I’m struggling today w a request for a #sensitivityread. The #writer wants to incorporate my ethnic community in a story, but has never interacted w my people. They admit that “It is a challenge to bring in diversity in a natural and appropriate way.”

As a person who learned Spanish to communicate con mis vecinos, switches entre Portuguese e Kriollo to signal familiarity, practices French avec Senegalese shop owners & code switches using AAVE, I'm having difficulty understanding why diversity é difícil.

To write about my culture, you’d have to understand that we are polyglots who learn the language of the people around us. When I call my cousins in the Netherlands, we begin a sentence in Portuguese, switch to Creole and end it in English or Dutch. When I visit Ghana, me te Twi.

To accurately write about my culture, #diversity must come naturally. Languages must flow easily. Doors and hearts must stay open at all times. Differences cannot be a challenge.