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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