S
haista Kazmi, a Michigan local,
was taking care of her elderly
mother-in-law and father when
she realized that
she
could
use
some help. How-
ever,
when
she
called local senior
service
agencies,
she realized there
was
a
problem:
the services being
provided
didn’t
meet their cultural
needs. Kazmi took
initiative to found
the company Apna Ghar, Urdu for
“Your Home,” which provides homec-
are services catered to those from
South Asian and Middle Eastern back-
grounds in Michigan.
One of the projects that Apna Ghar
has been working on recently is pro-
viding cultural food with nutritional
value to homebound seniors. When
Kazmi spoke to Meals on Wheels, a
senior service that delivers food to
the elderly, she found that “they were
aware
that
there
were some cultural
and religious issues
and the halal meats
are taken care of in
Dearborn.” Howev-
er, what she “had to
explain to them was
that their palate was
very different.”
Fortunately, Apna
Ghar is planning to
work with Meals on Wheels to fill some
of these gaps to allow these seniors to
use these resources that should be more
readily available to them. They are a
part of this community. As Kazmi says,
many of them worked and raised fami-
lies here, and thus, their cultural differ-
ences shouldn’t make them unable to
attain the same services as others.
“We’re just trying to get local agen-
cies to hear their voice because I don’t
think their voice was being heard and
their needs were being met,” Kazmi
mentioned. Though local senior ser-
vices are likely happy to accommodate
this elderly population, they are often
unaware of their needs, or that these
needs even exist.
This lack of cultural awareness is a
problem that’s present in many social,
work and school environments and
needs to be addressed at every level.
In my daily interactions at school
with my colleagues, or even with some
school faculty, I sometimes find that
lack of cultural awareness. To clarify,
I don’t expect people to understand
everything about my cultural, reli-
gious and socioeconomic background.
To fully understand every culture and
subculture is impossible, but what I do
expect is for people to understand how
to speak in a way that is culturally sensi-
tive and to think in a way that is cultur-
ally aware. I often find that some people
who have questions are too afraid to ask
because they’re unsure of exactly what
words to use. I expect people to take
something new that they learn about
my culture as a learning opportunity as
opposed to something to ridicule.
That’s what I expect at the Univer-
sity, and often I do find people with
those qualities. I acknowledge that the
University is making efforts to fix some
of these problems by re-evaluating the
race and ethnicity requirement and cre-
ating an Intergroup Relations minor.
I acknowledge that the University is
also trying to incorporate halal food in
the dining halls to accommodate Mus-
lim students and that they try to com-
municate with students from different
backgrounds to accommodate a range
of student needs.
However, I also do not feel that
the University itself strives enough
to educate its stu-
dents and faculty
on cultural aware-
ness, which could
then be translated
into
the
work-
place. This would
hopefully
also
improve campus
climate, but only
if done effectively
by addressing the
real gaps.
Instead of the race and ethnicity
requirement being a class that focuses
on a single culture, there should be a
requirement that educates students on
how to conduct themselves in a way that
is culturally aware. This could include
appropriate language use, American
demographics and how to differentiate
between stereotypes and realities. How-
ever, this is something that professors
should also keep in mind when teach-
ing about a specific culture or speaking
to a student of a different background. It
should be a part of training or orienta-
tion so that these gaps are filled.
The University is just one example
of where this should be implement-
ed.
Although
cultural
awareness
is important in every situation and
should be taught to students across
many ages and workers in all occupa-
tions, it’s something we should strive
for, to create a shift so that people
appreciate diversity rather than shy
away from it.
—Rabab Jafri can be reached
at rfjafri@umich.edu.
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
EMMA KERR
EDITOR IN CHIEF
AARICA MARSH
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
DEREK WOLFE
MANAGING EDITOR
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@umich.edu
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
4
Thursday, July 30, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
OPINION
If implemented, these bills
would require employers to
take on a greater role in the
welfare of their female employ-
ees by informing them, and
female applicants, of repro-
ductive health care coverage.
This would allow women to
make more informed deci-
sions regarding their health-
care and place of employment.
Given the increased employer
oversight in contraception and
reproductive rights for their
female employees, a possible
result could be discrimination
against women. This bill, how-
ever, anticipates and accounts
for this possibility by including
a provision that would prevent
discrimination by employers
against women based on their
birth control.
The state would also have to
take on a larger role in wom-
en’s reproductive health under
this
legislation.
Particularly,
the state would have to spread
information about emergency
contraception and ensure that
emergency contraceptives are
available to rape victims. These
efforts toward better access
to birth control are important
considering the introduction
of this set of bills comes after a
large decrease in state funding
for family planning in Michi-
gan; between fiscal years 2001
and 2012, state funding for
pregnancy prevention fell 91.6
percent. According to the Mich-
igan Department of Health, this
decrease in state aid correlates
with an increase in unintended
pregnancies; over this time
period, the rate of pregnan-
cies that were unintended for
women ages 15-19 rose from
72.4 percent to 82.1 percent.
These bills, through increased
family planning funding that
prioritizes education about and
access to contraception, would
reverse this trend.
By enabling more people to
avoid the financial difficulties
that come with unintended
pregnancies, the cost of an
abortion or the cost of rais-
ing a child, these bills would
help create more financially
stable
individuals,
families
and
communities.
Needless
to say, passing this legislation
has overwhelming, undeniable
Incorporating other cultures
RABAB
JAFRI
FROM THE DAILY
Better family planning
Bills in Michigan legislature important for contraceptive access
O
n July 22, Rep. Winnie Brinks (D–Grand Rapids), chairwoman
of the Progressive Women’s Legislative Caucus, introduced a
package of bills aimed at creating better access to birth control
and decreasing unintended pregnancies. These bills would, among
other things, make emergency contraceptives available to rape victims
and make it illegal for employers to discriminate against women based
on their use of contraceptives. This proposed legislation should be
passed, as it is a long overdue step toward leveling the playing field for
women.
“This lack of cultural
awareness is a problem
in many social,
work and school
environments.”
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