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‘Understanding society’s diversity is key to NMI future’
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Posted on Aug 09 2011
In the face of a “dynamic and changing” CNMI community, the NMI Humanities Council plays an important role in acknowledging and understanding diversity in society and its impact on the future, according to council board chair Tracy Guerrero yesterday.
“I think the Humanities Council’s place is to foster a better understanding across the different cultures, understanding who we are and how we live and work together and what does that mean for us in the future, what kind of future do we have,” she said.
Guerrero, who was guest speaker at the regular membership meeting of the Rotary Club of Saipan, said that her vision for the council takes on the dynamic and changing composition of today’s Commonwealth.
“The face of the Marianas is changing. It’s not a new phenomenon,” she said, adding that the change has occurred since the occupation of the Spaniards, Germans, Japanese, and Americans.
Guerrero, who was born and raised on Saipan, said the community’s diversity is particularly evident among the younger generation as school populations constitute more Filipinos, Chinese, and Thai students.
“Back then, it was pretty much just Chamorros and maybe a few Caucasians and a few Japanese,” she added.
Guerrero said there is not much integration among these diverse groups.
“I think we all have room to understand each other better certainly,” she told reporters. “I think it’s really important that we all really learn to understand each other better, understand and appreciate our differences and similarities.”
According to Guerrero, the council has sponsored different projects that look into the Commonwealth’s history and help promote understanding amid diversity.
“Looking back at that, at our history and understanding what those experiences have been and how they shaped who we are today, I think it will help us to understand where we will be headed into the future,” she said.
