• what information about diversity in the United States has helped you better understand or relate to others in ways that you may not have in the past?
There were several things that helped me relate to or better understand the topic of diversity in the United States. One helpful thing was finding out that African Americans were not the only race that has faced tremendous racism and adversity in the United States. Finding that more Native Americans were killed than Jews during the holocaust really opened my eyes to trying to understand diversity. Also, learning more about people with disabilities and how far they have come in terms of their rights and their contributions to American society. Also, the assignments that involved learning about and writing about issues that GLBT people face was extremely helpful in truly understand diversity.
• Have you learned something new about your own racial, ethnic, or cultural history?
I learned many things about African American history while taking this course. I learned that the African American culture basically started when Dutch traders brought African slaves to James town VA in 1619. These slaves were brought to Jamestown because Jamestown had a booming tobacco business and the available labor was deemed too costly and there were not enough workers. Many of these slaves appear to have been treated as indentured servants, and a significant number of African slaves even won their freedom through fulfilling a work contract or for converting to Christianity. Prior to this class I did not know that Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play professional baseball in American in 1946. Also I was not aware of the extent of the legislation that had been passed throughout US history in regards to the rights of African Americans. One of the first such legislations was enacted when colonists recognized the importance of slavery, the House of Burgesses in Virginia enacted a new slave code in...