EDU 2120 - Diversity Paper

 

Diversity means a state of being diverse. There is many things that makes someone different from one person to another. I knew that everyone was different but i sometimes wondered how it would feel to be in someone elses shoes. Talking to my brother's sister was good for me because we are similar in some ways especially being a year apart but yet we are so different. We aren't close but i never knew about the worries that she encounters just because of her religion. I think its important for people to not judge people off their appearance or their religion. We all come from different backgrounds and im find it interesting to learn about other religions. 

 

Aaliyah Richburg
Dr. Kit Carson
Education 2120
November 15, 2015

 

Growing up i wasnt raised very religiously. When i was younger we were religious and forced into going every Sunday and we were also very involved with the church. As my brother and I got older and moved around a lot we started to go less and less. Now we only go maybe once every month or two and a few major holidays. Coming from a big family with my father having 10 children i have been exposed to many different culture and religious backgrounds. This also goes with my brother, who i share the same mother with. My brother has sisters from him dad side who are religiously completely different from us. Growing up my brother and I werent really close to our other siblings but recently for the project i tried to do something a little different. I decided to interview my brother's sister who is muslim. I don't know much about the muslim religion and i didnt know much about my brother's sister so i thought this would be a great way to get to know her and the differences of each other. 

Niyyah stays in philadelphia which is also were my brother's father stays. My brother and I are also from Pennsylvania but i knew i wouldnt be able to make it to phildelphia considering that im in school in douglas, Georgia and its so far away so i had to contact her on facebook on October 5, 2015. We rarely talk so she was surprised to hear from me. She has such an open personality so she was opened to answering my questions. Niyyah wasnt born muslim. When she was young around the age of 6 her family actually converted to it. If many don't know up north like places like Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey actually has a high muslim rate. This made it a little easier for her to practice her religion. I know place like the south like Georgia, South Carolina, or even Alabama we are more christian states so the muslim religion isnt seen as much. I asked her about the clothing she wears and how it symbols her. She said that she loves wearing her hijab which is something that is optional for her. She enjoys customizing it and talks about she has many different outfits to go with her hijabs. Although she does wear normal clothes she actually perfers wearing her modest clothes. She also talks about her outfit for prom. She had a custom made black gown the was long and flowy and made sure that her hijab matched.

 

Although she talked about the many things she enjoyed she also talks about the draw backs that she faces. Like we talked about before in many places that she goes sometimes she gets stares. Its something that she is used to but she still doesnt perfer it. Niyyah mentioned that it does become uncomfortable at times. To her it makes no sense that when a group of christians come in with the women wearing long skirts and men in pants they dont get the same looks as someone who iis muslim and wearing their modest clothing. She often just ignores it though. Another issue she faces sometimes is the discrimination that she sometimes feels. She told me about this job that she had and that she was scared to wear her hijab. Mostly because although jobs say that they promote equality shes heard many people get denied jobs or sometimes told that hijabs are against the uniform policy. She states that this is just one of the issues she worries about all the time.

 

My reaction to this paper i felt more knowledged and recognized how important it is to have equality. I don't know much about the muslim religion but have many family members including my brother's sisters who are muslim. I sometimes always wonder how difffernt it is for them and with Niyyah's help it gave me more knowledge of the struggles a muslim teenage girl might face in america. I guess in can say i was one of those people to look at women in their hijabs, not in a bad way but i would sometimes stare because it made them look like they were so different. Now and in the future and always i will know that these women who wear hijabs for modesty and privacy should be treated equal. Being stared at can be very uncomfortable and thats something that i dont want nobody to feel.

 

As i reflect on this i realized how important it is to not be afraid to be religious and show your beliefs. I know some people are scared to do certain things that involves their religion because they are scared what others may think. This fear is high in america because of how judgement people tend to be. I value the importance of just being yourself and not being afraid to be who you are. As a future educator its important for me to know how different my students will be. Not just by the way they look but that they all come from different backgrounds and different religions and places. I want my students to know that its okay for them to be who they are and not be afraid to show it and