This quarter, we explored our quarterly theme, Diving into Diversity, by talking about diversity and inclusion. Let’s take a look at some of the things we talked about.
We started off 2023 with a website launch of Mentoring A Dream, the start of our goal to support parents, caring adults and mentors with resources to help their teens succeed.
Then we dove right into the topic of diversity and inclusion
Diversity and Inclusion
I love the quote from Verna Myers in the image above. Diversity and Inclusion are two big buzz words that we are all hearing. Here are a couple of definitions.
- Diversity is the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds, different genders, or different sexual orientations. Our country is composed of many people from different social and ethnic backgrounds.
- Inclusion is not only being aware that there are differences between the people in our country, but being willing to accept those differences and giving them the same level of respect and opportunity that others in our country have.
Then we featured our quarterly featured resource, The Respect Diversity Foundation, which provides resources and programs for teachers to help their students learn about diversity and inclusion. Their recent learning initiative, the Symbols Campaign, introduces students to a work or literature or a painting and has them talk about it and create a symbol that represents what it means in a diversity and inclusion view.
Black History Month
In February, we added the story of Black Americans to our diversity and inclusion conversation. We started the month talking about What Sparked the Diversity Discussion? Talking about the events that brought a spotlight to the diversity and inclusion discussion including the deaths of George Floyd and Tyre Nichols. And we provided the following topics to talk to your teen about diversity and inclusion.
- People are people. We all do the same things like eat, sleep and work.
- Everyone is unique and should be treated fairly. Regardless of what they look like or where they live.
- When you meet someone, open up your mind to people’s differences and accept them. Not only will you learn about them, but they will also learn about you in the process
Our featured author for this month was Nikki Giovanni who told us her diversity story about living with her grandparents in Tennessee. She meets her local librarian, Mrs. Long, who opened up a whole new world through reading and literature. She became a professor of English and Literature and retired from Virginia Tech in 2022.
Then we concluded the month with a great source of recreation and programming for teens, the YMCA and its connection to the creation of Black History Month. Here is a link to that post The YMCA and Black History Month.
Diverse Women in History Month
March brought us to talking about what affect women of color have had on the history of our country.
Kamala Harris
Became the first woman of color Vice President of the United States.
Claudine Gay
Is the soon to be president of Harvard University, the first woman of color and second woman in school history to hold the position.
Our featured author for Women in History Month, who is known for her autobiographical style, Maya Angelou, gave us a view of her diversity story through personal experience, what it was like growing up Black, pre civil rights in Arkansas. Her many books and poems have told the story of the challenges that many Black Americans have faced in the name of diversity and inclusion.
What did you learn?
What did you learn about diversity and inclusion this quarter? I hope you picked up a few new facts that you can discuss with your pre teen, teen or young adult. Please let me know in the comments what you took away from this quarter’s content.
