Martin Luther King Jr. Day may be behind us for 2022, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t focus on diversity and acceptance every day, especially in college. How can you be more inclusive? Here are some tips.
Be Mindful
One of the best ways to focus more on acceptance is to be mindful. Many could benefit by talking less, listening a bit more, and constantly work on their communication skills. A few other tips to remember:
· Interrupt less
· Don’t hog the conversation
· Be attentive
· Slow down
· Avoid focusing on yourself only
· Don’t make judgments while others are still speaking
· Don’t plan out your responses instead of listening
· Show more intention in conversations
· Be curious
· Use the right pronouns
· Don’t make faces mid-conversation
Don’t Make Assumptions
Assumptions can be easy to make – even when you don’t mean to be making them. They can be entirely in your subconscious. Some of these can be based in stereotypes, biases, prejudices, the influence of the media, and, of course, lack of information. Being open minded and curious is one of the best ways to avoid making assumptions. You can also
· Practice mindfulness
· Slow down
· Fact check
· Communicate
· Remind yourself regularly
· Work on having fewer emotional reactions
· Ask questions
Educate Yourself
Everyone is different – even if they don’t look it. Educating yourself on differences, whether gender, race, or something else, is important to be more accepting of diversity in college. Asking yourself questions and seeking the answers is an excellent starting point. You should consider if you’re educated enough on a topic and whether or not your positions are limiting your ability to accept others.
You can also take courses on the subject and learn more about disability, critical race theory, gender, women’s rights, psychology, anthropology, sociology, medicine, and more. These are often available through colleges, but you can also uncover some amazing resources right online.
Stay Curious
As mentioned before, staying curious is a great way to avoid making assumptions and being more mindful in your daily life. Being more accepting isn’t something that happens overnight – it happens with time, practice, and learning. This can help us change our behaviors to be more aware of a diverse group.
And don’t beat yourself up if you make mistakes. If you accidentally insulted or hurt someone, apologize and learn from your errors.
Learning about diversity, inclusion, and acceptance in your high school years is a great way to be more understanding in your later life, too. Even if your school is not very diverse now, that’s likely to change drastically when you attend college, especially if you go to a major city or a different state. And more and more jobs are looking for diversity and inclusion skills when it comes to hires.
What questions are you asking to become more aware?
