Within the last 10 days, the subject of diversity
surfaced on list as it relates to museums. At that
time, I offered a courtesy copy of a newsletter called
Dialogon, which promotes understanding among diverse
populations. A number of you took me up on my offer
for information.
Last night, I received the note below, indicating that
the newsletter would be changing servers and
instructions for accessing the new site. I am
including that information here for your reference.
I'd also like to clarify something. It was suggested
at the time that the purpose of my note offering this
information was to squelch, or at least served to
squelch, dialogue about diversity. Some behind the
scenes dialogue ensued, and one of the questions that
surfaced was, "Why are museum professionals so wont to
discuss this topic?"
Including the old homilies about America the melting
pot, we live in an incredibly diverse country, with
huge pockets of dissimilar people in terms of physical
and cultural attributes. Frequently, we or within a
couple of generations, came from different places and
brought our unique behaviorisms and perceptions with
us.
Now, in terms of a more globalized world a la the
internet, even greater opportunities for
intermingling--and potentially clashing until we come
to understand one another--exist.
I'm blessed to have a very multiracial, multiethnic
family. Each of my mother's four children had
offspring with someone from a different culture. It
has often brought great joy and regular epiphanies,
but not always without a little "pain" in the
understanding process.
Truly, I believe diversity is to be celebrated and
should not be ignored. I wholeheartedly encourage the
group to examine this topic and to consider enrolling
in the subject newsletter.
I believe synergies should be sought, where possible,
and differences celebrated. Through many hours of
community service, I have had opportunities to work
with a number of nonprofit and civic organizations.
When working with a couple of Native American
exhibitions, I suggested that, since this is Southern
California, where there is a huge Asian immigrant
base, and, where scientists believe that all Native
peoples in North and South America derive from 4 Asian
women and 1 Asian man who crossed the Bering Straight
long ago, we look at ways of "reuniting" and
"marketing" to this extended family.
In the workplace, I once put together a Thanksgiving
feast. The workplace population, comprised of
engineers and economists, a large percentage of which
were from foreign lands, was quite diverse. I asked
everyone to bring a dish they would have enjoyed in
their homeland.
It was quite thrilling, as the food stuffs came
together, to overhear the dialogue and understand how
same people were. Someone from another country
brought in a dish. Someone else from a different
country said, "Hey, we have that, too, but we call it
. . . "
We share the commonality of people. With compassion,
interest, and understanding, we can celebrate the
people we are and the differences that make us all
unique. In understanding ourselves and our peer
group, we can better serve our target population base.
Thanks for considering.
-> >To: "Interracial Dialogue"
> <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: [dialogon] NEW LIST-SERV ANNOUNCEMENT
> >List-Unsubscribe:
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> >List-Software: Lyris Server version 3.0
> >List-Subscribe:
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> >List-Owner:
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: "Interracial Dialogue"
> <[log in to unmask]>
> >X-Message-Id: <[log in to unmask]>
> >Sender: [log in to unmask]
> >
> >Dear Friends,
> >
> > Here is the official announcement and
> instructions for the new DialogOn
> > ListServ. Please print or save this message for
> future reference.
> >
> >As you know, we have moved our web site and
> services to another hosting
> >provider, and the list has undergone some changes
> as a result. I do hope
> >that you will find the new format simple, enjoyable
> and a continued
> >resource for dialogue among you and your
> colleagues.
> >
> >The list will no longer operate from e-mail alone.
> New messages are now
> >entered into a text box on a web page we have
> created for you, and allow
> >you the opportunity to preview messages before they
> are sent to the
> >group. In addition, you will need to re-subscribe
> to the new list to be
> >included in future mailings. Please visit
>
><http://www.livingdemocracy.org/dialogueon.html>http://www.livingdemocracy.
>
> >org/dialogueon.html to subscribe to the new mailing
> list.
> >
> >You will not need to unsubscribe from the old list,
> as we will be shutting
> >down the service as of this Monday.
> >
> >On each message you receive from the DialogOn
> ListServ, there will be a
> >link in the footer to respond to the current
> message or create a new
> >message. I believe this is fairly straightforward,
> though please don't
> >hesitate to contact me if you have any questions
> whatsoever.
> >
> >To prevent nonmembers from spamming the list, we
> have protected the email
> >form with a password. This
> >password is "diversity".
> >
> >Thanks for your patience as we make this
> transition.
> >
> >Sincerely,
> >Trish Mellett
> >
> >*****************************
> >Tricia Mellett
> >Growing Design
> >net.growth strategies
>
><http://www.growingdesign.com>http://www.growingdesign.com
> >
>
=====
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]
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