Terri sat nervously waiting for the bell to ring, signaling the beginning of her first class. She absentmindedly twirled her red hair with the fingers of her right hand and looked around. The room was full of all kinds of faces: Asian faces, African faces, Hispanic faces, faces with freckles and lighter skin like hers, darker-skinned faces, faces of many colors. "This is going to be OK," she hoped. She was looking forward to getting to know the people behind the faces and making some friends. "I guess I'll be less nervous when I get to know people." She looked down at her smaller left hand, which had been injured years back in a car accident. "I hope they'll like me when they get to know me."

Yusef's father was a diplomat from Tunisia, and his family had just moved from this country in North Africa to America. At first, Yusef missed his friends and school back home, but he was curious about all the new things he would see and learn - and the new friends he would make. He wondered, though, whether the traditional knit skullcap that he wore, like many devout Muslims, would set him apart. He didn't know yet that there are millions of Muslims living in America and that skullcaps were far from rare in much of the country, but he did feel better when he saw another skullcap two rows away.

The bell rang and the teacher spoke. "Everybody rise for the Pledge of Allegiance."

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America," they all said together, "and to the republic for which it stands . . . "

Diversity means variety - and it doesn't take much looking around to see that America is a diverse land, with many people, foods, religions, beliefs, and languages. You can see that in a classroom, in the mall, on TV, or just walking down some streets. That diversity has been part of American culture since its very beginning as a nation - and even before with the hundreds of Native American groups who lived across the land. In fact, much of America's strength, creativity, and energy comes from this diversity.

Reviewed by: Neil Izenberg, MD
Date reviewed: November 2001