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March 1999 Dear Extension Faculty and Staff, I'm very excited to present you with the 1st issue of the University of Minnesota Extension Service's diversity newsletter, Global Connections. This communication piece supports Extension's diversity plan to welcome and sustain diversity in its staff and programming. Global Connections is meant to be informative, eye-opening and fun. Contributions are provided by Extension faculty and staff who want to share information and personal experiences that supports acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating the differences among people. The next issue will highlight some Extension programs serving diverse communities. Any comments, suggestions and/or contributions can be sent to me via phone, fax, snail mail or e-mail. Sincerely, 
Sueling Chan,
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The term 'diversity' as defined by the University of Minnesota Extension Service's Office of Diveristy and Inclusion, embodies the simple fact of human differences. Because of historical and legal imperatives, however, particular emphasis is given in this context to the specific areas listed in the University of Minnesota's Equal Opportunity Statement. Those areas include: race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assisstance status, veteran status and sexual orientation.
Diversity means different things for different people. Do you have a different definition of diversity?
Did you know....
Carter G. Woodson created the first annual celebration of African American acheivement in 1926. It started out as a week long celebration. Since 1976, it has become a month long celebration. He had the passion and commitment to promote and preserve African American history and culture.
Woodson was born on December 19, 1875, in New Canton,VA. His parents were former slaves. He did not receive formal schooling until the age of 17 and eventually went on to receive his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912. He is the second African American to receive a doctorate from Harvard.
In addition to creating a celebration of African American heritage, he founded the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, Inc. in 1915 (formally known as the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History). Furthermore, he founded the Journal of Negro History in 1916 and has written numerous books for scholars on African American history
Check out the following web sites for information on African American history and culture:
Black Facts Online
AFROameric@
The African American Experience
by Harouna Maiga, Extension Educator, Becker County
TIMBUKTU, this imaginary city takes its name from Americans and Europeans (note the wrong pronounciation and spelling). The real Malian name TOMBOUCTOU was derived from the name of the first owner (BOUCTOU) of a well (TOM) from which the town started.
The trouble with the 5000 year-old town in the desert dunes of the southern Sahara Desert is that most Americans think it does not really exist, it is a mythical place somewhere. According to the legend, it is the furthest a human can travel, but the town made of cement and/or clay briquettes with 5000 years of history, four medieval mosques, 15,000 priceless Arabic manuscripts, the first African learning center of the 12th-century, and some 3000 people, is a trading center not too far from New York City, the most internationally known US city. In fact TOMBOUCTOU is about an 8 hour flight from New York City (or 2 and 1/2 hours by the French-British supersonic Concord).
Yes, TOMBOUCTOU is a real place closer to the United States than Tokyo, Japan. Yes, the reality is, TOMBOUCTOU is also a historical city and trading center. Beads, tombstones, and terra-cotta figures usually disappear into private collections and museums in Europe.
TOMBOUCTOU is the 7th largest city of the West African country of Mali. Mali has a population of about 10 million. Bamako is the capital city (1 million inhabitants).
For additional information or questions about this article, please direct them to Harouna.
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by Sueling Chan
What do you know about Asian American history? The Chinese helped build the U.S. railroad. Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps during World War II. Vincent Chin was brutally murdered in the early eighties due to mistaken cultural identity. There was an influx of Southeast Asian refugees during the '70's and '80's. These are the four things I remembered learning about Asian Americans during high school.
But I really did not learn anything. Those four sentences are just statements. There is a history behind each one of those statements most people don't bother to learn about.
I believe most people have a kind heart and they don't mean to offend people but sometimes they do when they don't think about what they are saying.
When people meet me for the first time, I usually get asked, "What's your nationality?" I reply, "American." And then they say, "No, really." I reply, "Well, I was born in the United States, that makes me a U.S. citizen; therefore, I am an American. "Do you mean, what is my ethnicity?"
Others ask me, "What are you?" Homo sapiens ... comes to mind. Okay, ethnically, I am Chinese and Japanese.
Since I moved to rural Minnesota, I have been referred to as being "oriental." To me and many fellow Asian Americans, "oriental" is a word used to describe a type of rug, not people. I know the federal government moves slowly, but Congress did adopt the terms, Asian and Pacific Islander 30 years ago.
If you are going to call people who are indigenous to the east (Asians), "Oriental," then to be consistent, you should call people who are indigenous to the west (Caucasians/Europeans), "Occidental."
And remember, Asian/Pacific Islander (API) is a racial category. There are over 50 different ethnic groups under the API category.
I may be of Asian heritage, but I am not an expert on Asian foods. I can certainly share my experiences with Asian food and superficially cite some of the differences between Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino and Indian foods but I am not competent in each one of their unique culinary traits.
I grew up eating predominantly Chinese, Japanese and American food. But I have a feeling my idea of Chinese food differs from greater Minnesota's idea of Chinese food. When I think of Chinese food, I think of my favorites which include water spinach with shrimp paste and garlic, salt and pepper whole shrimp with hot chili peppers (head and shell is consumed), steamed fish with green onions and ginger and chow fun (thick rice noodles).
The point I want to make is each individual has a unique experience within their own culture and life. To generalize what a person is like based on their cultural heritage or physical appearance would be stereotyping.
an original short story by Kamal Alsharif, Water Resource Education Coordinator, BWSR/University of Minnesota Extension Service
Once upon a time a little boy lived in the land of milk and honey. In his little world he grew up with his six brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, he was the baby in the family and he had to do things last. He was the last one among his siblings to go to school, he was the last one to finish school, the last one to go to college, and the last one in almost everything he did.
Well, this little boy had a brother named Adel, who was so smart and intelligent that he went to college to study science. Adel bought the little boy a book which had pcitures in it. It was not a thick nor wordy book. It was a simple book with pictures. Though the little boy could not read he still could look at the pictures. Maybe the book was in Russian, German, or even English. It does not matter cause he could see the pictures.
The first few pages showed pictures of some birds with different colors. Then one of the birds was attacked by the birds of prey. The other birds went after the attackers and pushed them away. The little bird did not have any feathers anymore. They were all gone! What a sad thing for this bird to go through. It could not fly, it could not look for food and it simply would have died of cold. The other birds saw this shivering little bird and they wanted to help him. So each bird plucked a feather and planted it on the skin of the little bird. One by one they all give one feather to the little bird and soon he had enough feathers to fly, to be warm, and to join his fellow birds. Beautiful feathers with all kinds of magnificent colors.
Wow! It is a beautiful story. It is still stuck in his mind.
Recipe by Raquel Galvez, Nutrition Education Assistant in Carver County
Corn husks
Corn flour dough
1 lb. cooked beans (your choice)
The corn husks (dried) should be soaked in water over night or for several hours. Remove any dirt or pieces of cornsilk before soaking. You may want to weigh down the husks with a heavy plate or bowl because they have the tendency to float. When you are ready to use them, rinse the husks and shake off the excess water.
Follow the recipe for the corn flour dough on the MASECA or QUAKER CORN MIX package.
For the beans, use your own condiments and put them in a blender, make the consistency spreadable. [I like to cook a pound of pinto beans and season with salt and garlic powder to taste. Sometimes I fry them in oil and cumin after they are cooked (refried beans)].
Spread the corn meal on the soft side of the husk, not the rough part. This is important. The size of the husks will differ. Take about a tablespoon or two of corn mix and spread it outwards on the husk , wide part only not the narrow (narrow side towards yourself.) Then drop a tablespoon or less of the pureed beans in the middle of mix, do not spread. Then fold over the sides, then the narrow part, kind of like a diaper fold (excuse my example). Lay them up, so the husk does not unfold. Or you can prepare some thin strips of corn husks to tie around the tamale to hold it together.
Make as many as you want, then steam them in a steamer or a large stock pot. If you use a stock pot, put a rack on the bottom so the tamales do not touch the bottom, add water only as deep as the rack, then place a heat resistant cup or cone upside down (a coffee mug will do) in the middle of the rack. Stack the tamales against the cup, standing in a circle so the mixture won't spill around the cup and work your around. Once it's filled, get a clean kitchen towel and cover the top in addition to the cover itself for steam retention. Boil over low heat. It takes 1-1/2 to 3 hours depending on the amount of tamales.
After a while, check one. Once you smell the tamale smell, they should be moist but not sticky. They're ready when it no longer sticks to the husk. Check a different one each time. Enjoy!
You could also fill them with stir-fried or steamed vegetables, almost anything.
This is a very time-consuming recipe, that's why we only do it at x-mas and we make enough so they'll last a week. They are freezable! Reheat tamales in the oven at 350 degrees Farrenheit in a casserole dish.
Many of these questions were provided by Juan Moreno, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist
What do you think about the University of Minnesota Extension Service's definition of diversity? Do you agree or disagree with it?
What is an American? What does it mean to be American?
What are the values Americans live by? How would you define American culture?
If you would like to submit an article, story, recipe or highlight a program you are working on relating to diversity, please submit contributions to: Sueling Chan, 1525 Glenwood Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55405-1264; schan@extension.umn.edu; or fax 612/374-8417
Please let me know how you and/or your department or county have used this newsletter. Send comments to Sueling Chan, 1525 Glenwood Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55405-1264; schan@extension.umn.edu; or fax 612/374-8417
Find more University of Minnesota Extension Service educational information at http://www.extension.umn.edu on the World Wide Web
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