Domonique

Through participating in the Laurier International Cultural Conversations, I have seen how small conversations have long lasting impacts. Broadly speaking, I have learned that multiculturalism in Canada can be a celebration of diversity without acknowledgment of oppression (Hogarth and Fletcher, 2018). Prior to the conversations, I pictured confronting oppression as taking aggressive steps towards action. However, I have learned that brief conversations with diverse people can have just as much impact on fixing our broken world as big actions can. This overarching theme manifested itself in two distinct ways.

First, understanding was a foundational theme that put one piece back onto our broken world. I learned that understanding is not a passive display of interest that does nothing to invoke change or personal growth. Instead, understanding involves a change in my personal cultural framing. It involves expanding the frame to see how different individuals communicate, address conflict, and in general, how we function within a multicultural society. I believe this will have a continual impact on how I go about celebrating diversity and addressing oppression, as I am able to identify when my own framing is hindering my ability to engage in conversations with people that see the world differently.

Likewise, the theme of curiosity has been another way the conversations have had long lasting impacts. It has challenged me to be slower to judge, and quicker to listen. Whilst talking about heavy topics such as white supremacy, conflict, and cultural values, I noticed how defence was my default. However, there was personal growth in this area as I learned that curiosity allows for dialogue rather than disagreement. It allowed me to set aside my own opinions, and practice being genuinely interested in what others' perspectives were. It connects back to the concept of cultural framing; if we practice curiosity, we can expand our framing and grow in cultural empathy. That is a major contributor to addressing oppression and fixing the broken pieces of our world.

Therefore, although the conversations haven’t fixed the brokenness of our society, they have been one piece of the larger journey. Even though there was a mix of enjoyment and discomfort within the conversation, I truly believe that personal growth in understanding and curiosity are worth the discomfort if it has an impact on confronting the brokenness of our society.

Domonique Shantz, HR 261, Human Rights & Human Diversity, Brantford