Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

It has been a challenge trying to pinpoint and occasion where microaggression has taken place in my environment. 
An example that I would have recalled is where one of my aunts usually make comments jokingly to our family who come from the Caribbean where things are not as developed, or prices not as reasonable in the US etc. She would make comments such as "you can use the speedy internet to communicate", which is a sarcasm filled statement (this was when we only had dial-up and it would always cut out etc). Other statements would be like, it's better here (US) etc. kinda down grading where the family is from. 

I would not say it is purposefully done, since most times when microaggression statements are made they are not seen as offensive initially. I do have a better understanding of microaggression and though I may have found the statements a little offensive I would not have pushed it because then it would be said that I am taking it too serious just like Dr. Sue was told in the video clip.   

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The three definitions I received on culture and diversity:

• Culture basically defines a people and distinguishes them as a group from others. This would include their beliefs, language, and attitudes. Diversity is when people of different cultures come together, or grouped together for a common goal such as an institution for learning, work organisation, also church. 

• Culture is the way of life of a particular people, it is everything, what they eat, drink, dress, music, everything. Diversity is just a mix of cultures in one place so it can be board or narrow. Example Guyana has a broad cultural diversity because they have black, white, Chinese, Indian, etc. in their country, whereas in Barbados diversity is lower because there is 90% black then everyone else. 

• Culture is what we do an how we do it, the stories told, the way individuals do things. Diversity is just varying way of doing things. Multiformity.  

The persons I asked included mostly surface culture such as language, race, food, music, dress etc. Few mentioned the deep culture such as the way we do things, what we believe in and how we think things should happen. This has shown me that the deep culture is overlooked and sometimes not considered to be a part of an individual's culture. 

My Family Culture

The three items would be:

• Bible
• A family photo of extended family
• Diary

        These three items are important to me because they all have significant meaning to me and how I have grown up withing my family culture. The photo is important because family means a lot to me, from age 13 my family on my father's side have been having family reunions as a way of keeping connected and passing on the legacy, and on my mother's side family is also important though we do not have reunions. The photo would be important because if I cannot be among them at least I would have a photo of my family to bring a smile to my face when I reminisce on all the memories we have made as a family.
       Within my family immediate and extended the christian faith has been extended down through generations, and a strong belief in having a relationship with God, this is why having the bible would be one of my items. I am able to read it and develop my relationship with God, maybe encourage others who may see the unfortunate circumstance as the end of a purposeful life. Although I have grown up reading the bible there are still many passages I would want to read, and being in a new country I may have more time to do such reading.
        The diary is an aspect in which I developed over the years of growing up. I started keeping records of events when I had to change homes in my country Barbados, I did not keep daily records but any eventful occurrence was recorded in my diary. It brought a about a method of venting when there was no one to express how I felt to, it also allowed me to keep records of things I may not remember years later, and it also allows me to see where I was and where I am now especially mentally and intellectually.

If I was told I could only keep one item, I would feel torn between which one to keep because they all mean something significant to me. It is difficult to part with something that has become a part of who you are, and one may try to hide and keep at least two of the items. A number of mixed feelings would arise; such as sadness, anger, betrayed, indecisiveness, dislike for the person(s) whom instructed such a choice to be made, etc.

In doing this exercise I have come to realise and understand a little more about my personal family culture, because through my experiences which make up my family culture, I would not have connected me keeping a diary to the family culture I was raised in. I say this because I do not know of any of my family members who keep diaries, but the experiences that I have faced and encountered brought me to a place where I saw a need to keep a diary. These experiences involve the culture of family.