Diversity addressed at USU
A spokesperson for multicultural education, Ronald Takaki, discussed issues of multiculturalism and its pertinence in education on Monday in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom.
Takaki was introduced by Everado Martinez-Inzunza, director of multicultural services, who said, “He’s one of my heroes.”
Takaki said that in light of the Sept. 11 attacks, there is an “increased urgency for American educators to teach a more inclusive, accurate curriculum recognizing diversity of culture” in subjects such as history and literature.
“Especially after the devastating events on Sept. 11, we have an intellectual and moral responsibility to teach diversity in America and the world,” Takaki said.
Takaki agreed with Barbara Bush when she said, “We cannot allow ourselves to be dominated by prejudices and racial discrimination.”
In reference to the discrimination that has occurred in America after the attacks, Takaki quoted President Bush, who said, “Millions of Americans embrace the Muslim faith. It is an American faith.”
Takaki said the lack of understanding and prejudices that arise are not solely a fault of our own, but largely “a fault of the American school curriculum.”
“U.S. history classes follow a master narrative of American history from the perspective of a group of white Europeans, but usually fail to include the backgrounds and contributions of American minority groups,” Takaki said.
As a result, in 1989, Takaki helped University of California, Berkley approve the first proposal to require a diversity course and to include “comparative multicultural perspectives” in already established courses, he said.
“We agreed that every educated graduate of California, with its richly diverse population should have knowledge of the cultures around them that they may come in contact with in the increasingly diverse work force,” Takaki said.
Takaki said UCB now teaches 225 comparatively diverse courses in 30 departments.
“Today it boggles my mind what the faculty has done with the curriculum,” Takaki said.
Takaki said the “Berkley vision” has spread to many other universities and is possible at Utah State University.
“The key to educating diversity is in the curriculum,” Takaki said. “The change needs to first happen within the legislation. Without law, nothing will happen, save the efforts of individuals.”
To demonstrate concretely how a history class can be formatted to comparatively include multiple cultures, Takaki presented a 15-minute lecture on the early 19th century from the perspective of women, tying together the backgrounds of Irish, Chinese, Native American and other groups of women. He included personal stories of the people and described the diversity of their individual experiences and trials.
Takaki’s demonstration represents how history can and should help us reach a greater understanding of how we are connected to each other, he said.
Takaki said, “History is not just about maps and numbers, but about people with thoughts and feelings.
“A multicultural perspective of history helps us more fully understand why we are such a diverse society. It takes us ultimately to the basic principles of this nation and Jefferson’s dream of equality within the world. It is about our basic recognition of the right to live, equally, with each other,” he said.
Takaki shared his own history and his road to understanding diversity. It began with an influential high school teacher of his similar ethnicity, as well as his desire to understand his feelings in college, he said.
Takaki said, “At Woosier College, I suffered culture shock. People did not look at me like I was an American. I felt lonely. I felt like I didn’t belong.”
Takaki said those feelings can be combatted through multicultural education.
“Making multiculturalism a solid scholar discipline has been my life work,” Takaki said. “It needs to be a respected discipline so we can teach our children who we are as a nation.”
Takaki earned a doctorate in American history and holds three honorary doctorates. He has taught at UCLA, Cornell University and currently teaches at University of California, Berkley, where he designed and directed the nation’s first ethnic studies graduate program.
He is also the author of several award-winning books.