April is “Celebrate Diversity” Month. It has been observed since 2005, when two diversity companies, the Minneapolis-based ProGroup, Inc. and the Washington, D.C.-based Diversity Best Practices, created a proclamation for the observance. It is a time to recognize and understand our differences — by gender, race, ethnicity, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability and other factors — while honoring our common humanity.
Voices-visions.org, a website about art and Jewish culture, recommends several ways to participate in the celebration:
- Have a discussion with someone from another culture about their cultural values
- Read a book or see a movie containing multicultural perspectives
- Listen to different types of cultural music
- Turn out all the lights in your room and try to get out of bed and get dressed
- Rent a wheelchair for the day and try to follow your regular routine
- Try a food from a different culture that you’ve never tasted before
We can help you with the “read a book” part, and books can provide the basis for discussion and enlightenment. Diversity is at the core of what www.DiverseBooks.net and our parent publication DIVERSE: Issues In Higher Education (www.diverseeducation.com) do. DiverseBooks.net offers many resources – all at discounted prices — for teaching and learning about diversity.
Among them are:
Encountering Faith in the Classroom, by Miriam R. Diamond and Art Chickering, $62.95, (List Price: $69.95), Stylus Publishing, ISBN: 9781579222369, pp. 242.
When students bring up issues in the classroom that are related to religious ideology, faculty members may feel apprehensive or unprepared to deal with the encounter. This book explores ways to handle discussions in which students’ religious values might be challenged or pose a threat to the learning process. It also offers suggestions for religious inclusiveness.
http://diversebooks.net/encountering-faith-in-the-classroom-1.html
White Teachers / Diverse Classrooms, by Julie Landsman and Chance W. Lewis, $53.95 (List price: $59.95), Stylus Publishing, ISBN: 9781579221461, pp. 256.
Teachers are on the frontlines of the efforts to break through the cycle of low expectations, lack of effort and failure that hinder the education of many poor students in increasingly diverse school populations. This book aims to give teachers the insights and tools to break through unconscious racism, bias and stereotypical thinking, as well as to apply practical, culturally appropriate strategies for setting high standards, expecting achievement and getting results.
http://diversebooks.net/white-teachers-diverse-classrooms.html
Race, Class, and Gender in a Diverse Society: A Text-Reader, by Diana Kendall, $98.70 (List Price: $168.20), Pearson Higher Education, ISBN: 9780205198283, pp. 450.
This is a text-reader that provides broad perspectives on the intersectionality of race, class and gender. The book includes articles selected to reflect the diversity of the United States today and show how people are affected by these factors. Articles are drawn from journals or books. This reader has been used in sociology classes and is highly recommended.
http://diversebooks.net/race-class-and-gender-in-a-diverse-society-a-text-reader.html
Field Experience: Strategies for Exploring Diversity in Schools, by Richard R. Powell, Jesus Garcia and
Stanley Zehm, $42.30 (List Price: $66.80), Pearson Higher Education, ISBN: 9780023963117, pp. 263.
This text is for undergraduate and graduate teacher-education courses, especially for field work. It is intended to teach students how their personal narratives and biases effect their students and the learning environment and how multiple kinds of diversity play a role in the classroom.
http://diversebooks.net/field-experience-strategies-for-exploring-diversity-in-schools.html
For an interactive way to learn about diversity, try The Keep It Real Game, Diverse®-Version, a “CommHUMANcation.” It is a tool for engaging people, enhancing understanding and stimulating discussion. $49.95.
http://diversebooks.net/keep-it-real-diversity-inclusion-game.html
Through its partnerships with leading publishers – representing university and independent presses, large and small – www.DiverseBooks.net brings you titles on many topics at substantial discounts Visit our website to find books for classroom use, research or pleasure reading.
If you would like to partner with DiverseBooks to sell your titles on this site, please email: [email protected] or call 703.385.2981 for more information. We encourage university presses, small publishers and self-publishers of scholarly and academic books to join us.