Diversity Dialouge Week: Breaking Down Misconceptions with Humor, Food, and Discussion

This week, UP hosted Diversity Dialogue Week. The week featured different ways to understand those of different backgrounds from their perspective. Luckily, I had my camera ready to document the fun.

For full disclosure, I am of Western European descent and have not left the Western Time Zone, so my experiences are rather limited in terms of being a racial minority. I might be a numerical minority on campus, but societal norms dictate otherwise.

I started my excursion into cultural understanding at the Cultural Edition of Mythbusters on Monday afternoon in the International Student Center Lounge, located in the basement of Christie Hall.

This discussion, taking place during one of their biweekly "Coffee Hours",  lacked individuals in berets or a dummy damaged for the sake of science, however, the quick hour allowed for some myths to be busted while the few gathered enjoyed banana chips or Japanese cookies with their coffee or tea.

Thanks to Ibrahima Kone or "Ibie", one of the International Club Campus Connectors, originally from the Ivory Coast, American society is not full of opportunities to get shot and the Ivory Coast has a nightlife that goes far beyond 2 am.

From Ona Goloka, the other Campus Connector, American by birth, but occasional visitor to Poland, the group learned Poland is a country on the rise and not a backward civilization that is struggling to understand modern society.

Want to answer some of the questions yourself? Give it a try!:

The event also allowed me to explore the International Student Services Office setup.  The offices are decorated with items from the homelands of International students, like a Mirror from Tunisia or a gong.

Gongs are better than bells

Wednesday Night allowed me take on a different role of fashion show photo/videographer, an interesting experience. I was not able to catch the entire show, but I got to record their final walk, which will be posted soon.  The best outfit of the night? According to Haley Barrick, the honor went to a green ensemble not shown in the picture because the wearer had opted to wear several outfits and had changed out of the outfit by the end of the show.

Those able to honor their culture at the Espresso UP fashion show

My cultural investigation ended Thursday night with Black Students Union's (BSU) discussion about "good hair" and the documentary of the same name.

This is Marshawna illustrating a weave

After watching clips from the Chris Rock Documentary on Youtube, specifically the trailer, some perspective on perms, the cost of maintaining one's hair style, and a potentially vulgar clip pointing out the black male's view on touching a black woman's hair (NNSFW/C, not necessarily safe for work/class,) members of BSU explained the efforts needed to maintain their hair, some basic elements like what makes hair nappy (the inability to run your fingers or a comb through the hair) weaves, perms and relaxing (the straightening of one's hair through chemical means).

The atmosphere was conversational and honest, just like the rest of the week. This style worked well for David Bauders, who attended the event for an event review for SOC 436, Race and Ethnic Relations. David thought the conversational style helped him learn a lot about hair care products and maintenance because he or others were able to ask clarifying questions and feel like a real conversation instead of a lecture. 

The week allowed me to become a little more informed about people not like myself.  The programs were so successful, I wish I would have gone to previous events because the events possess tremendous amounts of effort to help people learn about other cultures. By no means, do I think I can do anything abroad as an expert, but I know this week was a start in the right direction.

Keep an eye out for Diversity Dialogue Week next year and do not hesitate to spend some time outside your cultural identity.

Things to ponder: When was the last time you were the outsider in a situation?  If you have studied or traveled abroad, how has that experience shaped your view of other countries or even America? If you have not been able to get out of the country, what culture would you most like to explore?