Take a Moment to Consider
How do you react to those around you that are different from you? This could be any difference or diversity. Do you judge them? Ignore them? Is your tendency to bash them on social media or gossip about them to your friends? Or do you choose to celebrate diversity in some way? Consider how those differences may be positive and even beneficial to you.
One example of someone who may be different from you is someone with special needs. The special needs population is one that I have grown very accustomed to in some ways, as I’ve been working as a one-on-one special needs nurse this school year. I knew I loved this population from the times I had worked with them before, but until August, I had never been part of a special needs class all day, every day.
Meet Z
I work for The Stepping Stones Group, a company that matches nurses with special needs students nationwide, including in Atlanta, GA. I was paired with a high school student, who I will refer to as Z*. After meeting Z and his classmates on the first day of school, I feared how the other students would respond to him. I realized some of them had never been around a student like him.
Z doesn’t speak and is in a wheelchair, so would the other students ignore him? Would they make fun of him even? During the first week of school, students began to ask questions, but not in a rude way. They were genuinely curious about Z, his likes and dislikes, his family, and, yes, also about why he couldn’t speak or walk. It provided many educational moments as we all got to know one another.
As the year has progressed, we all know Z better. We can tell when Z is happy because he gets the biggest smile on his face. We can also tell when he’s frustrated or doesn’t want to do his work. The kids in his class don’t ignore or make fun of him; actually, most want to be his best friend. One of the kids loves to hold his hand. Another randomly asks me if she can talk to him. And yet another always wants to sit by him. One of our other non-verbal students will give Z hugs, pat his head, or check on him throughout the day.
It has been the most beautiful thing to experience!
Celebrate Diversity
The other students don’t look at Z, see his differences, and judge him for them. They don’t see his diversity and see themselves as better than him or decide a friendship would be too complicated. Instead, they see those differences as just that: how he is different from them, how he is diverse, and how he is just Z. And they pursue a relationship with him, despite any challenges they may face. In their own way, they are celebrating diversity!
Why is it important to celebrate diversity? Not just with the special needs population but with anyone who is diverse in some way. Someone who practices a different religion or has different political views. Someone who has a different skin color or culture. Someone who grew up in a different neighborhood. And the list goes on.
A Beautiful Experience
Working as Z’s nurse and being a part of his class has shown me how I should treat others and how we, as a country, should treat people. It may not always be easy to pursue a relationship with a person who is diverse in some way, but the effort will always be worth it. You may realize that those differences aren’t crazy or scary but worthy of acknowledging and even celebrating. It may lead to a wonderful friendship; if not, it could teach you something and expand your horizons.
No matter what the result is, the experience as a whole will be beautiful! It will be beautiful for you and the other person, but also for those privileged to watch. Instead of judging or ignoring them, find a reason to celebrate other people and their diversities today!
If you need some ideas for ways you can celebrate diversity, here are a few:
- Read a book written by an author of a different race or culture (find examples here and here)
- Try a restaurant that has authentic food from a different country
- Attend a cultural event or host your own
- Watch a video or movie about another race or culture
- Go to a museum that provides education about a group of a people that is different from yourself
What are ways you celebrate diversity in your own life? Let us know by leaving a comment!
*I was given permission by Z’s mother to post about him.
One way that my family and I do this is trying food from different countries. I try to educate myself as much as I can about people or cultures that I am not familiar with also.
Trying foods from other countries is one of my favorite ways to celebrate diversity!