Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

The microaggression that I experienced was last week. I bought some apples to take with me to work to snack on in case I got hungry. I put the apples on my desk and the data entry clerk saw them. When I walked into work one morning after she had seen the apples she said to me "are you on a diet because I saw the apples on your desk"? I thought immediately how does seeing apples on my desk indicate to you that I am on a diet. She had spoken with me prior to that event about a wight loss program that some of our other colleagues were talking about and maybe she thought that I was on a diet, but that just threw me for a loop. I know she didn't mean any harm, but that offended me. I was actually on a fast at the time and wasn't eating, but I did not tell her that. I realize that I have probably done the same thing unintentionally, but I pray that from now on I am able to word without offending anyone.

I believe the data entry clerk thought that I never ate nutritious food because of my size. I am a large woman, but over the past three years I have gone from a size 28 to a size 22 and I can get into some 20's depending on where I by them from. This was a great assignment to help us pay more attention to what we say and what others say. Like I said earlier I am praying that the Lord word my mouth so that I do not say anything to anyone to offend them.

Big or not I think that I am a beautiful woman, always have, always will !!! You go girl!!!

What's Your Definitions?

I was given these definitions by my sister Assistant Principal of the Middle School.

Culture is shared commonalities among any group, i.e beliefs,    practices, ideas, rituals.
    Diversity means different, i.e.is the difference among any cultured    group.

    These used to be easy to define when people were not as mobile.  But    society, values and practices have changed so much, it is almost    impossible to "group" people anymore.  In my opinion, the term    culture diversity is obsolete and is replaced by multicultural.  I    think that before segregation and the Civil Rights movement, we were    culturally diverse.  Since then, we are a multicultural society.     Black society use to hold a set of common belief as did the White,    Hispanic and others.  But look today, our beliefs and values are    blended.  We are no longer a tossed salad society where each    ingredient (group) retains it own identity but we are a melting pot    where everyone is blended and does not hold one particular set of    values and belief.
    Segregation was good and bad in my opinion. Although segregation    afforded blacks opportunities to be exposed to more human and    physical resources, it It forced blacks to loose part of their    culture by forcing them to adhere to a "white" education system.     The system never addressed black culture but forced blacks to    conform to the 'white culture' expectations.  Although, other ethnic    groups have been adopted into this system as well, they have    programs like ESOL and Migrant education to address cultural    diversity or differences.  Textbooks and literature so-call    addresses cultural diversity but they do not truly recognize    cultural diversity.  Cultural diversity is a mindset, a change in    the way things are done and the expectations.  Cultural diversity    today would be to expect blacks to be louder with bass in their    voices, a little blunt and aggressive and always in survivor mode.     But this is viewed as disrespect or no home training.  We cultural    diversity is truly addressed, young black men will no longer be    gunned down for being black in a white neighborhood.

I was given these definitions by my BFF. Vanessa Bateman
Culture: The way we define who we are by looking at the different qualities that make up our lives, such as food, clothing, language, neighborhoods, etc.

Diversity: Differences held by people and society.

 These Definitions comes from the person that is culturally different from me. Mrs. Fitzgerald
Culture: the things that we have learned from our families that we honor and recognize as unique.
Diversity: The differences that we share.

As I read the definitions of the words culture and diversity from my family and friends we are all on the same page as far as the meanings of the words. Although Mrs. Fitzgerald is from a different culture than I we hold basically the same definitions of the words. All of the definitions that I have received have been touched on in the readings that we have has so far in this course. Even that opinion by my sister as far as how society views culture has been touched upon.

Some of the facts that have been omitted are the deep meanings of culture. With the last two sets of definitions there is a surface view of culture. We have learned that we should go beyond the obvious in ones culture into the deep understanding of culture.

My definitions are some similar to the definitions of the ones that I received, but I have learned to look deep into the cultures of others so that I can really get a true understanding of their culture.

My Family Culture

I would really hate it if I would have to be torn from my life as I know it and to be thrust into some country that I have never been to and that I am unfamiliar with. Sometimes major events happen in our lives that we have no control over. If a catastrophic event were to take place and I did have to relocate to another country and I could only take a change of clothes and three small items I would take:

1. My family scrapbook/photo album
2. My Bible
3. A pair of earrings given to me by my mother on my wedding day.

I would explain that the scrapbook.photo album holds all of the memories that I cherish most from the beginning of life with my children, family historical events, and memories of how we looked long ago compared to how we look now.
I would describe the Bible as being the root of my life and that every word of it was so important that it was a life and death situation.
I would describe the earrings of a tangible blessing that my mother gave me as a symbol of her love and support of me.

I would be devastated because each one of the items listed above mean so much to me and I wouldn't want to part with any of them. The first thing that I would give up would be my Bible. The reason why I would give up that physical Bible would be because I have the words of the Bible written upon the table of my heart and no one can take that away. That is why the Bible tell us to study to show thyself approved.

Some of the most simple things that mean so little to me, might just mean the world to someone else.