Personal Diversity Narrative

Janna Krutz

Human Diversity

January 24.2022
 While looking through my background, I was raised in a very diverse community. I am

very thankful for all the experiences I have gotten to go through! I am white. My ancestors are

German and Irish, mostly. I was raised in upstate New York and moved to FL when I was 12.

Most of my family lives all around the Unites States. When I was younger my dad pastored

highly populated African American church, which made me very comfortable with African

Americans. Growing up, I was one of few white kids in my school. My family has always hosted

exchange students as well. We have hosted kids from China and Brazil. Looking through life, I

have been connected with many different cultures and people.

Growing up my dad pastored a very diverse church. I learned a lot from the churches my

dad pastored. I have always been a pk in a Pentecostal AG church. But, I also went to a Baptist

school which was mostly white. When my dad pastored the church in New York we did a lot

more gospel songs on Sunday mornings. Everyone would jump around and really get into the

worship. When I started going to a baptist school, christians wouldn’t even raise their hands in

worship, it was definitely a big culture shock for me. My grandparents are pentecostal pastors as

well. Their church is very diverse, it has a high Indian population. Being in these churches is

where I learned the most! My best friend growing up, she would volunteer with me at my dads

church was African American as well. Our names were Janna and Joanna which was clever.

Growing up with a Black best friend I learned a lot. I learned a lot about her background and

how much different she was than me. But, through those differences we were inseparable.

Besides my best friend Joanna, we also had another close friend Charissa. Charissa was

asian and lived down the road from me. I would always go over to her house to have spring rolls

and play. I learned a lot in her house as well. She was very respectful due to the way she was
raised. She always lived with her grandparents and cousins. With two best friends of very differ-

ent backgrounds and families I learned a lot.

Another group of people I interacted with was gay people. In high school my really close

friend was gay. He didn’t make it too obvious and didn’t tell people much but that was how he

felt. I was comfortable being around him but, some gay people I am not comfortable being

around. The other group of people I am not very comfortable around is homeless people. I have

grown up with homeless people in my church because we pastored in a low income community

for the most part. I have seen countless times where a homeless person has stole my moms phone

or things from the church. I talk and interact with homeless people weekly at my church but they

still make me feel uncomfortable.

Another questions I wanted to talk about was how other people reacted to me. At my old

church when we first started going, I got told to paint my face black. Mothers at the church

wouldn’t let their kids play with me at the park because I was a different color. I was raised in a

very black community, their were very few white people. As time went on, more people started

accepting that we were white. I started making close friends that were African American. By the

time I was 11 I couldn’t even tell that we were different colors. No one ever pointed it out or said

much about it. I grew up in class where I was the only white student. As time went on their were

more white students in classes, about twenty percent white.

On the other hand, I never really looked at them different. I was raised in the projects

where a lot of crime happened. But being a kid, everyone was my friend. I wanted to play with

all the African American kids in my church and youth group. I feel uncomfortable around

sketchy people, of all races and cultures.

 As you can see I have grown up in a very diverse community. Florida has probably been

the least diverse community I have lived in. I have realized that some people feel uncomfortable

around me and I feel uncomfortable around some. I have gone through many diverse experience

and I am very thankful for them. My parents did a good job surrounding us with different people

and cultures. I am excited to learn about more people and experience more of the world!