Far too often, conservative Christians are demonized for not appreciating diversity; when, in reality, they are the demographic that’s more likely to open their doors to people of all races and creeds.
Why do I say this?
I grew up in Wisconsin to an immigrant father who worked as a truck driver. He always stressed the idea of America as a melting pot, and not only did he discuss it, my parents put it in action. My father and mother became born-again Christians and dedicated their lives to helping people from all walks of life. I have two older brothers, both who are gay, and when I was 12, my family began taking in foster children.
I will always respect my parents for opening their home to children in need. According to statistics, my parents’ religious beliefs could have impacted their decision. Christians are twice as likely to adopt a child. Currently 5% of Christian homes have adopted a child, while only 2% of non-Christians have. Also, 3% of Christians are foster parents and 31% of them have seriously considered it. By comparison 2% of non-Christians are foster parents and only 11% have seriously debated it.
My small hometown of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, was whiter than a model’s teeth in a Crest commercial until we had a large influx of Hmong during my childhood. The Hmong are wonderful people who helped the United States fight the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War; because of that, the U.S promised them citizenship. They might not have been so happy knowing they were going to be sent to the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, but hell, I didn’t want to be there either, so at least we suffered the chill together. I had many Hmong foster brothers and sisters growing up, and it was an experience that taught me the importance of inclusion and never judging people based on perceived cultural norms.
Some in my community were hostile to these families because they spoke a different language, held a different faith, and their family structure was not typically American. As a matter of fact, their family structure was so crazy; they even cared for their grandparents. I know that is shocking for us to think about as good Americans. But my family, like many middle-class foster families, took in children from all backgrounds without being prodded by the government or progressive activists.
Study after study has shown poorer Conservatives give more per-capita than wealthy liberals. (Examples here, here and here.) The Philanthropy Chronicle looked at the tax returns of hundreds of millions of Americans and the study proved the less income a family has the more they donate to charity. Those earning $25,000 or less contributed 16.6 percent more of their income, while those with incomes of over $200,000 were spending 4.5 percent less of their money on charity. So what does this have to do with diversity?
Everything.
Working-class families personally know people who are out-of-work; for families like mine, poverty and destitution is not a theory but an everyday reality that can’t be ignored. Despite every Ivory Tower professor depicting them as racist bigots, conservative, working-class Americans don’t need diversity forced upon them; they have open hearts and minds that see need in their communities and rise to meet the challenge, turning their own homes into melting pots of culture, race and religion.