On Tue, 21 Apr 1998, Eva Ekeblad wrote:
> I am still curious to have an explanation about this from our US
> participants.
Several years ago in my school district there were multiple
conflict between Anglo-Americans, Black-Americans and Hispanic-Americans.
One of the methods in attempting to resolve the conflict was to A) set up
an administrator of multicultural activities and B) schedule in a series
of workshops or inservices of all the school district employees to teach
them to not only tolerate multicultures but to celebrate them. Anglo
staff members often interpreted multicultural to mean African-American and
Mexican-American culture. Anglos often too saw themselves as not being
part of any multicultural group - they described themselves as _normal_.
Curriculum was rewritten to suggest that teachers use multicultural
materials and provide a multicultural perspective.
So, Cinco de Mayo was celebrated along with Chinese New Year.
Food recipes were exchanged - 'ethnic' food recipes. Any food that had a
third world origin was usually considered 'ethnic'. French food was still
gourmet and cuisine, haute.
However, groups that are marginalized politically and economically
began to push for being hired to a greater degree in numbers than had been
historically done. In my experience, central office administrators were
men, and some women, principals mostly men and a few women, and teachers
were mostly women and some men. In any case, they were 'Anglos'. Those
who were custodians and kitchen help, and the ground crews were mostly
Hispanic.
Many Anglos referred to the push to hire more minorities as
'reverse discrimination'. Some of my closest teachers friends took this
position, to my amazement.
Soon, the term multicultural because politically loaded. So,
those who had been hired as multicultural administrators (racial
minorities, of course) as well as the multicultural council, decided to
change the terminology - to emphasize that they were inclusive in nature
and value and belief - and so the term used was Diversity.
But, of course, everyone took the term Diversity to be a code term
for multicultural, which was in turn a code word for 'reverse
discrimination'. So, new changes have come about.
We have the _Superintendent's Intercultural Issues Advisory
Council.
We have _Diversity Coordinators_.
We continue to have the same five year old School Board Resolution
on Diversity.
Which sez, in part:
Diversity means valuing each person as an individual and
as a member of a group and includes differences in culture, ethnicity,
exceptionality, socioeconomic status, and roles.
...we must highlight and reinforce through policy and practice a
set of behaviors that facilitate respect, trust, and communication
enhancing understanding among people with differences.
...that every staff member and all students should participate in
a variety of opportunities to increase their understanding, appreciation,
and acceptance of diversity; ... will encourage the involvement of those
with diverse perspectives and background in district and school
improvement efforts .... that the staff represents the diversity within
the community.
The Intercultural Council came up with a Diversity Focus
Statement (this is still in rough draft form).
"Diversity in the teaching of humanity raises the achievement of
each student and thus provides an equitable education which gives students
the opportunity to become critical and productive members of a democratic
society.
And, I considered all of this a great deal when Jay raised
the question about didn't educators know that education wasn't what
education said it was ... I'm sorry Jay, for this terrible paraphrase -
because what you raised I found so fascinating, because no teachers but
one that I work with thinks that education does anything other but move a
child up the economic ladder if they would only attend to the school
tasks.
So, you see, Eva, the term diversity is deeply embedded in
racial/socio/economic conflicts in this nation.
> Then, agreeing with Luiz, I think that there are interesting diversities in
> how cultural diversity plays out in different zones of Tellus, and
> different historical times, too: different mixes and clashes of people and
> life-worlds.
Yes, Eva. So, the term _Diversity_ is code for multiple
conflicts and struggles over community determination and viability.
> Next, from the perspective of education diversity is dealt with as problem
> (silenced or actively condemned) or as value (cherished and celebrated). As
> Mike posed it in his AERA speech: diversity is met by trying to make it go
> away or by using it as a resource.
Yes, the hope is that by celebrating diversity, that somehow we
will become 'stronger'.
> So 'diversity' in the technified sense that I understand that I do not
> understand seems to be part of one set of US ways of dealing with the
> problem -- a way of putting pretty language on unpalatable acts, probably.
>
> Dominants in other culture do the same thing by other words, naturally. So
> therre, too there is variety to explore.
However, in my school district the percentage of minorities hired
as teachers still stays at about 3%. And they still make up the majority
in the low level paying jobs.
And when it was suggested to the school board that gays and
lesbians be considered as part of diversity, this was totally rejected.
Moreover, the Diversity Coordinators have to demonstrate that
there is a direct causal relationship between their jobs and student
achievement. That because of diversity being implemented, that student
achievement will raise. Students achievement is measured by state
standardized achievement tests.
Yes, Diversity is a pretty word to cover up a very messy social
struggle.
phillip