The Value of Diversity

I was about 5 years old when my mother accompanied me to my first day of school in the fall of ’98. I didn’t know what to expect of school; would I be a great student? Will I be able to complete the assigned work or comprehend the day’s lessons? Will I be able to make friends or would I otherwise be labeled an outcast and therefore subjected to a school year of social withdrawal? As I walked into the classroom, I did not notice the neatly furnished blackboard, or the teacher greeting kids upon their arrival or the numbers of desks waiting to accommodate the new batch of kindergarten students. Instead, I took notice of my new classmates who shared the same look of anxiety and apprehension on their faces. Aside from the similar facial expressions, we varied in faces, skin tone, height, hair, clothes, etc. Although it didn’t occur to me on the first day, throughout the first few weeks of school, I realized that my island community was a ‘melting pot’ of races and social classes. In order for our community to function and prosper, we must accept that we need the cooperation of people who share a different cultural background.

If I were to take a walk into the downtown area today near restaurants, salons, basketball courts, shopping centers, etc. chances are high that I will encounter many different sorts of people that pass alongside me. Some are local business workers, and others are tourists who gaze at the area around me and witness the amount of racial diversity present on our island. I couldn’t imagine an America without diversity because it is through diversity that America exists.

Countries are connected through a network of business and transactions which involve different ethnic groups and citizens. Imports and exports from foreign countries are responsible for the convenience we are unable to find in our current locale. Look at the everyday materials we use in the classroom or workplace. If I were to look at my watch and examine the origin of the manufacturer, it would simply state ‘Made in China.’ My laptop computer is manufactured by Toshiba, a Japanese-based company. Garment workers from around the world are responsible for sewing our clothes and providing materials for tailoring. Oil drills are operated by locals of oil-rich countries which in turn sell us oil necessary for the operation of our cars, airplanes, trains, and many other various machinery we have in America. These are examples that America cannot exist without a multi-cultured society. International business affects the economy of every nation.

We must take advantage of the opportunity to communicate with different kinds of people every day for they share a different set of knowledge. We may have not been raised with the same paradigm or perspective but we can put aside discrimination and force ourselves (for the greater good) to establish a better world.

We need a world not infested with racism and unnecessary criticism, but one that can accept the value of diversity.