Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: Meeting the Challenge of Our Multicultural America & Beyond Corporate Cultural Challenge (from Chapter 10 page 254, and, Chapter 12 309-310)

A majority of the nation's elementary and secondary school districts appear to use What we call the Ethnic Holiday Celebration or Add-On Approach, a practice which could be conducive to mere tokenism, where activities and events of generally prominent minority classifications -- African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans--are represented. Using events like Black History Month in February or Native American Week in the third week of September, coinciding with a calendar of special emphasis at the national or state level, for instance, has some value if it is viewed as an initial step toward developing a true, multiculturally-infused curriculum. But when these events are used as the only approach to addressing cultural diversity, multiculturalism tends to be perceived as a shallow means of accommodating categorically-identified minority groups.

These ethnically-identifiable events should not be viewed as an opportunity for singular, plug-in, or add-on types of celebrations. Instead, these occasions can be used to highlight educational themes that are integrated in the academic curriculum, drawing attention to the event as an added emphasis of that which already exists and is studied throughout the school year.

Eating ethnic foods, listening to ethnic music, and so on, merely tends to make one aware of the many cultures in today's world. Although this initial step brings one closer to becoming a multicultural individual, one must still deal with the critical issues of prejudice and discrimination. The celebration of diversity included in Chapter 12 should take place as a culmination of the various points along the path to becoming a multicultural individual.

From pages 309-310:

Put into proper perspective, celebrations allow us the opportunity to learn about historical events and people, including ourselves and others. Under the right conditions, festive occasions can even benefit us psychologically.

Although children don't usually perceive celebrations as learning experiences, they've probably generally had fun celebrating and have been eager for more. On the other hand, as adults, many of us tend to put aside those joyful childhood events. We simultaneously learned and had fun, and then we grew up.

Every occasion--even the most minute--can and should be a reason to celebrate if for nothing else than the temporal release of daily pressures. Shared happiness with family or friends creates strong bonds that may withstand rough times. If the daily whirl of activity seems to gravitate to you, even an hour alone can be a celebration.

Depending on your personal or group needs, how much research time you're willing or able to invest, your free time in comparison to the event and, of course, your imagination, you can celebrate a lifetime of multicultural stew and never run out of new people, places and events to celebrate! Celebrations are as much or as little as you make them.

For every known person, place or event you've already celebrated, you'll discover one you never knew existed. Honor 61-year-old Annie Smith Peck who, in 1850, scaled the 21,250-foot top of Mount Coropona in Peru, or Robert Smalls, the slave who smuggled his family out of Charleston aboard one of the fastest and most valuable Confederate ships, turned the ship over to the Union and--after the Civil War--went on to serve three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, become a major general in the South Carolina state militia, and helped to create the Parris Island Marine Base. Celebrate Peterborough, New Hampshire, home of the nation's first free public library, or Hoboken, New Jersey, home of the nation's first organized and recorded baseball game. Commemorate July 20,1969, when Neil A. Armstrong took that first step on the moon and said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," or Global Understanding Day on March 25.

A wealth of great reasons to celebrate are out there, waiting to be discovered! In the United States of America, even wacky and wonderful festivals, like the National Skillet Throw in June in Macksburg, Iowa; the International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship in July in Eau Clair, Michigan; and Crazy Day in August in Magee, Mississippi, are easy to find. If you're more creative and want a fun celebration at home, consider having a Windshield Wiper Celebration in tribute to Mary Anderson's invention, patented on November 10, 1903; celebrate Gutzon Borglum's birthday (March 25, 1871), the Americanborn sculptor of Danish heritage whose bust of Lincoln graces the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building and whose most famous work was South Dakota's Mount Rushmore Memorial; or commemorate Superman's first appearance in Action Comics on June 1, 1938.

But having fun must not preclude the use of good judgment, common sense, and heightened sensitivity to cultural and religious festivals. Know where to draw the line in your celebrations.

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