DIVERSITY / ANTI-PREJUDICE

"What if everyone was exactly the same? BORING! Embrace the differences in yourself and in others."
– Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

What You Should Know...

What would happen if everyone looked the same? What if everyone talked alike, walked alike and wore the same clothes? We would no longer be unique. While you may have family members who look similar to you, you are completely one-of-a-kind. You should appreciate your own uniqueness and love the differences you see in others as well.

Diversity

Take a look around you and count how many different colors you see. What you are noticing is the diversity of colors. Diversity is a variety of different things. You may see red, blue, black and yellow around you. You may even see different kinds of blues - dark blue, light blue, sky blue, or baby blue.

Like colors, people are also different. Our skin is different colors, our eyes are different shapes, and our bodies are all unique. We not only look different, but we also live in different kinds of homes and come from different parts of the world.

Many different people live in your neighborhood - people who have different hobbies and interests. Think of all the different things you can learn from the people you see everyday!

Prejudice

Can you tell what a person is like without really knowing them? When someone thinks a certain way about other people because of how they look or where they come from, it is called prejudice.

Some people are afraid of others who are different, so they form bad ideas about them. But everyone is different. It is not fair to judge someone because they are different than you are. What makes you different from other people around you?

What You Can Do...

Be fair
Do not judge people based on their looks or where they come from. Get to know them – you may find out that they are kind and honest people.

Do not use name-calling
Calling people names is unfair; it is hurtful and does not solve any problems.

Keep an open mind
Learn more about different cultures and backgrounds from your friends and family.

Speak up
When you hear someone being unkind to another person or group, say something.

To Know More...

Anti-Defamation League
www.adl.org