While working at Summer In The City, my eyes have been exposed to a variety of diversity within the organization. I primarily work within the headquarters, and all of the faculty staff is primarily caucasian. However, the people that we serve, which are primarily underrepresented groups and minorities, are mainly of African American and Hispanic background. I never really took notice to it, however, the more I think about it, the more it has stood out to me. I am not exactly sure why the office was mainly caucasian, but I thought that I would feel out of place. I’m not sure exactly why I’d feel like that either. However, it was a personal goal of mine to become more open minded and challenge the feelings of nervousness that I obtained before even getting to know them.
I remember applying for the position with SITC and I mentioned that my race/ethnicity and my socioeconomic status could relate to the students that I would be working with. With that being said, I made it another goal of mine to become more relatable and valuable to the children of Detroit. However, I realized that my race/ethnicity (African American/Black) is not the only race subjected to a lower socioeconomic status. However, there are many groups who face similar circumstances such as some of the Latino students, Asian American Students, as well as some caucasian students that I have spoken with.
Speaking with the most honest of crowds (children) has really enlightened me. There is always a person that can relate to another person, regardless of who they are as a person. Being placed in a diverse placement has taught me that well. Diversity lies deep within many areas of Detroit, but one thing that we all have in common at my placement is the love for the better development for the kids in Detroit. We all work together to bring something new to the city, and reach out to everyone from the west, east, and south sides of town. I can’t wait to speak with more volunteers and kids and place more abstract pieces to a puzzle together.
