Opening the lens...

photo by D. L.
Kenya, Africa

"A Senegalese poet said 'In the end we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.' We must learn about other cultures in order to understand, in order to love, and in order to preserve our common world heritage."

–Yo Yo Ma, White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy-

As health care practitioners, as caregivers, as human beings, it is our responsibility and our greatest privilege to embrace the concept of 'multiculturalism.'

This is a process, overlapping and occurring over time, where we open ourselves to recognizing, understanding, and appreciating differences and similarities in the various cultures we experience and encounter. It is a process ultimately creating transformation and openness to a broader way of living, thinking, and behaving.

There is a rich, varied, and beautiful world beyond what is 'known' to us...waiting to enrich and expand life possibilities and truths...

-grassrootsmsw-