I took a diversity course once. It was for teachers, not librarians, so our little core group of youth librarians got to teach the teachers a little about resource gathering -- but that's off my point.

I got in trouble. I annoyed a few of my fellow students when I referred to one of my great-aunts as "a tough old broad", even though I specifically said that I was quoting her own assessment of herself. They said that she ought not to have used that word about herself, nor should I repeat it. I shrugged their criticism off with the remark that "All the Whites are crazy."

Well!

And you think you have landed on me with both feet! Quite righteous on the stereotyping front, until I pointed out that White is my grandmother's family name, and that many of the Whites were (and are) famous for their eccentric behavior.

My fellow students were quite willing to stereotype me, and to assume the worst of me. Or were they just trying to impress the professor?

On the plus side, we did learn a lot about how to approach people with differences in learning styles and different cultural backgrounds so as to make the information more accessible to them. So it was a valuable experience for me.

Which is where I came in: to examine where we've been is to have a better idea where we want to go.

Regards--
Mary Anne