By: Cassidy Kusumoto

The United States could be decades away from becoming a majority-minority nation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a governmental organization that gathers data about American people, the country’s future population is projected to continually become more racially and ethnically diverse. Despite these findings, the U.S. still struggles with racial relations and equality. As racial and ethnic tensions rise to national discussion, improving relationships among Americans of all cultures has become a significant topic. Adopting multicultural programs in schools is one of the ways many universities have addressed the matter. Multicultural programs recognize people of diverse cultural backgrounds and show acceptance for their beliefs and attitudes. Implementing these programs in schools can promote cultural acceptance among students.

 

According to James Banks’ Multicultural Education: Historical Development, Dimensions, and Practice, roots in multiculturalism trace back to the 1950s Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial segregation and discrimination of African Americans. Among one of the main targets of the protest were schools. Civil rights activists wanted an educational system that fairly reflected the racial diversity of the nation. Pushes for more inclusivity in educational institutions increased with protests like the feminist and LGBT movements. Agitations from these marginalized groups eventually led to reforms that better accepted different cultures.

 

While there isn’t much opposition to supporting multiculturalism, the issue lies in finding funding for these programs. In a 2017 news article by the Knoxville News Sentinel, it describes how this issue currently affects the University of Tennessee. The university struggles to keep funding for their diversity office as pressure increases from state lawmakers who believe the money could be spent elsewhere. Every year, universities like UT must prioritize their budget and decide where to delegate funds. For many schools, multicultural programs don’t rest high on the list.

 

Many universities push for multicultural programs because it could improve intercultural and interracial relations between students, staff, and community members. As stated in a 2010 psychological study about Multicultural Campus Climate and Acceptance of Diversity, the presence of multicultural programs on certain campuses in southern California had a positive correlation with overall acceptance of racial and ethnic diversity on those campuses. However, like with UT, there is pushback from officials who believe funding could be placed elsewhere. Schools often defund programs to favor scholarships, renovations, or pay raises. Support for multicultural programs may be high but funding is often not, and schools will prioritize accordingly.