COLUMN: Images of America: Are we a Salad Bowl?

Here’s our third image of America:

A salad bowl.

What's your reaction to this representation of America? How does it compare with your reactions to yesterday’s image of morning colors at a U.S. Navy facility on Cultural Diversity Day — or with Monday’s 100-year old image of Israel Zangwill’s drama, The Melting Pot?

This salad sculpture was created in 2010 by the Art Honor Society and students of Dumont High School, N.J. as part of the YWCA's annual "Stand Against Racism" movement. In the salad-makers' words, we "created a large 'multicultural origami salad' to represent our society. In a 'salad' all the ingredients keep their individual characteristics while being held together in one bowl. Our American society is truly a 'multicultural salad'."

The YWCA's "Stand Against Racism" has the "goal of bringing people together from all walks of life — across the country — to raise awareness that racism still exists." The 2012 event will take place on April 27. (You can view a nationwide list of participating YWCAs here.)

Does the “salad bowl” represent your vision of America?
What do you think of the images we’re considering this week?
Is there an image you wish we would include?
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Originally published at www.OurValues.org, an online experiment in civil dialogue.

Dr. Wayne E. Baker is a sociologist on the faculty of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Baker blogs daily at Our Values and can be reached at ourvaluesproject@gmail.com or on Facebook.