The cultural proficiency course has made it possible for me to understand the cultural diversity that exists in the world, and specifically in the United States. I have come to realize that the indigenous Americans who can lay claim to America have literary been "swallowed up" by people from different parts of the world, to result in a country that I can say consists of virtually every culture from each country of the world. That is why I feel that this course has transformed me and changed my perceptions about other people living in the US. I agree with Koppelman and Goodhart (2005) who say that cultural competence leads to better relationships among people irrespective of their cultures or race. More so, people should put in place mechanisms that lead to peaceful co-existence among people regardless of the minor differences that distinguish them, many of which they have no control (Koppelman & Goodhart, 2005). Something else that I have realized is that we should follow the basic teachings of Christianity that advocates for love and peaceful co-existence among different people. Christianity teaches that we are all made in the image and likeness of God. It, therefore, implies that the minor differences among us should not make us treat people of diverse cultures or races as undeserving of enjoying the good side of life on earth. Since US consist of people from all corners of the world, we need to practice the Christian worldview on how people should relate to each other.
A quick review of the topics we learned is that in Chapter 5, we looked at the issue of race and oppression. The chapter looked at the genesis of racism in America. It has looked at how Columbus discovered America and the first inhabitants of the region, who were called Arawaks. The chapter goes on to show how Columbus took advantage of their naivety and wanted to make them slaves. When some of them died on the way, he decided to take their gold instead. The chapter has also talked about the slave trade and how Africans were being transported in merchant ships in horrible conditions to provide cheap labor to the Whites. The conversion of slaves into Christianity is also highlighted in the chapter. The Christian worldview being displayed here is that Christianity accepts people of all races and backgrounds. It does not look at the position of one in society, as long as he is in a position of accepting and believing in its teachings. The chapter goes on and explores the topic of slavery and how it divided Americans.
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Chapter 4 has looked at the causes of tensions among races, citing the example of xenophobia in Europe. The chapter says that these tensions rose out of the fact that when immigrants came to Europe, they did not shed off the distinguishing features they possessed. Since they also carried their culture with them, some of these cultural practices could not be accepted in other communities. That was why tensions begun amounting among people of different races. The chapter is in agreement with Baltes, Hernandez, and Collins (2015) who purports that among the results of racial tension is violence on innocent people. Up to now, the element of fearing people of diverse races is still rampant, and has led to xenophobic feelings towards people of different races. No wonder racism is widespread in the United States since it has people from almost every country. The Christian worldview that would apply in the chapter is that people should love their neighbours, irrespective of their circumstances. We should be our brothers' keeper and defend each other from any form of mistreatment.
Chapter 6 covered the deliberate attempt of not including religion in the US Constitution. People who wrote the constitution felt that it was not possible to incorporate spirituality into matters of the government since US had very many religious groupings. The chapter has talked of smear campaigns that were directed towards the Catholic Church and made many people to move out of the denomination. The Christian worldview would be to put a stop to hate campaign towards people of distinctive faiths. What matters is the conviction that one has towards the existence of God. Otherwise, all Christians worship one God, and denominations should not separate them.
Chapter 78 was about diversity in US. The central theme is that in a few years to come, people of distinctive races will overtake whites in US. Currently, minority races are at 30% of the entire population, which translates to around 100 million people (Banks, 1999). It is projected that by 2050, the minorities will have overtaken whites in US.
The course also introduced me to cultural proficiency scale attempts. The scales had a multitude of questions that sought to help me carry introspection of my cultural awareness. Every response had a score attached to it. After going through the scale, I realized that I am someone who has developed cultural competence that makes it possible for me to view other people as a human beings first and then as belonging to different cultures. I agree with the Christian worldview that emphasizes overlooking minor differences among people. It implies that I am likely to treat everyone equally irrespective of their religion, race, culture, or any other distinguishing factors. I feel that there should be a level playing field for people at all times. My personal analysis after the cultural scales attempts shows that I have evolved to somebody who holds a different perspective in terms of cultural awareness. I am no longer living in a cocoon that makes me feel that my culture was the only superior culture in the world.
References
Baltes, B., Hernandez, D., & Collins, C. (2015). Increasing cultural awareness through a cultural awareness program. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 5 (1) pp1-20.
Banks, J.A. (1999). Approaches to Multicultural curriculum reform.
Koppelman, K. L., & Goodhart, R. L. (2005). Understanding human differences: Multicultural education for a diverse America. Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
