Week 13: Text Messaging

November 29, 2010:  Diversity is any kind of variety that makes our world a better place.

How many different ways do we have of communicating with each other? The list might seem endless. We talk on our cell phones, we write poems, we high-five each other, we smile. What about one of our newest and most fun modes of communicating—text messaging.

Did you know text messaging has a birthday? Eighteen years ago this week, the first text message ever was sent by a computer science engineer in London, England to his boss. Though a little early, the message said, “Merry Christmas.”

Like most inventions, text messaging can be used for positive and negative purposes. In the context of celebrating the diversity of ways in which we communicate, let’s all remember to use text messaging responsibly and honestly.

Remember, you don’t have to travel as far as London, England to find diversity. There are hundreds of opportunities to celebrate diversity right here at your own school. Find one today!

Week 12: The Discovery of Lucy

November 22, 2010:  Diversity is any kind of variety that makes our world a better place.

How long did it take for you to learn how to walk?  Perhaps one or two years?  From an evolutionary standpoint, it took humans millions of years before they were able to stand upright and walk on twos, instead of fours.

In this week, in 1974, archaeologists made an amazing discovery—several hundred pieces of bone from a human ancestor who lived more than 3 million years ago!  They gave her the name, “Lucy.”  The discovery of Lucy was significant because scientists could tell from her skeleton that she was able to walk upright.

Lucy was discovered in Ethiopia, one of the countries located in an area known as the Horn of Africa.  The Horn of Africa has produced amazing discoveries about our origins, including the evidence of the first stone tools from 2.6 million years ago, and the first modern humans from 130,000 years ago.  

Remember, you don’t have to travel as far as Horn of Africa to find diversity.  There are hundreds of opportunities to celebrate diversity right here at your own school.  Find one today! 

Week 11: The American Indian Movement

November 15, 2010:  Diversity is any kind of variety that makes our world a better place.

Although the Civil Rights era of the 1960’s is mostly associated with the progress of African-Americans, it was a time of activism across all minorities.  American Indians, who in their history had lost so much and suffered so much, were particularly inspired by the actions of Martin Luther King and began mobilizing as well.

This week in 1969 marked the beginning of an era of Indian activism when a group of 300 American Indians and non-Indian supporters took control of the abandoned prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.  The occupation ended up lasting for over a year and a half, and was successful in raising public awareness for their cause.

You may have noticed the usage of the term “American Indian” instead of the more familiar “Native American”.  Although both are considered acceptable, most people prefer to call themselves “Indians,” if not by their specific tribal name.

Remember, you don’t have to travel as far as an American Indian community to find diversity.  There are hundreds of opportunities to celebrate diversity right here at your own school.  Find one today! 

Week 10: The Fall of the Berlin Wall

November 8, 2010:  Diversity is any kind of variety that makes our world a better place. 

Diversity is not always about “how we look.”  Even people from the same ethnic background who live right next to each other can experience both the joys and challenges of diversity.

Following defeat in World War II, Germany was split into two countries:  democratic West Germany and communist East Germany.  But 21 years ago this week, Communist control suddenly weakened, and exuberant residents of the divided city of Berlin were allowed to tear down the enormous wall that had been separating them from each other.  The Berlin Wall fell. 

Within one year, West and East Germany had re-unified into one country, Germany.  But even though West and East Germans are the same physically, the actual process of unifying as a people has been long and challenging, continuing even until today.  Their experience helps us to understand that in order to truly appreciate our diversity we need to value each other for who we are on the inside. 

Remember, you don’t have to travel as far as Berlin, Germany to find diversity.  There are hundreds of opportunities to celebrate diversity right here at your school.  Find one today!