Ann Robinson was born on April 17, 1912 in Georgia in the United States. After going to multiple different universities Robinson earned her masters degree in English from the esteemed Columbia University. She then moved to Montgomery, Alabama to teach at Alabama State College. During her time in Alabama Robinson faced much discrimination due to her race and gender. In 1949 while riding the bus Robinson was verbally assaulted by the bus driver because she was sitting in the “white only” section of the bus. She left the bus in fear that the situation would only escalate if she had fought back and then went on to organize a boycott. However, people were wary of her boycott idea and the backlash that they could receive because of it. Robinson continued to press the issue and achieved some small victories throughout her fight for civil rights. When Rosa Parks was arrested Robinson took the chance to plan the famous Montgomery bus boycott. With Parks’ permission, Robinson planned the entire boycott while Park’s was stuck in jail. While the boycott was only meant to last one day, the movement gained momentum and lasted thirteen months. The boycott started many other movements to fight for civil rights and eventually led to the desegregation of public transportation. Robinson continued to fight for civil rights alongside prominent leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the rest of her life. She not only was a prominent figure in the fight for civil rights, but also fought for the rights of women as well. The Montgomery bus boycott was not just about racial equality for Robinson, but also the recognition of what women are capable of as well. These ideas that Robinson preached and stood up for are one of the reasons cultural diversity is so important to society today.
Audre Lorde was born on February 18, 1934 in New York City in the United States. She came from a family of Caribbean immigrants and faced discrimination because of her darker skin color at an early age. Throughout her childhood, Lorde struggled with communication and turned to the use of poetry instead. She could describe exactly how she was feeling through poems, rather than simple language. Lorde’s intelligence led her to Hunter College and then Columbia University where she earned a master’s degree in library science. After graduating Lorde continued writing as well as found a passion for involving herself in civil rights movements. She realized she could write about these topics in her poetry and wanted to spread her message. In 1984, she moved to Berlin to start a visiting professorship where she then involved herself in the Black movement in Germany. Even though Germany was not her home, Lorde still cared about the injustices that were happening to the Black community there and encouraged them, especially Black women, to speak out against it. Instead of using violence, Lorde turned to her words and helped bring about awareness for racial equality in Germany. Her work did not stop in Germany and she continued to write about conflicts with race, gender, and sexuality. Many of her poems focus on the importance of cultural diversity and how integral it is not only to society, but to individuals as well. She expresses that all the different cultures that people practice eventually melt into one, without losing their individual significance. She promotes the idea that a culturally diverse society is one that demonstrates growth, rather than stagnation. While many other civil rights activists fought the battle through actions, Lorde simply used her words to express complex ideas about the importance of cultural diversity.
Desmond Tutu was born in Klerksdorp, Northwest Province of South Africa on October 7, 1931. Tutu came from a poor family and spent the majority of his childhood moving around a great deal. Finally, Tutu was able to receive a scholarship to train to be a teacher at Pretoria Bantu Normal College. Tutu was always very involved in his academics and this attitude continued throughout his college years. After college Tutu began teaching high school students English and history. During this time the white minority national party government introduced the Bantu Education Act to further the apartheid that was going on in South Africa at the time by racially separating schools. This act led Tutu and his wife to leave the teaching profession and for Tutu to become an Angelican priest. Throughout his years as a priest Tutu gained respect from many and climbed the ranks in the Anglican church to eventually become an archbishop. Tutu used his power within the church to use his voice to speak out against apartheid happening in South Africa. He valued the idea of a culturally diverse world where everyone could live in peace. Tutu sought out international attention for this issue of apartheid and used non-violent ways to dismantle the system. He organized peaceful protests and even applied economic pressure by endorsing a boycott of South African goods. Tutu prayed with protested and wrote to prisoners who were arrested for acts that went against the apartheid. Tutu came up with the phrase “A Rainbow Nation” to describe what he wanted South Africa to be; a place where all cultures, races, and people could thrive. After being a main figure in the dismantling of the apartheid, Tutu pushed his support towards other issues such as gay rights, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Israeli-Palenstine conflifct, and other human rights issues around the world. Through his accomplishments Tutu sought out cultural diversity and made it much easier to achieve that throughout the world. His mission was to peacefully bring together people and celebrate their differences rather than punish people for them. Because of his incredible work for human rights, Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. Tutu was able to bring cultural diversity back to South Africa and believed that it would lead to a better world.
While there are many activists who fought for civil rights in the past, that does not mean there is a lack of people fighting for cultural diversity today. A more recent activist, Rokhaya Diallo, was born in Paris, France in 1978. Diallo was born into a multicultural family with her mother being Senegalese and her father being Gambian. She is a woman of many talents who has studied law, business, marketing, and distribution which eventually led her to work in broadcasting production. After working at the La Courneuve’s Youth Council, Diallo moved on to found The Indivisibles, which is an association that aims to dismantle the idea that there are particular physical attributes that mean you are French. Diallo, along with many others, have dealt with racist comments in the past insinuating that it is impossible that they can have French citizenship because of the color of their skin. It was upsetting to hear that people still held these racist stereotypes and could not get on board with a culturally diverse world. This organization exposed French public figures by posting the racist comments they have openly made and this led to the organization gaining media attention. Diallo went on to publish a segment in a Vincent Cespedes’ collection titled Racism: a guide as well as become a radio/television commentator. Through television and radio shows Diallo shares her ideas on how to achieve a more culturally diverse society. She fights for many different causes such as racial equality, gay rights, and intersectional feminisim. By using the media, Diallo has been able to reach millions of people and bring awareness to racial issues that are still occuring within European countries today. Diallo’s work, along with the work of many other younger activists, shows that the fight for cultural diversity is still not over and there is still much to be done.
