Abat Bertha

^{Growing up in a small island village in Asia, I didn’t always have the language to talk about “diversity” or “inclusion.” But I lived it every day, through family, faith, and the strength of community. Later, when I stepped into global spaces, from local classrooms to international summits, I began to understand how powerful these words really are and how often they are misunderstood or misused.}

When people hear “diversity,” they often think of physical traits: race, gender, culture, or religion. But diversity is also about how we think, feel, speak, and experience life.
It’s about the different stories we carry, the visible and invisible parts of who we are.

Some of us come from coastal villages. Others grow up in busy cities. Some speak multiple languages. Others may struggle to access education, healthcare, or even respect. But we are all shaped by our environments, our dreams, and yes, our challenges.

Even today, many people are treated differently just because of how they look, talk, or think. I’ve seen young people excluded from decision-making just because they come from “remote” areas. I’ve seen international spaces where local voices are ignored. I’ve seen brilliant minds overlooked because they don’t speak fluent English.

And often, people are judged without being known, through stereotypes like “too emotional,” “too quiet,” or “not modern enough.” These labels hurt. They divide. And they miss the full humanity in each of us.
As scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw points out, “exclusion often happens at the intersection of different identities, race, class, gender, and background, not just one factor alone.”

Language should help us connect. But sometimes, it creates distance. When we ignore people because they don’t speak the “right” language, we lose a whole world of knowledge and wisdom. When we mock accents or dialects, we shut the door on someone’s story.
As Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o once said, “Language carries culture.” To exclude someone’s language is to ignore their worldview.

True inclusion means making space for every voice, even those who speak differently.

Inclusion isn’t a checklist. It’s a mindset. It’s choosing to listen when it’s easier to ignore. It’s letting go of judgment when it’s easier to assume. It’s inviting people in—even when they don’t fit the “norm.”

It also means unlearning what we think we know. Often, what we call “professional,” “intelligent,” or “qualified” is based on systems that exclude the poor, the rural, the Indigenous, or the “different.”

If we truly believe in “leaving no one behind,” then we must:

• Welcome people who are different from us, with respect, not pity
• Speak up when we see discrimination online or offline
• Include those who are usually left out: youth, women, people with disabilities, Indigenous groups, and others
• Celebrate not just tolerate diversity

Diversity means we are many, and that is our strength.
Inclusivity means no one is forgotten, and that is our responsibility.
Together, they remind us that human dignity is not a privilege, it’s a birthright.

Let’s move beyond what we see—and start recognizing the depth of who people are.