Deeper diversity

The Mathers Museum of World Cultures and the Native American Graduate Students Association hosted the annual Celebrating Kids and Culture event last Sunday. I'm sure it was a fun day for the kids, one that taught them extremely valuable lessons, such as how "Dances With Wolves" does not represent all American Indians. Or even better, Rebecca Riall, co-chairwoman of the Native American Graduate Students Association, said: "We want people to see us as humans that are still alive. We're modern people that can have a good time, and you can be around us without being scalped."\nThat's what I call rich cultural awareness.\nOne goal of the event was to dispel stereotypes while "having a good time." It was about both "fun and awareness." Planners wanted participants to know that American Indians have not been "wiped out" but are still a part of everyday society. \nI question how much good these token events really do. We're all familiar with programs such as "Diversity Dinners" where we eat egg rolls, flautas and baklava and then believe that somehow we're culturally enriched.\nOr, for example, IU's CultureFest each fall, where we get to watch flamenco dancers, black soul singers and drag queens take the stage while we eat "ethnic" cuisine. In the end we've somehow absorbed more rich cultural knowledge and become kinder and more accepting.\nDon't get me wrong, I suppose these events are a good starting point for people who have limited (or no) exposure to anything outside their narrow cultural experience. But unfortunately, these "diversity" programs stop significantly short of true cultural learning. For example, food is a very important part of every culture, but simply eating it only educates my taste buds about new flavors. Deeper learning comes from discussions about sociological and anthropological significance of meal time, how food is prepared or why certain ingredients are used.\nThat's just one extra layer that is often ignored in these so-called cultural-awareness programs. But even more frequently we leave out the particularly ugly bits of cultural learning. Just a guess, but I bet the American Indian program made no mention of arguably the worst genocide in world history, when European settlers quickly destroyed the population of native dwellers after "discovering" the country. Dennis Lamenti, co-chairman of the Native American Graduate Students Association, said that "it's about living in the world with other people." \nBut there is more to learn from the parts we always omit -- the unfortunate historical lessons that point to our inability to live in the world with others (American Indian genocide, slavery, racism). Learning how to make a pot may be fun, but that won't teach me how to navigate and confront cultural difference.\nSurface-level diversity is comfortable yet empty. We've got to scratch deep below the surface to make a meaningful difference.