Achieving Full Potential: The Importance of Accepting Diverse Cultural Heritage
April 30th, 2018
By: Reagan Smith
My cheeks flamed red hot and my stomach twisted with dread. Laughter rang in my ears as I stared at my desk. The rest of class was a blur as I relived the humiliating moment again and again.
It was science class in the fifth grade. We were learning about the weather, when we came to the topic of humidity. My jovial teacher pointed at me to explain that when it was humid outside, everyone would have big, frizzy hair like mine, emphasizing his point by gesturing widely around his head. He laughed along with the rest of the class. My childhood in Illinois was punctuated by countless similar instances, and although it felt like it at the time, I am not alone.¹
It was only three years ago when I learned the term “internalized racism,” which describes the belief by racial minority groups that the negative stereotypes about themselves are true.² Abruptly, I saw my childhood memories in a new way. Every make-believe story with my Barbie dolls had reflected my every school day, where the Black Barbie was bullied and left out. My 13-year-old Mexican friends jokingly called themselves “Mexican’ts.”
These and other experiences aren’t that surprising when I consider the place-making narrative of my old town. My adolescence is steeped with memories of week-long 4th of July extravaganzas and class trips to a recreated 19th Century Midwestern settlement. American heritage was narrowly defined.
Heritage largely influences how people identify with the places in their lives,3 and as a mixed-race individual, I did not fit into my city’s picture of American heritage. I held the same values and grew up the same way as my peers, but I was not acknowledged as having American heritage. I grew to reject and loathe parts of my heritage, which was an even greater detriment to my self-esteem, to say the least. Furthermore, in the process of accepting only this specific understanding of Americanness, I also shut down my willingness to learn about and from others with culturally diverse backgrounds.
The lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity in Illinoisan Suburbia left me unprepared for the cultural diversity in California, for reconciling with my identity, and without confidence in my ability to succeed. It wasn’t until I became accepted for who I am that I began to thrive.
It is a disservice to the entire community when its diverse heritage is denied. This is not to say that American heritage is negative in any way, but rather that there are strong benefits to celebrating our diverse cultural heritage. A strong sense of community may help foster collaboration, increasing quality of life and providing support for all of its members to create and reach goals.
One way to teach cultural awareness and incorporate heritage diversity into a community is through education and youth programming. Multicultural festivals or centers may be used to teach and provide gathering space. Courses with an anthropological focus could be incorporated in primary schooling to introduce different perspectives and approaches to the world. Communities may also choose to adopt models like the League of Minnesota Cities’ Cultural Diversity Task Force, which has developed an action guide that addresses socioeconomic factors and cultural barriers like language gaps that impact ethnic community members.4 By empowering all of the potential that is in our cities, we can create more productive and symbiotic communities.
Reagan Smith
smith.reagan.a@gmail.com
Sources:
2 https://societyforhealthpsychology.org/resources/research-advocacy/diversity-racism/internalized/
3 https://medium.com/networked-heritage/networked-heritage-f89130ee643f