Is Utah behind in diversity?

With Utah's diversity growing, many students are encountering people from different backgrounds for the first time.

If you ask an economist, Utah is behind. If you ask a fashion designer Utah is behind. If you ask a student from out of state how Utah does when it comes to minority races they might also say Utah is behind.

According to Eric Lowe, a UVU student from Virginia near DC, Utah does seem to have differing attitudes about minority races.

“Where I come from people see a group of minorities in public and get irritated,” Lowe said. “But here there is not very much diversity so people don’t think about it so much.”

Many students who have been out of state note that the main problem is not the same type of racism as some areas of the United States. It is not hate that it stems from, but ignorance. Rebecca Walker, a UVU student from New Jersey is one who believes this is true.

“The east has so much diversity. Here there is much less so it just catches your eye more,” Walker said.

Robbin Anthony, assistant media coordinator for the UVU Review said, the amount of diversity has changed a lot in Utah Valley since she has lived here.

“I have lived in Utah County my entire life, and met my first African American when I was over thirty. I don’t want my grand children to be raised without diversity.”

Vanessa Perkins, new editor of the UVU Review, is a student from out of state. She has lived in the valley for several years and is amazed at how much people don’t know about race.

“I had a room mate who was casually telling a story about an asian person except she kept using the word oriental.” Perkins said. “I told her that it is not good to say that, it hasn’t been an appropriate term for years, and she just brushed it off. It was interesting to me that not only did she not know what correct term to use but she also didn’t seem to understand the importance of it.”

Perhaps Utah will catch up in the amount of diversity it has, and with the increase in diversity, hopefully attitudes will change and improve along with those numbers.

By Tiffany Thatcher – Asst. News Editor