Normalizing Diversity

By Timika Gourdine, Delaware H&V

My maternal great grandparents became an interracial couple during a time when marrying someone of a different race was not accepted, and even illegal in some areas. As a result, diversity was a very natural part of our lives. This organic way in which we were taught and lived transcended their generation as family members have chosen relationships with people of various races.

Where I grew up in the inner city, most of my friends looked like me. However, my parents chose to send my brother and I to a private Catholic school rather than attending the local public schools. At first, the culture of the school we attended was very diverse. However, over the years there were fewer and fewer African American students. The world that I was immersed in and thought was normal was rich in diversity of culture and race. These were my friends whether they looked like me or not. In that neighborhood, I started to develop my passion for food, music, and expression of different cultures. It is also during these years that I developed my acceptance of all people and the desire to learn more about various cultures.

Many years later, I became the mother of a child who is Hard of Hearing. Given our family history and my love for books, my daughter had a room full of books featuring characters from all over the globe. I thought I was doing my best to pass the normalcy of diversity to her as it was gifted to me. However, it wasn’t until Zarria was almost three and finally diagnosed with hearing loss that I went to look for a book to share. I realized that as many culturally diverse books we owned; we were missing characters with diverse abilities. That struck a chord with me. I began to think about the lack of representation of children with varying abilities in children’s literature. I wanted my daughter to have a tangible way to begin to understand and relate to the people with different abilities and the changes that would be occurring in her life.

Fortunately, we lived near a teacher’s supply store where I was able to find a doll that looked like her. That Christmas we were able to present Zarria with a doll who had hearing aids like the ones she would be getting. I hoped this would help make this new situation feel normal to her. Once she received her devices a week or so later, she was excited to go to preschool and take her doll to show her off. Many of the children had never seen another child who had hearing aids. It also helped Zarria and her teachers to explain to the students that the hearing aids were special because they helped her to hear better. Instantly, she became her own little advocate.

Trying to explain to my three-year-old daughter how she was special and different because her ears functioned differently created a special place in my heart for helping children to understand diversity at a young age. So, after many years of working in corporate America, I changed careers to become a preschool teacher. I love my new career; I can reach the youngest learners and expose them to diversity in many ways. I am employed at a childcare program that follows the standards that are mandated by Delaware Stars for Early Success for high quality care. Within those standards are guidelines that ensure that children are being exposed to diverse cultures through various modes. In addition to the standards, I try to provide as much exposure as possible. I often do this through, music, food, books, toys, games, and activities. I find books and music to be some of the easiest ways to give children an introduction to other cultures and places they have never seen. It is also an easy way to introduce children to people who have different abilities or use assistive devices. These opportunities allow children to learn something new and to be able to ask questions. It is often an easy way to address children’s questions in a safe environment and foster acceptance and understanding of the world that they live in.

Considering all the events that have been happening in our country and around the world; we are in dire need of acceptance and diversity to be normalized now more than ever. As a teacher, I have had parents and friends ask: “How do I introduce diversity to my young child when they don’t live in diverse circles themselves?” My response often begins with books. With books, you can travel the world and never leave your home. Introduce children to books with diverse characters, storylines and diverse races or abilities. In addition, there are several different companies offering dolls with assistive devices. There is so much to be found with a quick internet search. My heart’s desire is that one day diversity will be so normal that true acceptance can begin.   ~

Editor’s note: Gourdine is a Parent Guide with Delaware H&V and can be reached at Timika.Gourdine@gmail.com.

Communicator – Fall 2020