Challenges to Diversity
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Challenges to Diversity
Introduction
In spite of the efforts that have been made to create a society that embraces diversity, there is evidence that there still exists a wide division among groups along ethnic, tribal, racial, or social and cultural lines. In the United States, it is not in doubt that diversity has improved significantly, especially with regard to race relations compared to the period preceding the Civil Rights Movement. Today, different racial groups live together in communities, and children attend the same schools, and people from all racial groups are free to vote and to contest elective seats. The tremendous progress in the creation of a diverse environment in the United States was witnessed when Barack Obama, an African American, was elected to become the 44th President of the United States. At the same time, many people will easily think of race when there is a mention of prejudice. However, there are other forms of prejudice in which society is currently suffocating. Prejudice may be manifested in the form of religion, national origin, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic situation. The purpose of this paper is to present a personal encounter with prejudice. I have observed many cases of prejudice that have convinced me that there is still a long way to go to realize a diverse society. This paper holds that while there is significant progress that the United States has made in promoting diversity, there is still a considerable level of prejudice in the country, and there is still much work that needs to be done to realize a diverse society.
Experience of an incidence of prejudice
Around two years ago, I attended a church function where young adults were being taught how to approach adulthood. This was a very important function since it was aimed at equipping young people with skills that they need to develop as they approach adult life. While this was a Christian function, it was open to individuals from all religious backgrounds. One of the items that were considered for discussion during this forum was the relationship between young Christians and non-Christians. The major lesson was that individuals have an inalienable right to hold and practice any religion of their choice. However, one participant rose, and while pointing at a Muslim who had attended the functions and said that Christians ought not to associate with the Muslims since they are terrorists and criminals who belong to jail. Surprisingly, there are some participants who sided with him. The few Muslims who were present were compelled to exit the facility. The pain and embarrassment that they were going through were evident. This event was surprising and disappointing to me because a lot of efforts have been made to teach that Islam is a peaceful religion. The religion does not advocate for violence, and the actions of a few extremist groups must not be understood to mean all Muslims are violent or promote violent practices.
The incident really upset me. I had always grown up in a neighborhood where that was characterized by religious diversity. There were, and still are, many people from diverse religious beliefs and foundations, and I had never seen any problem. I had and still have Muslim friends, and there has never been a problem with it. What I went through was a mixture of disappointment and surprise. While I had read in books about the Al-Qaeda and other extremist Muslim groups, and their involvement in terrorisms, especially after 9/11, I had also read books that suggested that there was no relationship between the teachings of Islam and the activities of the extremist groups. Thus, I considered it a very high level of ignorance for someone to find that Islam teaches violence and supports terrorism. It dawned on me that there are forms of prejudice that are perpetuated by ignorance rather than societal dynamics.
In George Floyd, Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery & Amy Cooper, Noah (2020) takes a look into some painful events where individuals died in the hands of whites not because there was a significant mistake that they did but because they were black. Noah (2020) makes a point that there are forces that are responsible for these events. When George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis, and when this is looked at in light of the recent trends, one is left with the idea that these events must have been caused by a much bigger problem in society. In a presentation done by PBS (n.d), it is said that traditionally, people were classified and described on the basis of religion, place of origin, and cultural practices rather than on racial grounds. The presentation indicates that race is a fairly modern concept. One of the attributes of racial definitions is that they always seek to present the other group in an unfavorable light. Thus, it is possible to understand the background of the individual who thought Muslims are terrorists and lovers of violence. The feeling that one’s religious practices are superior to the other makes it possible for persons to start having wrong perceptions about other groups. With proper education and enlightenment, it is possible to have a better understanding and appreciation of the benefits of the religious differences among groups.
Conclusion
That while there is significant progress that the United States has made in promoting diversity, there is still a considerable level of prejudice in the country, and there is still much work that needs to be done to realize a diverse society. This paper has used an example of prejudice on religious grounds to ascertain the claim that society is still characterized by a wide range of prejudices in spite of the efforts that society has made over the years.
References
Noah, T. (2020). George Floyd, Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery & Amy Cooper | The Daily Social Distancing Show. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c&feature=youtu.be
PBS. (n.d). Is Race Real? Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/race/001_WhatIsRace/001_00-home.htm