Diversity...In My Opinion (IMO by KNH)

Definition of Diversity: "More and more organizations define diversity really broadly.. Really, it's any way any [person or] group of people can differ significantly from another group of people.” (Definition adapted from SHRM-Society of Human Resource Management). As we can see, “diversity” is an ever-evolving & ever changing word, and this definition allows us to be much broader in defining the concept of diversity than the traditional definition which focused only on factors like age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, etc.

It makes sense to respect diversity because every single one of us is diverse. Even if you don’t think you’re different than anyone else you are because you’re the only YOU with YOUR unique combination of characteristics and personal attributes out of 6+ billion people on the planet. Example, I’m a 33-year-old, West Indian male with brown skin, 1st of 9 children, born in Haiti but now with American citizenship, speak Creole, Christian, father, teacher, professor, mentor, community organizer, political activist, charity/community service volunteer, musician, writer, blogger, public speaker, Hillsborough Community College and University of South Florida alum, MBA recipient, IT professional, PR practitioner, social media marketer, pro photographer, have helped start several companies as an entrepreneur, and wear many other hats as a diverse individual.

Note: I was inspired to write this piece this week as I put together a Business Communications test for my college students. There are quite a few misnomers and misconceptions about diversity. For example many Caucasian Americans think the term automatically means "Black people and other minorities". Truly in terms of the human race EVERYONE is diverse based on the definition I gave in the first paragraph. So let's start a conversation. What does diversity mean to YOU? How do you live and exemplify diversity? How do you show appreciation for and understanding of diversity on a daily basis? What are the stereotypes you've heard about diversity from those who don't understand what it means in education, government, and the workplace? The truth will set you free...