Diversity "is defined as cultural differences in values, beliefs, and behaviors learned and shared by groups of interacting people defined by nationality, ethnicity, gender, age, physical characteristics, sexual orientation, economic status, education, profession, religion, organizational affiliation, and any other grouping that generates identifiable patterns" ("SAGE reference - Handbook of intercultural training," 2012).

This Section

• Fast Lane - Snapshots (in this section)

• Slow Lane - Bigger pictures (in own sections below)

• Immigration and Statistics

Note: the inclusion of specific human experiences and lives lost comes from a place of sincerity, with a hope for change. My intention is to use these examples to educate, build empathy, create cross-cultural connections; not expose. Some viewers may find the included examples upsetting.

• Truth and Reconciliation efforts are being sped up in light of the 215 Indigenous children's bodies recently discovered in unmarked graves on the grounds of an old residential school in Kamloops, BC.

• "Black Lives Matter" is the name given to a world-wide social justice movement calling for a stop to the racial profiling and killing of black people by police.

“It’s important for us to also understand that the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ simply refers to the notion that there’s a specific vulnerability for African Americans that needs to be addressed. It’s not meant to suggest that other lives don’t matter. It’s to suggest that other folks aren’t experiencing this particular vulnerability.” ~ President Barack Obama

• The COVID-19 Pandemic started in China. Overt Anti-Asian discrimination has been on the rise since it started.

"Between March 2020 and February 2021, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 1,150 cases of racist attacks [against Asian Canadians] from across Canada. Most of these incidents, 40 per cent and 44 per cent of all cases of racist attacks and incidents, were reported from Ontario and British Columbia respectively. In many instances, these racially motivated attacks have targeted the vulnerable, including children and the elderly" ("Ontario newsroom," 2021). “People with high income or low income, people who speak English or don’t speak English, people who come earlier or new arrivals – there’s no difference,” Zhang says. “Nobody is protected by money, gender, disability or language abilities. It’s not because of status – it’s because of our appearance and racial background" ("Anti-Asian discrimination on the rise in Canada, U of T researchers find," 2021).

• Anti-Muslim prejudices have been on the rise in North America since 911. Recently, the intentional killing of 4 members of a visibly Muslim family crossing the street in London, Ontario has broken hearts and made headlines.

Islamophobia: "An exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, and the marginalization and exclusion of Muslims from social, political, and civic life" (Gallup, 2011).

"In addition to contributing to the social and economic development of the country, immigrants and their descendants play a significant role in shaping and enriching the ethnic, cultural and linguistic composition of the Canadian population" ("Daily — Immigration and ethnocultural diversity: Key results from the 2016 census," 2017).

Top Image: The Crown Heights Children’s History Quilt (detail), Faith Ringgold, https://museum.gwu.edu/artists-interpret-syrian-crisis-african-and-latin-american-migrations