Communicating about Multicultural Issues
o It can be emotionally difficult and anxiety inducing to speak openly and honestly about race, however, this dialogue is crucial to raising awareness, sensitivity, and increasing understanding of each other. Here are some tips for respectful dialogue to build racial harmony, and reduce racism, discrimination, and prejudice:
▪ Listen with respect
▪ Reflect what you’ve heard about an individual’s experience
▪ Do not try to debate or minimize a person’s experience
▪ Encourage clarification by asking for examples
▪ Allow questions, big or small
Increase your Multicultural Awareness – below are a few examples:
o Volunteer at an agency with a diverse population
o Celebrate a multicultural holiday
o Learn a foreign language/sign language
o Share a meal with someone who is multiculturally different from you
o Find a recipe and make a dish from an ethnic background different to yours
o Watch a show/movie with diverse actors/actresses
o Listen to music/learn to play a song by an artist who is multiculturally different from you
