Why Diversity?? by Shawn LaRé Brinkley, M.S., MFTI

"A lot of different flowers make a bouquet."
— Muslim Origin

. . . And then there's the question of Diversity. Often in America, the existence diversity can be assumed to the point of being overlooked; and the exclusion of the minority can become an included agenda item of the majority. A statement such as this may turn heads, I realize, and I guess that is a good thing since when heads turn, often the brain is turned on too; and we begin to think. So let me explain.

America, land of the free, home of the brave, the melting pot, land of opportunity; I could go on but you get my point. These phrases are used to describe our great country and in the promotion of this truth, we often forget this may not be true for all Americans. As we sing our National Anthem and recite our Pledge of Allegiance, we in part, are assuming this means we are a diverse country that embraces difference and applauds freedom for all. In that assumption, diversity may slip through the cracks and many who are of a minority may be missed in our efforts to uphold the belief of the majority—that we practice and celebrate inclusion. Now let's look at our work as members of the helping profession. We ourselves may stand in a minority; in that we believe that engaging with a stranger may be the answer to an individual's mental, emotional, spiritual, and/or life ailments. As more and more people become familiar with what it is we do, heads are turning, brains are turning on, and we end up with clients as a result. Our work requires we be culturally competent, as we never know who may walk through our doors hoping we can help them work out their relationship issues, family difficulties, marital woes, and even more woeful, seeking help for their teenage people!

In order to do the dance of therapy one must get to know his or her client and this often requires some doing; lest we be plagued with cultural ignorance. Understanding the culture of others can be a fascinating learning experience as well as a muddled mess of mistakes. I do believe that the mistakes one makes in learning about another's culture can be overshadowed by the care expressed in having the heart to want to know.

A sad fact I have noticed is we sometimes mistake the intent of those crying out for diversity. I have been asked on more than one occasion, "Why is there a need for organizations that are meant for one race or another." This question is sometimes supported by the statement, "If a Caucasian organization excludes members of different races it is called discrimination and can mean the loss of a great deal of money in court." And this may be true, however, many of these minority membership organizations were born from exclusion from clubs that upheld the old adage, "the majority rules" and forbade diverse membership. The truth is the existence minority organizations is not to exclude or discount the plight of other races but instead, to celebrate that minority race, which may often feel invisible in majority settings and may not otherwise have the opportunity to feel the love.

Of course this is not always the case, however, in my African American experience, I have found myself defending the cause, "Black Lives Matter" and explaining that this coined movement does not mean for one second that other lives don't matter. But I point out here—largely, it is not other lives that have been taken at a disproportionate ratio by Caucasian Police Officers. Perhaps in a world that truly practices diversity, we would not have a need for such a movement nor for explanation of its purpose.

Diversity is a means of understanding one another and fostering multiculturalism as a rule and not the exception. When our world is diverse the question of "Why" will melt away into the sea of inclusion and acceptance. Tolerance will then become the lesson we teach our children so that on the playground no one will be called outside of their given name and referred to in terms that describe the color of their skin or the garb they wear or language they speak or the texture of their hair or the wrap on their head or the slant of their eyes or the height or weight they possess or the gender of whom they love or the God they do or do not worship or the area of town in which they live; and the myriad of other hurtful, thoughtless intolerant, exclusionary verbiage one can spew.

Why diversity? . . . because All LIVES MATTER!

Here are some Quotes from famous diverse folks in our history.

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."— Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Ultimately, America's answer to the intolerant man is diversity."— Robert Kennedy

"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength."— Maya Angelou

"We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community — and this nation."— Cesar Chavez

"We are all different, which is great because we are all unique. Without diversity life would be very boring."— Catherine Pulsifer

"We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion."— Max de Pree

"Diversity: the art of thinking independently together."— Malcolm Forbes

"Diversity in the world is a basic characteristic of human society, and also the key condition for a lively and dynamic world as we see today."— Jintao Hu

"Isn't it amazing that we are all made in God's image, and yet there is so much diversity among his people?"— Desmond Tutu

"I can see myself in all things and all people around me."— Sanskrit Phrase

"Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day."— Author Unknown

Shawn LaRé Brinkley, MS, MFTI, recently began working as the Outpatient Services Program Manager for a non-profit Treatment center working with teenagers with mental health, substance abuse and trauma issues. She will be developing the organization's outpatient programing; overseeing outpatient substance abuse, mental health, and field capable clinical service programs. Shawn LaRé specializes in trauma, complicated grief and loss, and is continues to explore mindfulness as she prepares for licensure. She can be reached at 818.359.6921 or mftgurl@gmail.com.