Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

 

 Some years ago, I worked as a city tax collector clerk.  The city tax collector retired from his job and I applied for the tax collector’s job.  I had ten years experience working for the city as the tax clerk and thought I had a good chance.  I received the job, not knowing the troubles that come with it.  That same year, it was time for election of the mayor and city council.  The people that were running for different offices, black and white, thought that I was being unfair, within my own race.  Some thought I did not know my job, which I was only following the rules of the state office for the election. This did not happen from the white elected officials but from the black.   After the election, I felt I was a victim of microinvalidation, because some of the elected officials stopped speaking, stopped shaking my hand, or coming in the office.   I was also demoted by the council, because a black lady said I did not need that job and I did not know I was doing, simply because she lost the race.  They did exactly what she request, but I stayed on as a clerk for five more years.  As I was leaving, all the elected officials that year came to me and apologized for their actions.     

From this I learned a whole lot.  First I learned not to trust the people you work for or with. Those are the people; backbiters that will make you want to be a racist against your own kind.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week is kind of funny and strange.  We are to get other definition on what culture and diversity is.  Years ago I had a friend, we were young then, and she would always tell a person if they are acting silly or strange, "you don't have no culture".  At that time I never did understand what she was talking about.  But I believe that she was actully saying the person had no class.

As I spoke to another friend, I ask what is culture she replied, Culture is the way you think, and Diversity is being different.

A church member I asked she stated that culture is doing things the way you use to and diversity is doing diferent things.

As I listen to each answer, I think the point of culture is missed by or every one has a different story.  The ommission here is that no one talked about the race, or the religion, or the age just being different.  I have really looked at what I used to think what culture was looking at people way of lilfe.  This is how I thought culture was.  I think culture can lead some to be diverse; because every one do thing differnt in their own home.

My Family Culture

The three items that I chose are the Bible, a camera, and a 14 karat gold wedding ring of my great-great grandmother.  

In my family, we are Christians.  My grandmother and my mother are firm believers in reading the Bible.  My grandmother always told me that when you are lonely read the Bible; it has a lot of interesting stories.  She would always tell me that the bible can answer any question you have about life problems.  Every Saturday night we would read our Sunday school lesson together. I would let them know there are all kinds of stories like love stories, horror stories, and adventure stories.  I most definitely let them know this is the Bible I believe what it say I can be, I can do what it say I can do, I can stand on his words in Jesus name.

The camera I would explain that I love to take pictures.  My grandmother, my uncle, my aunts, and my mother all love a camera.  They necessarily did not like to get in the pictures but they love to take pictures of others.  The camera is a little machine that gives you a picture of life and how it is and how it was. 

The 14 karat gold wedding ring is a symbol of the family circle that begins at marriage.  It can never be broken when it is solid and have a special bond.

Once I am at my destination, and I had to give something up, it would be the ring and the camera.  I would explain that the Bible is very binding and I would stand on the word of God forever because it never fails.

You know I really did not realize that these things are in my family so strong.  I just remember my grandmother being the strong person in the family and always trying to keep us together with the word of God.