Global Diversity Awareness Month
During a time when there is so much divisiveness, October couldn’t come at a better time. Among other very important causes, October is Global Diversity Awareness Month! A perfect time to embrace people’s differences in culture, religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and ability.
After WWII, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in Paris. This acknowledged that every human being deserved equal human rights regardless of their identity. It was meant to encourage respect among everyone. Today, we can take this as an opportunity to learn and teach about our differences instead of using it to cause division. There are so many factors motivating people to migrate to different parts of the world; career enhancement, financial stability, safety, education, volunteering, and language. According to the 2019 UN International Migration report, 272 million people live in a country, other than the one they were born in- a 77% increase since 1990.
Diversity Awareness is so important in schools, in the workplace and out in the world. It is a time when everyone can feel like they belong and the impact that this has is key to success. There are so many great things that people can do during this time to learn and grow.
As an individual, you can:
Share your story on social media
Have open conversations about your backgrounds and differences with friends, family, coworkers, etc.
Donate to a charity that focuses on bringing awareness to various cultures, underserved communities, or has a mission to combat prejudices
Create an event or project celebrating global diversity
Travel to new places
Learn about various cultures through movies, food, books, music, and art
In the workplace, employers can:
Provide diversity/ inclusion training for staff that raises awareness of bias surrounding diversity
Host fun events such as potluck meals, themed celebrations encouraging employees to share their backgrounds, etc.
Celebrate holidays pertaining to various cultures
Make sure to develop inclusive practices for hiring and paying all employees regardless of backgrounds
Create an environment of open communication among staff and management
At School, educators can:
Read multicultural books
Provide students opportunities to volunteer in underserved communities
Watch movies about diverse groups
Assign projects where students research about different groups of people
Lead by example-model the behavior you want to see from your students
Create an environment where all differences are welcomed and embraced
If you can’t have students bring food, have them bring in an object that is significant to their background to share (clothing, decorations, toys, pictures etc.)
When I taught 2nd grade, one of my favorite times of year was the fall holiday season. Because I worked in such a diverse neighborhood, I used this time as a chance for all students and their families to teach & learn about the various cultures in their community (it was a great learning experience for me as well!). Students and their families were to bring in 1 type of food that was significant to their cultural background. They were also asked to put together a few sentences to teach their peers something about their traditions. It was by far, my favorite day of the year (and not only because I got to eat soo much delicious food- although that was huge perk!). It gave students a sense of pride to share things that are important to them and their families; they had the chance to learn about other cultures that were different from theirs, and I truly felt that it strengthened the relationship among everyone within my classroom. I always felt that this was a turning point for my relationship with my student’s families because they saw that I wanted to embrace their cultures and encourage others to do the same. I could probably go on and on about the benefits of doing something like this in school as well as any place where groups of people come together.
Want to learn more about Global Diversity Awareness month and how you can celebrate? Below are a number of resources to check out whether you’re looking for yourself, your classroom or your job.
General Information:
United States Census Bureau data:
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/diversity-awareness.html
National Events Council:
https://nationaleventscouncil.com/global-diversity-awareness-month/
15 Best Diversity and Inclusion Books for 2022:
https://teambuilding.com/blog/diversity-inclusion-books
For Schools:
Multicultural books for kids (birth-elementary school):
https://coloursofus.com/the-100-best-multicultural-picture-books-of-2021/
Multicultural books for Middle Schoolers:
https://bookforbug.com/multicultural-books-for-middle-school/
Multicultural books for adolescent readers (themed book lists):
https://www.adlit.org/books-and-authors/diverse-books-project
Children’s books about Diversity:
https://teambuilding.com/blog/diversity-inclusion-books
For the Workplace:
Global Diversity awareness month toolkit (with additional FREE downloadable resources- This is a GREAT resource for companies who are interested in putting together training and programs related to Diversity and inclusion): https://www.aperianglobal.com/resources/
Diversity training in the workplace (calendars, online training, videos, newsletters and more!):
SHRM: