How Do You Define Diversity?

Reecently I was approached by a teacher educator with an idea for an article on diversity. The question was, "Wi// an article focusing on socioeconomic differences be appropriate for the 'Diversity' issue? I had the impression that 'they ' were looking for something on ethnicity." My response was,

As long as I have worked with diversity related issues (officially over 10 years-unofficially most of my adult life), I have always been amazed at the human need to categorize things. We seem immersed in the need to put names and labels on everything that surrounds us. Unfortunately the naming game often comes with negative repercussions! Throughout the process of gathering quality articles for this issue, I kept thinking about a recent experience in the agricultural education/FFA diversity game.

On December 2, 2004 eleven people met in Indianapolis to brainstorm ideas for a diversity resource for teacher educators, teachers and other support groups. Each person in the group had committed three days and two nights of their lives to addressing a challenge they were passionate about. Over the next three days emotions surfaced from a variety of directions, paradigms emerged and evolved, and the need for a reality check became apparent. In excess of 130 years of collective agricultural education experience slowly and steadily uncovered ongoing issues of concern facing the profession. As topics/focus areas emerged, passions for the profession and underrepresented groups noted the need for continued solicitation of commitment to the concepts of diversity by the entire profession. Institutionalization of discrimination must be overcome.

To tell the truth, I attended that meeting under false pretense. When I received my invitation, my first reaction was anger. Here we go, putting another band-aid on a gushing wound. When will these people ever "get it"? I squelched my desire to say I would not attend and decided to go and wreak havoc. I thought I would "serve" these insensitive people a piece of humble pie. Oh, how naive we are when we judge others.

I arrived at the hotel and went to the first meeting ready for bear. As we went around the room introducing ourselves, I made an effort to be last. When I finally got my chance to tell them all that I was tired of band-aids-turns out they were too! Collectively we agreed that true diversification must be found woven through the fabric of what we are-not just an odd assortment of pieces tagged on at random. Our job is to make all students and teachers feel welcome in all environments relating to agricultural education and the FFA.

Every day our classrooms should provide a safe, welcome place for all our students. Every CDE event should encourage all young people to achieve. If our current student body does not reflect the total community make-up, it is our job to find out how to reach out to the missing groups and make them feel welcome. Amazingly, even though I thought I was the only one "who got it"-it turned out that we were all on the same page, facing the same challenges.

Can we make a difference?

The real challenge facing our profession is to NOT QUIT. It is easy to look at staged posters and tactically designed curricula and think diversity is no longer an issue. True danger lies in that thought. For as long as people are treated differently because of race, gender, ethnicity, or any other thing that might set them apart, the challenge to overcome prejudice and privilege remains strong. If we become complacent, we can easily fall back into unacceptable behavior.

Change is hard. We all resist. Change is also rewarding. We all share in its benefits.

The articles contained in this issue reflect a variety of issues and challenges facing our profession regarding ways to enhance diversity. However, they also include a variety of valid ways to meet those same challenges.