When Cultures Converge, Sometimes Magic Occurs

Spy Columnist Maria Grant celebrates diversity

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

Two years ago, many of us saw Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives as a sign of hope for America. DEI is a weapon against racism, and the expansion of DEI initiatives meant that more organizations were taking the fight against racism seriously. I recall the CEO of one non-profit I worked with commenting, “Isn’t it beautiful?” I responded, “Yes.”

Scroll forward two years. DEI programs are disappearing. Shockingly, the programs are being terminated under pressure from the federal government. The same government that once identified “Equal Justice Under Law” as a national aspiration now uses its power to pursue policies many see as overtly racist.

This week in her weekly column in Spy Community Media’s Eastern Shore newspapers, my fellow columnist, Maria Grant, writes about the magic of diversity. She celebrates it for the richness it brings to our lives and the lessons it teaches. Grant also laments the war on diversity being undertaken by the current administration.

Maria Grant’s editorial may be read here and below:

When Cultures Converge, Sometimes Magic Occurs

I have loved Paul Simon’s lyrics and music almost all my life. I loved Simon & Garfunkel. And I loved Simon when he went on his own. I’ve had the good fortune to see him perform live many times. The time that was pure magic was when I saw him perform songs from his album Graceland, which he performed with several South African musicians.

When talking about Graceland, Paul Simon once told Harper’s magazine this: “It’s my favorite record. My favorite song that I ever wrote. This is it. This is the best I ever did. This is all perfect.” And he’s right. Seeing it performed live was a rare treat indeed. The rhythm. The talent of the South African musicians coupled with Simon’s clever lyrics was both mesmerizing and amazing. And it’s even more amazing when you consider that Simon released this album during the controversial and turbulent apartheid crisis in South Africa.

The brilliance of that whole Graceland album is an example of what happens when cultures converge in a positive fashion and truly bring out the best in one another. Graceland won Grammys for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.

I’ve often thought that some of the most beautiful, most talented, and smartest people in the world are a result of multi-racial marriages. Black and White. Indian and Asian. Asian and White. Hispanic and Black. The list goes on. Think Halle Berry, Keanu Reeves, Alicia Keyes, Mariah Carey, Barack Obama, Zadie Smith, Tiger Woods, James McBride.

Then consider Asian fusion food which offers exciting and innovative flavor combinations by blending various Asian and global traditions, ingredients, and cooking techniques. It’s appealing because it creates new tasting profiles from spicy to sweet and savory.

Between undergraduate and graduate schools, I had roommates who were Black, White, Jewish, Gay, male, and female. It was the best experience ever. I learned to appreciate different cultures, foods, traditions, and more.

When I lived in La Paz, Bolivia for two years, I learned about the discrimination of various Indian groups and saw its aftermath. I also learned to appreciate Pisco sour cocktails and learned how to cook sultanas and chicharrón. In short, the experience broadened my horizons.

One of the many aspects I dislike about the current administration is its overtly racist mindset. Clearly Project 2025 implies that Whites are superior human beings, and the purity of the race must be protected. It’s not dissimilar to the Nazi eugenics focus. Immigration—even legal immigration—has become a dirty word to the MAGA base.

J.D. Vance wants Whites to have more children so that mixed races don’t take over America.

Haitians are eating our dogs and cats.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives which began to level the playing field are being dismantled.

Trump pardons White supremacists who organized an insurrection and attacked the Capitol on January 6. He calls them Patriots.

The U.S. National Park Service has begun scrubbing information from its exhibits about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.

Trump accuses the Smithsonian of focusing too much on how bad slavery was and not enough on the “brightness” of America.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has spent a considerable amount of time scrubbing Defense Department websites of articles and images about Jackie Robinson and the Navajo Code Talkers; renaming Navy ships; leading a Christian prayer service in the Pentagon’s auditorium; organizing an effort to restore to West Point Military Academy a painting of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that shows him wearing his gray Confederate uniform and accompanied by a slave guiding his horse; restoring Confederate names of military bases; and reinstalling a racist Confederate memorial, at considerable expense, that had been removed from Arlington National Cemetery.

Unlike this current administration, I do not feel that a “White Bread World” is a superior world. Rather, I celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion and mourn initiatives that do just the opposite.

Maya Angelou once wrote: “In diversity there is beauty and there is strength. We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”

Here, here!

© Copyright 2025 by Spy Community Media and Maria Grant.