Having diversity within a community is extremely important. People need to learn to get along with all races, for when they are released into the rest of the world, they will have to deal with people from all walks of life. The world is not full of the same people. Everyone is different, and everyone has to realize their differences.

Columbia values diversity because we have realised that everyone is a different person, and in a diverse environment people are exposed to the different ideas and philosophies of others, prompting new ideas and better society. If we can learn to live together, the whole world will benefit. People will be able to work together and live as one race, the human race. Not as black or white, Asian or Mexican, but as human. Columbia as a community must open up to the many cultures already within the city. The community is already full of diversity, people from all over the world live here, work here, go to school here, and we need to make sure these people feel welcome. If we embrace those that already live here, more people will come here, in turn making Columbia more and more diverse.

As Martin Luther King once said, “i have a dream that one day, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” And in this day and age, his words are a reality. We must embrace differences to make a difference. That is why Columbia values diversity.