Tony Miller, Jr.

Multiculturalism on College Campuses

Autoethnography
Dr. Wilson
Who is Tony Miller, Jr.?
So many times people are asked the question who are you over the entire course of
their lifetime. Many people answer this question by simply stating their name, age, and where
they are from. I have learned who I am is much more than those things. From a multicultural
perspective, my beliefs, values, morals, and biases have all been shaped by my family, friends,
and everything around me. The world plays a major role in what we believe in and how we view
different things. There are different influences in our lives that shape what we believe and why
we believe them. I think our beliefs, values, morals, and biases are the foundation of what makes
us who we are.
When people think about a house, the first thing they think about is how beautiful it is,
how big it is, or how much it cost. However, many fail to realize the true reason why it is
possible for that beautiful house to be so big and cost so much. What is often overlooked in
many buildings, cars, and even people is the underlying foundation. The framework of the
previously mentioned items plays a major role in their effectiveness when it comes to doing what
they are supposed to do.
When it comes to the foundation of people, it is a little different from the foundation of a
house, car, or building. These three objects are built from the ground or bottom up. In a human,
our foundation is established from the beginning of our life or our metaphorical ground or
bottom. Human foundation comes down to our morals, values, and beliefs.
My life started as any child's life would start. I came into this world happy, free, and
without a care in the world. Although I am an African American male, I was fortunate enough to
have a set of parents who were married and the fact that I saw my father everyday already set me
apart from most of my peers and what society expected for an African American male. As I was

Tony Miller, Jr.

Multiculturalism on College Campuses
Autoethnography
Dr. Wilson
growing up I know my family helped shape my beliefs, values, morals, and biases. Faith was
instilled in me from the very first day I can remember.
When I was 4 years old my father was called into the ministry and my life was never the
same again. I had stepped into a fraternity of children who can only speak from their personal
experiences about how tough living the lifestyle of a preachers kid can be. My childhood may
have been a little different if my dad had not become a preacher, but I believe the principles that
my baby sister and I were raised on would have been very similar, the only difference would be
that our public behavior would be examined closer due to the status of our father. My view of
certain things were just different because dad was a preacher.
I believe this lifestyle allowed me to develop a closer relationship with Christ at an earlier
age than most kids due to my given circumstance. I was taught how to pray, I was taught the
importance of tithes and offering, I was taught all the Bible stories, and developed an
understanding for their significance in our everyday lives. I was taught by my family that God
came first and then family. I was taught to respect everyone I come in contact with. I was taught
to respect my elders, treat women fairly and equally. I was taught important life lessons at an
early age that allowed me to be prepared for situations that would arise as I got older. I was
taught not to judge a book by its cover. I was taught the importance of family and the
importance of genuine relationships. My parents always taught me to work hard for everything I
wanted and to never settle for second place. The top values in my life are my faith, family,
friends, discipline, leadership, success, and service.
My morals come from my parents, but my dad helped me understand things in a deeper
and more intense way. He made sure that I understood what accountability is, he made sure that
I understood what being a man is, he made sure I understood what responsibility and
commitment is because he knew that it was his job to do as my father. He was aware of the

Tony Miller, Jr.

Multiculturalism on College Campuses
Autoethnography
Dr. Wilson
impact he would have on my life so he tried to lay the foundations of what he learned and
understood it would take in order to become a productive citizen in this world.
I have also developed some beliefs, values, and biases from my friends or peers as well.
Although the word bias is not looked at as a positive word, a person can have positive biases
about a person or a group of people. I think a lot of the stereotypes we have for people different
from us or even people just like us gives us our validation for the biases we have. I am bias
towards black people because I am a part of that particular group. However, when it comes to
the matter of someone defending themselves I am more bias or sympathetic for women because I
feel that a man should be able to defend himself since he is man. This type of thought process
comes from friends, family, and society.
Another example of my bias for black women, I find myself more bias to black women
because I am a black and I also understand how tough it is to live in this world as a black man,
and I can only imagine how tough it is to live in this world as a black woman since they are the
minority of the minority. Once again I was given this belief based off the family and friends that
I have been around my entire life. I was taught and have always believed that you take care of
your people first. When I have conversations with my friends about certain topics or issues, we
always take race or gender into account because we have all been shaped that way. I do not
believe we are racist or prejudice, it is just something we are used to doing and those factors
actually give us rationale as to why this person may have done this in that situation opposed to
that in this situation.
I think everything stated above is culturally significant because it allows me to
understand where I am from and why I do what I do the way that I do it. Both sides of my
family have many of the same values and beliefs, such as faith in God and placing family right
behind our faith because we believe that family is the one constant and consistent thing we can

Tony Miller, Jr.

Multiculturalism on College Campuses
Autoethnography
Dr. Wilson
depend on. This is also significant to my culture because it tells me how the people in my family
are and it allows me to carry on both family legacies proudly and understand where and what my
end goal should be.
I am well aware that I do not know everything about all the different races and cultures in
the world, but I still have beliefs and stereotypes about many. Earlier in my life and even
sometimes still today, I make judgments about people who are different than me, not because
they have done anything to me, but because I just do. I believe along with everyone else we start
to make assumptions about people we do not know because we do not understand why they are
doing whatever they are doing. I have learned the best way to avoid hurting feelings or making
assumptions is to read and investigate different cultures so we may understand the reasons why
people different from us do the things we do. I am sure just as we assume things about them or
wonder why they believe what they believe, they are doing the same thing to us because they do
not understand our culture or way of living either.
When people seek out to understand instead of seeking to critique awareness of different
cultures will be easier to learn about. I have also learned that waiting to get to know someone
before we cast judgments on their lifestyle can help tremendously. Often times when we meet
someone different from us and we actually take the time to get to know them as a person, we
learn they are not bad as a person as we first perceived. So take the time to learn about someone
elses beliefs and values, because our feelings would be hurt if people looked down on what we
have believed and been taught our entire lives if we were treated the same way we treat others
who appear to be different from us.
Often times we forget how important someones cultural identity is to them. So many
people say hurtful things unintentionally because they are unaware of the impact it can have on
someone. At the end of the day, the identity of every individual is the only thing they have that

Tony Miller, Jr.

Multiculturalism on College Campuses
Autoethnography
Dr. Wilson
cannot be figuratively taken from them. It is important that we are mindful about what it is we
say to people, especially when it is dealing with their culture.
Cultural identity plays a major role on how we as people interact with one another. Even
in cases of people being of the same race and ethnicity. Meanings and interpretations vary
amongst people that we may not understand. Making assumptions that people know what we
mean simply because we know what we mean causes many problems in our society. One of the
most difficult things people will encounter during our lifetime is understanding the reason why
people do what they do. If we do not understand the reason for someone doing something
differently than what we are used to, many of us start to cast judgments and criticize them for
their actions. Our society is so ethnocentric, and we feel if it is not done the way we learned it or
in a way that is familiar to us, then it must be wrong.

One of the biggest problems many people

have is that we too often judge a book by its cover and never open the book to read the story. So
many embarrassing episodes can be avoided if we simply asks questions in order to find an
understanding and sincerely be willing to learn something new.
As mentioned in part one, my beliefs are embedded deeply into my psyche and by nature
if someone challenges me or my beliefs I will defend them. There are many people in the world
that react and respond in the same manner, however there are also many who are not as
outspoken or defensive about their beliefs and their feelings are hurt because someone has cast
dispersions on their beliefs, culture or heritage. My parents taught me to treat everyone equal
and most of the time I strive to do so. I am human and I make mistakes as we all do, and we are
all influenced by our friends and the many stereotypes we hear about. I also believe in giving
everyone the benefit of the doubt and sometimes to a fault because I trust in people so much.
For instance, I am often shocked by behaviors of other people when I find out they have
done something I would define as out of their character based on my interactions with that

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Multiculturalism on College Campuses
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Dr. Wilson
person. This happens to me personally and professionally. Honestly, my way of striking up a
conversation may seem intrusive to a race or ethnic group that tends to be less intrusive and of a
quieter tone. I am not wrong and neither are they, it is just what we are used to. As I have
progressed through life, college, and now graduate school I see that people act different in
different settings and they also act different around different people. I believe that being nice to
someone is the proper thing to do and honestly the only thing to do when you first meet a person.
In my personal and professionally life my acts of kindness have been taken into the wrong
context or even taken for granted in both venues, but mostly personally.
For example, when I am/was single and found a nice girl that I may be potentially
interested in getting to know more, I would be a perfect gentleman, carry on good conversation,
and learn more about this person as time went by. However, if I realized I was no longer
interested in this person in that capacity I would still be nice to them and carry conversations, but
they often times took my continued generosity as a sign of deeper interest. I have always been
taught and believed in being honest and whether or not I told them I was no longer interested in
them in that capacity, my actions always spoke a little louder and often got me into trouble as
time continued and the truth had to come out.
Professionally, especially being a new professional, your kindness can be taken for
weakness and I have realized that many people are going to try and get away with whatever they
can before they stop doing whatever the problem is. I think most of my beliefs are right by
nature, but they have gotten me into trouble and even got my feelings hurt due to
misunderstandings with other people. And I have learned that my beliefs can and does affect
people whether it is in a positive or negative way.
On a more broad cultural identity basis, I know that as an African American male my
identity and culture is and can be perceived differently by many other races. Along with my

Tony Miller, Jr.

Multiculturalism on College Campuses
Autoethnography
Dr. Wilson
culture as well as every other culture in the world comes stereotypes. I believe there are some
positives for each culture and also some negatives for each culture. As an African American
male, I am almost expected to do certain things because of my race. As an African American
male, I am mostly viewed as being athletic, fast, strong, amongst a couple of others. These
stereotypes or expectations are viewed as mostly positive for most African American males.
However, we have negative expectations or stereotypes as well. For instance, we are known to
be poor, thieves, unintelligent, irresponsible, amongst other negative traits. One such as not
being able to swim or being afraid of dogs that do not belong to us are not really seen as a
positive or negative, but come with the territory. Also, since I am a short male as well, there
comes other expectations because of that characteristic as well.
As you can imagine, there are positives and negatives to both sides whether they are
viewed as good or bad. In most cases if an African American male were to walk into a gym or a
field amongst people of other races, usually they are automatically viewed to be good at
whatever sport is being played. That can be good and bad because it gives us a chance to play
earlier, but if we are not as good as they expect, they are disappointed and honestly feel let down.
On the contrary, being seen as a thug, irresponsible, or unintelligent provide the negative and no
examples are needed. Nevertheless, positives are surrounded by these situations. If an African
American male can dress nice, show responsibility, or make good grades, it can help the image
of the African American male. These negative stereotypes can also serve as motivation for
African American males to prove society wrong and help them to prosper individually and as a
race itself.
Honestly, I have actually enjoyed the advantages of my beliefs and my experience of
being an African American male. They allow me to look through life in a different lens and even

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Multiculturalism on College Campuses
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Dr. Wilson
paint my own picture of how I want my life to look. It also gives me a chance to see how people
really are and although there are nasty stereotypes about everyone floating around, they are not
always true, which allows me to continue to give everyone the benefit of the doubt until I see
otherwise, but still not be shocked when they do something out of character.
I have not really read or studied any authors or literature regarding diversity until I
enrolled in this class this semester. I have learned that diversity has become more and more
important as the years have gone by due to the melting pot the United States is. Even while
working in Residence Life at my alma mater, I did not understand how important diversity was.
I really thought diversity was just about different races being brought together to work together.
It was not until I started working at the University of Memphis and attending class that I started
to truly understand what diversity really was and what it was all about. I never really understood
how serious diversity really is. I have been learning about how important diversity is in Student
Affairs and on college campuses, but it has also been showing me how diversity works in the real
world as well. This semester in my Multiculturalism class I bought a book entitled Multicultural
Competence in Student Affairs by Rachel Pope, Amy Reynolds, and John Mueller. This book
does a great job in helping Student Affairs professionals identify exactly where they are at when
it comes to multicultural competence and how important it is. It gives you some theories, ways
to help you improve your competence level, and examples on how to practice effective
multicultural competence in the workplace. My favorite thing about this book came in chapter
one and chapter two. It identified the core competencies of multicultural competence, but it also
identified the characteristics. It breaks it down into three parts: multicultural awareness,
knowledge and skills. These parts and the characteristics of each allow us to see where we
started and what we need to improve on in order to become better at what we do. This is the

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Multiculturalism on College Campuses
Autoethnography
Dr. Wilson
only book that I have read that deals directly with diversity. I agree with a lot of what it says and
I think it can help me as I progress into the profession and also help me be able to help others
with their level of multicultural competence.
I am aware that my definition of diversity is not only vague, but is very narrow and does
not cover everything in which diversity is about. I am smart enough to admit that my level of
understanding of diversity is not very high. The level has grown a lot since I started attending
the University of Memphis, but I still need to acquire more information. Sitting in class and
discussing what diversity is will help me learn more about the topic itself, but if I want to be able
to effectively communicate what true diversity is and what it looks like, I am going to have to do
some more research and studying on my own. With any topic, commitment must be a priority if
we really want to learn about something and be able to speak above the surface level. Diversity
seems like it is a simple term and it probably is. However, the word and its meaning
encompasses so much and the range of the word can stretch so far. Race is not the only thing
that matters when referring to diversity. Race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and
other things are all a part of diversity and without diversity this world would be an even sadder
place. However, if we continue to educate ourselves on what it really is and how we can
implement practices to make other aware of what it really is, universities along with business and
even our country as a whole will be able to work together much easier.
One way to educate ourselves on diversity is to get the opinion about the term from other
people. People are made up of many different things and their thoughts and feelings can help
your beliefs or encourage you to learn more about another culture or someone specifically.
Many questions go unanswered because they go unasked. It is hard to gain knowledge or learn

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Multiculturalism on College Campuses
Autoethnography
Dr. Wilson
how someone feels without asking them how they feel about a certain topic. Diversity is one of
those topics which we just assume because we may fear the possibility of conflict.
Anytime the topic of diversity comes up, it seems like many people tend to tense up and
get uncomfortable. The hardest part about this particular time was because I did not know this
person as well as I usually know the people I have these conversations with. I met this person on
campus last semester one day while walking back to South Hall and we just happened to strike
up a conversation. We talked a little bit about sports and careers, but I would not classify us
really close friends. I see him around pretty often, but we never really had one of those heart to
heart conversations. He is a very cool person so I chose to have the conversation with him to see
how he felt about different things and try to understand the perspective he was presenting to me.
Another reason I chose this person is because he came from a different region than
Georgia and Tennessee. I have learned throughout my college career, different connotations are
expressed across the different regions of the United States. Our class this semester has had
multiple conversations about the different perspectives of people and how where we are from
shapes our values and beliefs about certain topics. Many of these conversations have been
enjoyable, but at the same time have unveiled real knowledge and has at least helped answer
some questions I had previously.
However, getting back to the conversation with my friend about diversity, overall it went
well for the most part. Our conversation was not as in depth as I wanted it to be or needed it to
be, but I still gathered some valuable information from him. To be honest, I felt pretty
comfortable having this conversation because he is a bit older and I was interested in seeing what
his thoughts were. I was trying to wrap my head around the idea of having an informal
conversation about diversity with someone I am not relatively close with. Honestly, having

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Dr. Wilson
conversations like that are easier for me to have in a classroom setting with people I do not know
the best, not just out in the open.
He seemed to be very open and honest about how he felt when it came to different races,
religion, sexual orientations, and other things concerning diversity. One of the first things he
said was how diversity was and how he has seen it change over time. Although he was open and
honest, he was vague and I did not want to push the issue. I asked questions like What do you
mean when you that? and Can you elaborate?, but I saw those questions were not working.
He was very respectful about the sensitive issues and so called taboo subjects. He expressed
the feelings of the United States being a free country and although he may not agree with
everything that diversity means, it is the choices of the people who make their decisions.
The only thing he was very detailed in was religion. He did tell me about the many
different religions he used to study because he wanted to know everything about everything. He
looked into voodoo, witchcraft, Hinduism, studied the Koran, and almost everything other belief
that I heard of. He pointed out why he thought it was important to know all this information and
he gave a brief synopsis on why he believed in Christianity over all of the other religions and
holy books he read. He also said when it came to voodoo; he found that it was real, only if you
believed in it. If you didnt believe in it then it could not do anything to hurt or harm you.
Overall the conversation was a success and I enjoyed the conversation. One thing I
learned through this conversation, is even though diversity has one set definition; it is interpreted
totally different by everyone. This conversation fluctuated from diversity to beliefs over and
over again. The correlation of how your beliefs can ultimately shape your thoughts and
definition about diversity is amazing and the thin line is so prevalent.
Now the conversation I encountered with the person I knew very well was interesting,
enlightening, and fun. We actually met September of last semester and have been super close

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Multiculturalism on College Campuses
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Dr. Wilson
since that time. As we became closer, we shared a lot of information with one another so quickly
as if we had been friends for ten years. The ground that was made up in the last six months was
remarkable. This conversation was by far more detailed and enjoyable.
I chose her because she is already a very impressive individual and the other deep
conversations we have shared about issues in the world have been quite interesting and I was
able to learn a lot from her in the process. She was also chosen because she can present her
experience from a side I will never know, and that is being a black woman. Although we both
have challenges, I always commend successful black women who are not worn down and feel
defeated by how they are treated and viewed by society. I knew this conversation would be great
and I believe I picked the right person to interview.
When the conversation started, she gave what she thought was the overall societal view
of diversity on a very fundamental level. Of course she said is comprised of race, gender,
religion, and maybe geographic location. She said the definition should be expanded, but she
said the reality is those categories are how we really view people. She believes people are very
round objects and we are not as flat as we appear and there is more variability within most
constructs that there are between them.
This conversation with her only exposed to me even more how awesomely wonderful
she is. Her ability to express her thoughts to me as if she was writing a paper was very thought
provoking. Her view of diversity starts at the base of race relations, she believes that race is over
used in society; especially on college campuses. She feels that everyone says they are reaching
for diversity, but their true motive is to increase racial diversity and in some cases even gender
diversity. She then went on to say that adding multiple races or genders does not fix the root of
the problem.

Tony Miller, Jr.

Multiculturalism on College Campuses
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Dr. Wilson
One point that she made is how segregation ended, but racism is still prominent. She
said it is a systems problem and not the problem of an individual. She was very adamant that
one change to the system can cause changes to the entire system. Referring back to her
segregation example she stated, Although integration did not completely eliminate the problem,
it did cause changes to the system. She did however, express that individual parts of the system
are connected. She explained how the legal system impacts the legal system, which impacts the
individual, and that change on one level is not sufficient.
She then added that she believes diversity has been pushed on us so much that it is no
longer acceptable to not be diverse. Diversity is important when it comes to race and gender, but
from her experience of going to school to be a counselor, she is often challenged with holding on
to her beliefs without offending someone else. She believes that diversity has done so to many
of us. She says that diversity has created the post-modern notion that there are no truths.
Now, since the whole diversity movement has been welcomed by everyone, we as people are
forced to not only accept everything, but agree with everything as well.
She does not agree with homosexuality, but she accepts it, but because of the career field
she has chosen she is pressured to say that kind of lifestyle is fine or to help her clients achieve
that ideal lifestyle. She disagrees with fornication, adultery, and lying too, but she feels that
thinking that way only perpetuates the idea that everyone has a truth- even if that is not her
belief. She did admit in order to rationalize a few things she had to ascribe to Carl Rogers
principle of unconditional positive regard.
My good friend did joke about seeming to feel so negative about diversity, but she does
believe it is a good thing. In her case as a black woman she has gotten opportunities that she
would not have otherwise received if diversity was not around. She feels it is needed although it
is not perfect, it is definitely necessary.

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Dr. Wilson
She then went on to talk about how she was fortunate enough to become friends with an
international student and began to understand how understanding different cultures expands our
mind. She lives in a little bubble and is only experiencing what goes on in her world. The
interaction with other individuals from other cultures or even traveling abroad herself expands
her bubble and allows her to learn more about herself.
When this conversation began, she was perfectly fine having the conversation and
actually looked forward to doing so. She was very forthright and open expressing her true
feelings about diversity, her beliefs and how they were shaped. When I first asked her to have
this conversation she was very excited and now I see why. Coming from her counseling
background she is not often the person who gets to talk, but has to listen and then advise. She
was the perfect person to have this conversation with.
As I dwelled on the conversation, I realized how even more impressive she was. Her
values and beliefs did not surprise me, but how her outlook is so different than mine. Even the
ideas that she expressed while talking to me made perfect sense, and it made me want to
reevaluate how I look at diversity and have I got caught up on the worlds definition of the word
instead of my own. Listening to her talk helped me in a number of ways and it showed me that
every definition always has more than one no matter how well defined we may think it is.
At the beginning of this semester I talked about what formed my thoughts and beliefs. I know all
my beliefs are not right, but I also know they are not wrong as well. People are entitled to what
they believe and they will act and react differently to certain situations. As mentioned earlier this
semester, my foundation was built in the church and there are some things I agree with and there
are other things I do not agree with. The important thing is to respect people whether you agree
with their actions or lifestyle and even if you do not agree. I have always been taught to respect
everyone and to treat them fairly.

Tony Miller, Jr.

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Dr. Wilson
Early on in my life, I thought tolerating someone or something was okay, but I have
learned that tolerate is actually a very bad term to use. When I learned the proper term to use
was accept, I pondered if I accepted something I did not agree with would that mean I
supported it. I learned that I do not have to support it in order to accept it, because I cannot
control what other people choose to do with their lives. However, I do control how I treat others
no matter how different we are from each other. Many people who are ethnocentric
subconsciously and in some cases consciously feel that different is wrong and that is not the case
at all. A lesson can be learned every day from the many different people who live in it.
Throughout this semester I have learned many different things about diversity and
multiculturalism. My classmates have shared stories about their experiences and have also
shared their opinions on different topics concerning diversity. I have learned that diversity or
multiculturalism is deeper than race, gender, sexual orientation, and beliefs. These definitions
cover an even wider array of people who fit in several other categories. For example, students
with disabilities, adult learners, student athletes, first generation students and other groups help
create a true definition of what diversity or multiculturalism really is.
The first step of being able to call yourself multiculturally competent, you must first
know the definition of what those two words mean. I think many people feel they know what
multicultural competence is, but the definition continues to grow as other subcultures are created
year after year. According to Pope, Reynolds, and Mueller (2004), multicultural competence is
a distinctive category of awareness, knowledge, and skills essential for efficacious student
affairs work; this category may assist student affairs practitioners in creating diverse and
inclusive campuses.
After reading the book Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs, I was really exposed
to how much I did not know about diversity. The biggest lesson I have learned while working in

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Multiculturalism on College Campuses
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Dr. Wilson
Student Affairs is, seeing how many different people come to us for help. The needs of others
vary so much, and even if people look the same, their needs can be completely different. I
learned this semester the type of professional I am. I am a nice, well-mannered professional who
has very little understanding of what diversity really is and sometimes can make insensitive
statements regarding race and gender because I do not fully understand their perspective.
The book previously mentioned describes seven core competencies for Student Affairs
professional. Multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills was the last one identified. I
learned to first be aware of the many multicultural aspects that go along with the job. Many of
the statements I make, although are usually not meant to offend, occur because I think from one
perspective and not from others. I do not understand their story or background and sometimes
feed into the stereotypes, whether it be positive or negative.
This semester has taught me to think before I speak about certain topics that have the
possibility of offending other people for any reason. One thing that I have been able to do this
semester that will help me as a Student Affairs professional is my ability to know what groups I
am not equipped to help with certain issues. I have typically used a one size fits all model to
help everyone because it has always been easy for me. However, all of my solutions are not the
best for every type of person. One problem I had was that I thought I was able to help everyone
and in order to help people you must first understand what their perspective or experience is so
you can help them. Men and women are different, just like black people are different and white
people are different. I must first understand before I can fix any problems.
Another thing I can do in order to help me become a more competent Student Affairs
professional when it comes to multiculturalism is to increase my knowledge on the subject. I
want to read different books and develop effective ways to teach others how to approach issues
dealing with diversity. I also want to learn from seasoned professionals and be able to apply

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Dr. Wilson
their different techniques so it can help me become a better professional. One of the last things I
would like to do as my career continues is to be able to speak Spanish or another minority
language. I believe my ability to do this will create an instant connection with students and also
allow me to be a valuable asset to whichever university I am employed with. I believe many
opportunities will become available to me because of this ability.
I mentioned in the previous paragraph about my desire to learn a different language,
because it will help me be able to connect with certain students easier. I also want to be able to
connect with students from other countries even before that trait is developed. I want to engulf
myself with a culture different from my own and serve as a liaison for that student group. I want
to be able to provide opportunities for these students who may not be aware of what the
university can help them achieve. My immersion project this semester helped me understand the
importance of diving into another culture and how different their experience can be from my
own.
I have learned that we can definitely not judge a book by its cover. So many people use
whatever they can to cover up their story and whatever it is they are going through because they
are afraid of what other people will say. We as a people make it so difficult for others to be
themselves because we believe that different is wrong. There have many cases when we have
given someone a chance to get to know us and have learned how great that person really is. I am
pretty sure if we gave everyone the same opportunity we choose to give those we think we will
get along with, our knowledge and understanding about others would be much greater and more
thorough. If we did approach people who are different than us in this way, our perspective would
also be taken more serious when we find ourselves speaking about groups different from
ourselves and this action can also help us from sounding ignorant.

Tony Miller, Jr.

Multiculturalism on College Campuses
Autoethnography
Dr. Wilson
When it comes to any form of education, it is important look back at where you began
and what you already knew about the subject the class was going to teach you. Learning is all
about moving forward and becoming better at whatever it is you are doing. Once we learn
something, it is imperative that we add it to our arsenal so we can use the knowledge we have
acquired to educate others and help them with topics or subjects they do not understand as fluidly
as we do.
This class has done just that. I was able to see where I was at the beginning and although
I am not a multicultural expert, this class was able to point me in the right direction and give me
deeper insight that will help me in the future. There are always going to be lessons in life, but if
we choose to ignore those lessons we are only doing ourselves a disservice.