Voices of Diversity

Today’s world involves increased contact among people from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, creating problems for many people. This book views diversity through the eyes of the children of diversity: the offspring of "mixed" marriages between different races, religions, or nationalities. Using personal case studies, this comprehensive work examines the difficulties that can accompany close, interpersonal relationships across racial or cultural backgrounds. Identity struggles are common, as the author finds people who are told they must identify as Black because they look Black – and are later informed, sometimes by the same person, that they are not "really Black." They attempt to define their identity – when half the family says they are Christian, and the other half insists they are Jewish. They are required to "pick one" box for race, when their parents are from different races. This book describes their experiences and suggests ways of improving relationships across racial and cultural lines. Applied chapters suggest ways to improve diverse relationships at three levels: at the "micro" level, improving one-on-one relationships across ethnic or racial lines; at the "meso" level, developing programs to improve diverse relationships in schools and other community settings, particularly schools; at the "macro" level, through an analysis of the experiences of five different societies with diverse populations.