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Why Break Dividing Walls?
AMERICA IS CHANGING.
THE WORLD HAS ALWAYS COME TO AMERICA, AND AMERICA HAS ALWAYS DEMANDED THAT THE WORLD TO CHANGE WHEN IT GOT HERE.
BUT NOW THE WORLD IS HERE AND IT IS DEMANDING THAT AMERICA CHANGE. RESEARCHERS TELL US THAT THE EMPHASIS ON RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY WILL BECOME THE KEY CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING INSTITUTIONS IN THE 21 CENTURY.
BUSINESSES WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO TARGET RACIALLY HOMOGENEOUS GROUPS. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SOLELY WITH ONE RACIAL OR ETHNIC GROUP. CHURCHES WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO REMAIN DIVIDED INTO HOMOGENEOUS UNITS AND MAINTAIN AN EFFECTIVE WITNESS OF LOVE AND RECONCILIATION.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO DO?
PROVIDE INFORMATION AND ACTIVITIES THAT WILL INFORM INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVES, AND HELP PEOPLE TO CONFRONT, AND BEGIN TO RESOLVE, SOME OF THEIR OWN "PROBLEM" SOCIOECONOMIC BIASES. MANY OF THESE BIASES ARE THE RESIDUAL EFFECT OF THE RACIAL AND CULTURAL BIASES WHICH FRAMED THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COUNTRY AND CONTINUE TO INFLUENCE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS IN AMERICA TODAY.
WHY DO WE WANT TO DO IT?
BECAUSE THE EFFECTS OF THESE RACIAL AND CULTURAL BIASES SIGNIFICANTLY HINDER THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRUE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RACES, CULTURES, AND ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS IN AMERICA, AND HINDER THE SUPPORT AND/OR DEVELOPMENT OF RELEVANT SUPPORT AND SERVICE EFFORTS FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES.
WE DO NOT HAVE TO BECOME "MULTICULTURAL" SPECIALISTS, BUT WE DO HAVE TO BECOME PEOPLE WHO RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEMS WITH RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND CULTURAL BIAS, THE IMPACT THEY HAVE ON RACIAL AND CULTURAL RELATIONS IN AMERICA, AND HOW THAT IMPACT CAN BE OVERCOME DESPITE ITS HISTORY.
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