Assignment: Diversity in Action—Life Lessons Learned

All three professionals who spoke to you in the video segments this week grew up in families that were outside the dominant culture in this country. Each experienced personal challenges and each was able to turn these challenges into opportunities.

• Begin your preparation for this assignment by reviewing the "Key Terms" section of the course text, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Re-visit all those terms and/or concepts, identify those that you still need to understand better, and review them once more.
• Then review the three video segments and pay attention to the kinds of challenges each person faced the ways each person managed these challenges and the ways in which all of these experiences influenced their professional and personal lives.
• Now write an essay, at least 2 pages in length, in which you summarize:
  • The ways in which any/each of the videos addresses the following course topics (citing examples from the video segments):
    • Social identities
    • Culture
    • Family culture
    • Prejudice
    • "Isms"
    • Marginalization
    • Privilege
  • The topic(s), that stir(s) your professional passion and/or remain(s) problematic for you
  • Ways in which you might turn one specific challenge related to diversity into an opportunity to professionally and personally grow and/or advocate for children and families

Assignment length: at least 2 pages