Cultural diversity is a commonplace phenomenon in varied spectrums of the society. It comes into play when the variances in ethnicity, race, ability, language, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, gender are represented within a particular setup or community. The community can be either region, neighborhood, company, school, or city. A culturally diverse group has a broad variety of teams that are represented. Banks (2015) alluded that c ultural diversity concerns have become hot-button issues in different areas of operation. Individuals who hail from varied backgrounds have a different interpretation of the matters. That brings about unique perspectives. Descriptions are therefore modified based on these concerns. Diversity can only bring strength if it is valued and integrated into working systems and philosophy. It requires open-minded and non-judgmental persons to appreciate diversity. Different individuals have varied personal experiences or observations concerning diversity-related issues. Our perception of the experiences is critical and thus, vehemently influences our experience.
The Experience, Opinions and Feelings
Banks (2015) further confirmed that r acial discrimination remains an issue of great concern within American borders. Duality is a reality for a majority of the Americans. My recounts of the firsthand experience of a woman yelling racist phrases at me at a concert in Atlanta have often left me wondering. "Go home!" she yelled at me. "Why don't you go back home to Mexico before you ruin this country like you ruined your own!” At that time, I stood at a crowd at concert’s Downtown festival where I stay. Just before then, I did meet persons who were standing right in front of me that hail from Mexico City, and we began speaking Spanish with them.
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My father was born in Karachi, Pakistan and my mother is from Zacatecas, Mexico. They both immigrated into the United States in the 1970s.That makes it difficult for me to define my cultural orientation. Atlanta has a growing population of the Latino community, and am significantly involved. I squeeze any opportunity that I find to speak in Spanish. My acquaintance was having a great moment and marveling at how the city of Atlanta has done them a favor by bringing back the celebration to Piedmont Park.
That is the time when I heard the yelling woman near where I was. That is as if “go home” was not adequate, the woman, an over twenty Caucasian, repeated the words in the Spanish language. I froze and did not want to know whether she was addressing the people in the nearby surrounding or me.
As a third-generation Pakistan and Mexican-American who is growing in Los Angeles, I had not at once encountered such heights of racism. I have stayed here for 33 years and always been considered among my Latino friends a “white girl” or “pocho” since my family had long since been assimilated. I can never transform myself into a white. The brown skin I possess is enough show that I am not even American. Like several Americans whose grandparents came from somewhere else, we stay at the intersection of two cultures.
Such height of discrimination is so disheartening and requires strength to overcome and be whole. Racial segregation is meant to tear people apart and should not be tolerated at all cost. The woman yelled racism and I at first felt as if I was in the lost country. It was as if I was not an American citizen. She froze air off me and felt as I would break into a fight.
People should be taught on the ways of peaceful coexistence and avoid any racist words. Judgment should not be pronounced based on the color of my skin or language, but on the content of my character. From such an occurrence, I learnt of the deep-seated hatred based on race that exists amongst different shades of the American societies. Some have utterly lost the American dream to the dogs. Others think they are better humans than others depending on their skin color. There is a need for the people to be united and embrace one another for posterity and in having a better America.
Examination of the Experience
An individual’s background has a significant influence on how they interpret issues. Different ethnic and cultural backgrounds have varied viewpoints on a particular matter. The woman yelled due to where I came from and she does not consider me an American. I am a far-fetched American, in fact, a third generation American. She was yelling because I was not initially American, and as such, do not belong nor stay in America. Our local mores were different, and she might have considered her customs more superior than the ones from where I come from. We have two different sets of upbringing, and that informs how we interpret issues. Latin Americans and Spanish have different cultural orientations including the food that they take. The nature of events is equally changed, for instance, our dance styles, our foods etc.
Sociological Issues on Racial Discrimination
The issue of racism seems to be on the rise. That is occurring despite a majority of campaigns against the vice. That, in my view, is related to particular sociological issues that relate to racial discrimination.
My experience easily connects to a culture of prejudice, which refers that the idea of bias is embedded in our cultural setup. I grew up surrounded by pictures of stereotypes and casual expressions of racial discrimination. The society is prejudiced to the extremes both parties grew knowing that they belong to a different cultural orientation. The idea of oneness was long segregated, and at the slightest opportunity, one easily busts out in protest and pronouncing race-related language and insults ( Ono & Aczel, 2016) .
There is equally the idea of power and social struggles between the Whites and the Mexicans. One segment considers they are the ideal owners of the American space and have the feeling of alienating the others ( Ono & Aczel, 2016) . That results in racial rifts and tensions.
The idea of interactionism theory also comes into play. Through such an argument, ethnicity and race give solid symbols as the origins of identity. The symbols of race, and not just race, are what lead to racial discrimination ( Ono & Aczel, 2016) . In this case, it was premised on the language used. The interaction provided an absolute picture of the lesser of lesser, and the dominant team took precedence.
Applicable Laws
A majority of the US citizens have undergone discrimination. There is lots of relevant law that prohibits racial discrimination. The Civil Rights Act is an essential piece of legislation that protects persons against racial discrimination ( Ono & Aczel, 2016) . The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) promotes the access to credit without any aorta of discrimination ( Ono & Aczel, 2016) . Application of the correct law will assist in indictment of those found culpable of the vice. The different kinds of law should be applied on equal measure justice is served. That helps in reducing racial discrimination related issues.
Statistical Analysis
An analysis on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC ) reports depicts a huge height of racial discrimination that is far from over. In the employment sector, most of the executive positions are occupied by the Whites. For instance, in Bamboo Ceiling, 60% of professionals, 70% of managers, and 80% of Whites are executives. That shows in-depth heights of discrimination against the blacks.
The chart depicts employment by percentage between Whites, Asians and Blacks
The police discriminate more on the Blacks. A majority of the Blacks drivers are searched at 12% as compared to the White counterparts at 7%. Once searched, the Whites are more likely to be on the offence at 34% as compared to 22% of the blacks. To my surprise, Blacks are twice more likely to be arrested ( Rice, 2015).
Chart: Population Searched, Contraband hit Rate, and Arrest rate between Whites and Blacks
Reflection
Racism is a vice that is ill advised and can easily segment a society. It needs to be shunned by all ways possible ( Rice, 2015) . That should be a collaborative process from government agencies to the last man standing. People must learn to stay together as brothers and sisters or perish as foolish individuals. America is far much better than that. Racism should be an issue in that only exists in the books of history and not in the present formations ( Rice, 2015) .
Some of the ways through which racism can be combated include speaking up against racism. It can be daring to talk to people who owe a separate opinion, but it can be done. One should never be called a racist lest they become defensive. Next, asking of open-ended questions and stops any conversation that is turning out into a heated negative debate. Open-ended queries give room for constructive discussions ( Rice, 2015) . In addition, as an individual, I may decide to stay safe. If one responds in a manner to suggest anger, it is imperative to nod and end such a conversation.
Conclusion
It is censoriously summarized cultural diversity can mean good or bad depending on the context of use. Appreciating different cultural orientations is instrumental in societal growth. Racial discrimination is a wrong practice that kills the spirit of the American dream. It needs to be fought at all cost. The applicable laws, for instance, the Civil Rights Act should be used efficiently to ensure that those who propagate racial segregation are appropriately dealt with. Cultural diversity should be embraced and used for the correct reasons. That will provide we achieve a conducive and cohesive environment of operation.
References
Banks, J. A. (2015). Cultural diversity and education . Routledge.
Ono, K., & Aczel, A. D. (2016). Triumph over Racism. In My Search for Ramanujan (pp. 93-96). Springer International Publishing.
Rice, M. F. (2015). Diversity and public administration . ME Sharpe.
