Diversity in my Selected Community

The community is not diverse. There is one major population, and from my
observation, in every ten people, nine are White non-Hispanic. Thus, other ethnic and racial
communities are not widely represented in my community. Given the population distribution,
there are identifiable neighborhoods and ethnic enclaves which are mostly occupied by White
people. I observed that Finleyville does not have diverse faith communities. The people
mainly subscribe to the Christian faith, and there are majorly two factions, Catholics and
Protestants. Additionally, given the small population in the community, there are no planned
communities that are aimed at enhancing cohesion within the neighborhood. However, there
are accommodations made to ensure that people live well and that their physical and
emotional wellbeing is enhanced. For instance, there are walkable paths designed specifically
for use by elderly adults as they walk either in the morning or evening. The paths are set
aside for walking, and there are meeting places for people to interact and engage with each
other.
The community is largely not diverse. An increase in diversity would be necessary for
this community because it would ensure that members of this community learn about
different perspectives. Culture influences our perspective and how we view the world. When
we interact with people from different cultures, we acquire diverse ideas and experiences, and
we are inspired to see the world differently. In a society that is almost exclusively occupied
by people who share the same culture, then the people generally view the world from the
same point. Additionally, diversity drives innovation and breeds creativity (Riccucci, 2018).
An increase in diversity in this community will be beneficial in helping people solve societal
problems and meet their needs in different and exciting ways. Multiple perspectives give rise
to multiple voices, which are necessary for societal growth and development.

An increase in diversity means heightened cultural awareness and sensitivity. It will
lead to cross-cultural understanding, and this will ensure that people acknowledge the validity
of different cultural contributions and expressions. Additionally, the community will
comprise a culturally diverse pool of talents. Businesses and companies will have access to
the best talent from within the local community and will thus not have to search far to get the
best employees. A diverse community provides companies with a diverse pool, and this
makes diversity an important element during the recruitment process (Riccucci, 2018). This
may not be the case at the moment as companies lack access to a diverse pool. Also, diverse
teams perform better and are more productive compared to teams that are dominated by only
one community.
Overall, increasing diversity in this community will provide a greater opportunity for
professional as well as personal growth. Essentially, a culturally diverse and inclusive
community will attract investors and globally-minded professionals who are not only talented
but ambitious as well. Interacting with such people and bonding over the differences and
similarities that exist can help elevate people within the community to become global citizens
as well. Besides, interacting with diverse cultures can be a very enriching experience that is
necessary to foster personal growth. Overall, when people learn about other cultures, they are
able to deal with stereotypes and unconscious cultural biases that may be difficult to
overcome if one does not understand if they do interact with the communities. Inclusive
communities provide an opportunity to address persistent yet wrong cultural stereotypes and
help people know each other better and appreciate the differences that exist between them.

References

Riccucci, N. M. (2018). Managing diversity in public sector workforces: Essentials of public
policy and administration series. Routledge.