Diversity & Equity

DIVERSITY & EQUITY STATEMENT

Growing up, my family moved around a lot due to my dad’s job in construction. Living in Iran in fourth grade gave me a front row seat to extreme poverty and oppression, particularly of women and children. From a young age, I learned how fortunate I was to be born in America, particularly being a girl. I understood that my life circumstances were better than most, simply because of where I was born, and the color of my skin. There was nothing I did to achieve this; it was pure happenstance. Through this lived experience, I thought I understood things like diversity and equity. I believed if I lived my life a certain way, always treating others with dignity and respect, I was doing my part to combat racism, discrimination, and other social injustices. However, over the past two years at UW Bothell, I have gained a deeper understanding of these issues and realize that it isn’t enough to simply be kind to one another. We must all work together to recognize racism and discrimination, and we must demand that our leaders develop societal structures that benefit all people equally. Below are two examples demonstrating the skills and abilities I have developed through the study of diversity and equity.

My first example is an essay I wrote in response to an exam question in my Intro to Comparative Ethnic Studies course. The prompt was to address why systemic racism is prevalent today if we know that racism is a social construct. In this essay, I examine the history of racism, what fuels it, the societal structures that maintain it, and the measurable effects that racism has on our society. Throughout this essay, I provide multiple examples of how racial injustice has impacted the lives of people of color, from income, assets, and educational attainment to health, safety, and life expectancy. Learning about racism through a different lens, one that sees the intimate stories of real people and the injustices they have faced their entire life due to the color of their skin or other differences, has raised my awareness and made me more critical of the motives of those in power. The knowledge and skills I have gained through my research has helped me to further understand the depth of systemic racism in our society. Looking at the data confirms that the wealth of an average white family is eight times that of an average black family and infant death rates among minorities are double those of whites. Being able to research and analyze the data has allowed me to reshape my preconceptions. Probably the most important lesson learned is understanding that it isn’t enough to simply say race doesn’t exist and let’s move on. This will not undo the damage wrought on blacks and other people of color through generations of oppression. Steps need to be taken to level the playing field to ensure a fair and equitable world moving forward.

My second example is a visual analysis project for my Visual Communications class. This was a video examining our contemporary moment in visual culture through the analysis of the television series And Just Like That. I selected this project as it touches on topics such as racism, stereotypes, gender identity, and cultural appropriation. Through my analysis, I compared the show to its prequel, Sex and the City, and identify the ways the producers have made the sequel more diverse and inclusive and aligned with modern society. Examples include featuring minorities in positive roles contradictory to the typical stereotypical roles in which they are often cast, adding women and minorities to the writing team, and broaching sensitive and complex topics such as gender identity. I found that the show addressed the subject matter with both humor and compassion, while simultaneously providing the audience with a lesson in sensitivity training.

I believe the two examples above demonstrate the knowledge I have gained as it pertains to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learning the foundation of racism in our nation’s history and how it has led to the social injustice experienced by so many is crucial in understanding the actions that need to be taken to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society.

EXAMPLES