Diversity awareness is the ability to embrace the uniqueness of all individuals along several dimensions such as race, religious beliefs, ethnicity, age, gender, physical abilities, political beliefs, and socioeconomic status. It is the recognition and respect of the variety of diverse aspects of humanity, whether race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, ability or disability, politics, class, or sexuality. Diversity awareness skills extend beyond mere tolerance to encompass exploration of such individual differences, respecting them, and ultimately nurturing a healthy relationship with the individual despite the differences. With the help of these skills, teams and organizations foster a harmonious environment where mutual respect and equity are intrinsic.

Diversity awareness is important because it cultivates a sense of cultural sensitivity among vast swaths of people. It makes life easier for underrepresented groups of people in any or most situations. By encouraging this sense of understanding, people become lifelong learners of new cultures, developing sensitivity to those they’ll be in close contact with throughout the course of their work, school, or social lives. Additionally, it cultivates self-awareness about any unconscious biases or stereotyping in need of mitigation.

To improve diversity awareness skills, one can practice frequent communication, be more inquisitive to learn about the differences, and participate in diversity awareness training. Creating a culture of diversity awareness should be a priority for any modern campus or organization.