Diversity should be celebrated

Someone mentioned during a diversity training today their experience of term “black” as evil, dark and scary as opposed to the pureness of white and I found it initially shocking and then, well, true.

I remember in high school my priest (last year of my connection with Church) asking us all to name the colour of love – I was the only weirdo who chose black – it’s rich, deep, endless and all-encompassing, of course, it’s love.

But I was raised to see things my way, not the way it was dictated by culture. I was raised to be a rebel. Sometimes I say wrong things to my BAME friends because I do not operate based on mainstream principles so I am finding the current diversity movement really helpful.

So many layers of systemic abuse of power and privileges… I cannot imagine living entire life thinking about belonging to the shadows of “civilised culture” whatever that means.

But I do know how it feels to be different, ostracised, abused and humiliated due to our identity and I cannot stand it. We need to be careful not to overuse the word “polarised” these days not to get used to it. We are all the same – humans, we must celebrate (not tolerate) diversity and we must see each other for fellow humans.