Understanding Cultural Diversity in the United States free essay sample

The United States of America is a perfect example of cultural diversity. Starting with the Mayflower landing in Massachusetts Bay in 1620, to the Great Migration from 1915 to 1930, to the continual immigration into our country today this country has seen its culture grow and reshape itself over the years. The culture of the United States is diverse but understanding and appreciating various cultures does not always exist within today’s classroom or in today’s society. Understanding or even defining cultural diversity , identifying the challenges cultural diversity brings, or how to face cultural diversity are all issues educators face in today’s classroom. If different people were asked to define cultural diversity there would be a varying degree of answers provided. One formal definition is: n ethnic, gender, racial, and socioeconomic variety in a situation, institution, or group; the coexistence of different ethnic, gender, racial, and socioeconomic groups within one social unit (Lexicon, ). We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding Cultural Diversity in the United States or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another formal definition is: the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole (Wikipedia, Cultural diversity, 2009). One of the main commonalities between the two definitions is the variety of society. To simply define cultural diversity would be variety. Whether that variety is language, skin color, gender, economic situation, or even ethnicity the basic breakdown is variety. The United States started with variety. When the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower they had variety. There were 35 members who were members of the English Separatist Church and approximately two-thirds of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, hired to protect the company’s interests; these included John Alden and Myles Standish (Britannica, 2009). Pilgrims met the Native Americans and soon found there to be several different Native American tribes. The Great Migration was the movement of 1. 3 million African-Americans out of the Southern United States to the North, Midwest and West from 1915 to 1930 (Wikipedia, Great Migration (African American), 2009). The North, Midwest, and the West all experienced a new ethnic migration which created a larger variety within their population. Today the nation experiences immigration of new citizens from all over the world. The United States is a more culturally diverse environment that does not mean it is a culturally tolerant environment. As the United States become more culturally diverse the challenges it faces builds dramatically. One of the major challenges felt in the United States are the language barriers. This challenge has been a struggle for the United States since as far back as the Pilgrims not understanding the languages of the Native Americans. But this challenge turned into a movement in the 1980’s. Suddenly there were legislative campaigns to give English official status, an idea never proposed at the federal level before 1981, and to restrict the public use of minority languages (Crawford, 2000). This movement was given credence by 23 states and in 1996 Congress designated English as the Federal Government’s official business language. This movement created a whole new challenge, the challenge of keeping cultural language intact. The threat to linguistic resources is now recognized as a worldwide crisis (Crawford, 2000). The term moribund means languages only spoken by adults and are not taught to the next generation. â€Å"An additional 40 percent may soon be threatened because the number of children learning them is declining measurably. In other words, 90 percent of existing languages today are likely to die or become seriously embattled within the next century† (Crawford, 2000). If the languages are suffering then it is safe to conclude so are unique cultural traditions. The challenges are not limited to languages or traditions either. Other challenges may include cultural divides caused by lack of education, violence against other cultures due to fear of change, violence within a culture due to socioeconomic struggles, unrealistic stigmas, unfair stereotypes, as well as several disabling instances of war induced panic. After the attack on Pearl Harbor Japanese Americans were unjustly jailed and their rights were violated due to fear. More recently in history, after September 11, 2001, several Middle Eastern Americans have become more scrutinized in the United States and some were even victims of hate crimes. Since September 11, 2001, accountability has become an everyday reality for Middle Eastern Americans in light of official policies that systematically demand that they explain their every action (Amir, 2005). These challenges do not have to become common practice amongst the citizens of the United States. There are ways to combat the challenges of cultural diversity. The United States elected an African-American president in 2009. This election has been touted as the biggest leap for African-Americans and their place in society. There are others in the United States who dislikes President Obama solely or his skin color. The election did not solve the cultural diversity issues in the United States. The election did, however, open the door much wider to some of its citizens by making it socially acceptable to have an African American in a leadership role. Education can play the strongest role in combating cultural diversity. The United States is a melting pot of cultures from around th e world. â€Å"The concept of a â€Å"melting-pot† America, a work-in-progress that will eventually yield a population of homogeneous citizens, is nothing more than an illusion. Once Americans accept this, they need to engage in a new discussion. † (Dicker, 2003). That new discussion is education on all levels. The United States has come a long way in working through some of its cultural diversities through television, music, art, media, and now politics. There is much more to be done through formal education starting in preschool classes and always being a factor in formal education. Through education stereotypes and stigmas can be dispelled and an era of open communication can begin. http://academic.eb.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cultural_diversityoldid=299344953 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cultural+diversity