https://www.albany.edu/offcourse
http://offcourse.org
ISSN 1556-4975
Published by Ricardo and Isabel Nirenberg since 1998
"Diversity", an essay by Joachim Frank
February 9, 2025.
In the first days after the inauguration, the Federal officers of the National Science Foundation were directed to scan 55,000 grant proposals for the mention of the word “diversity”. Evidently, “diversity” is a word with generic meaning in the English language. A grant proposal might contain the phrases “diversity of protein structures” or “diversity of opinions in the literature.” But that is tolerable diversity, while the objective of this hunt is to find references to fostering and protecting the bad kind, the ethnic and gender diversity among humans, and the diversity in color of their skin.
This official censorship, unparalleled in the history of the United States, betrays a magical belief in the power of words. But, beyond censorship, we are reminded of classical witch trials, in which the use of a single word, sign, or gesture is construed as “evidence” in a life-or-death decision. Now the mere mention of efforts to ensure workplace diversity may disqualify scientific research from funding and even ruin a career. We hear echoes of “Nineteen Eighty Four” and “Fahrenheit 451”.
Let us here celebrate the word “diversity” in its many diverse forms, in as many languages (about 200) as are listed in Google Translate. This is, mind you, just one quarter of the number of languages spoken on the streets in New York City, by people with all skin colors, genders, and beliefs who make this city, and America as a whole, such an exciting place.
Ахаҭабзиара
macam moden
apokapoka
mangintiino
diversiteit
sonobi-sonobi
diversiteti
tung tung
ልዩነት (liyuneti)
tanawue
բազմազանություն (bazmazanut’yun)
অনৈক্য (onoikya)
релълъинчӀеб жоялъул гӀемерлъи (reļļinçeb ƶojaļul ⱨemerļi)
बिबिधता (bibidhata)
kunaymani
müxtəliflik
kanekaragaman
مٹّءُ بدلیmattho badali
danfaraw
বৈচিত্র্য (Baicitrya)
Ibeblebe
Төрлөлөк (törlölök)
aniztasuna
ermacam-macam
masam
hamarragamon
разнастайнасць (raznastajnasć)
pusanapusana
perbedaan
विविधता (vividhta)
iba-ibang klase
raznolikost
liesseurted
разнообразие (raznoobrazie)
олон янза (olon ânza)
ကွဲပြားမှု (kwalpyarrmhu)
多樣化.(do1joeng6 faa3)
diversitat
pagkadaiya
hemerreňî هەمەڕەنگی
manåmko
шатайпаналла (şataypanalla)
amatane
多样性 (Duōyàng xìng)
sokkonon
нумай енлӗх (numaj enlĕh)
diversità
чешитлик (çeşitlik)
raznolikosti
rozmanitost
mangfoldighed
تنوع
cïɔ̈ɔ̈r
divarsitee
बन्न-सबन्नता (bann-sabannta)
busiyano
diversiteit
sugu caaman
འདྲ་མིན་ ('dra min)
diverseco
mitmekesisust
vovototo
fjølbroytni
duidui
pagkakaiba-iba
monimuotoisuus
nùɖíɖó vovo
diversité
diversitât
caadenga
srɔtoi
diversidade
okubera ne ebirungo bingi
მრავალფეროვნება (mravalperovneba)
Diversität
ποικιλία (poikilía)
jopara
વિવિધતા (Vividhatā)
Divèsite
i dannak
bambancin
ʻokoʻa
גיווןgivun
dibersyo
विविधता (vividhata)
muaj ntau haiv neeg
sokféleség
tiwersiteet
bemacham
fjölbreytileika
iche iche
panagduduma
keberagaman
éagsúlacht
diversità
diversity
多様性 (Tayō-sei)
keragaman
myu hpan
assigiinngisitaartoq
ವೈವಿಧ್ಯತೆ (Vaividhyate)
gadegadetə
әртүрлілік (ärtürlilik)
jingiapher
ភាពចម្រុះ (pheap chamrouh)
bitandukanye
luswaswanu
dal bidal
унасикаслун(unasikaslun)
kuswaswana
विविधताय
다양성 (dayangseong)
difrɛn
cihêrengî
көп түрдүүлүк (köp türdüülük)
ຄວາມຫຼາກຫຼາຍ (khuaamrakrai)
dažaideiba
diversitas
dažādība
diverscitæ
dieversieteit
bokeseni
įvairovę
diversitaa
pogruok
Diversitéit
Различноста (različnosta)
acem-macem
विविधता (vividhata)
rupa rupa
samihafa
kepelbagaian
kvlbạqạyn
വൈവിധ്യം (vaividhyam)
diversità
chukchaq anq´ib´il
caghlaays
kanorau
oktak
कयी भाँत का (kayee bhaant ka)
Тӱрлылык (türlylyk)
karagaman
chi hrang hrang
олон янз байдал (olon yanz baidal)
diversite
nepanyotl
zvakasiyana siyana
वर्गीकरण (vargeekaran)
sgb߭ucaya
máŋggaláganvuohta
pharologano
mangfold
no̱ŋ naath kɛl
zosiyanasiyana
diversitat
ବିବିଧତା (bibidhata)
Garaagarummaa
Алыхуызондзинад (alyhuyzondzinad)
aliua-aliua
pandurumaan
diversidat
tanoo
tano
różnorodność
diversidade
ਵਿਭਿੰਨਤਾ (Vibhinatā)
Tnwʿ
xwanki
tukuy rikchaq
diversitate
ververipen
itandukaniro
разнообразие (raznoobraziye)
eseese
aye nde nde
begar
iomadachd
разноликости (raznolikosti)
မဵဝ်းယၢင်ႇ (mewːyāṅ)
zvakasiyana-siyana
divirsità
roztōmajtość
tanua
විවිධත්වය (vividhatvaya)
rozmanitosť
raznovrstnost
kala duwanaansho
ukuhlukahlukana
mefuta-futa
karagaman
cé wouya yi
utofauti
lokungafani
mångfald
mātāmua
гуногунранг (gunogunrang)
amgarad
பன்முகத்தன்மை (Paṉmukattaṉmai)
Төрлелек (törlelek)
వైవిధ్యం (Vaividhyaṁ)
diversidade
ความหลากหลาย (Khwām h̄lāk h̄lāy)
སྣ་ཚོགས (sna tshogs)
ፍልልይነት (fǝlǝlǝyǝnat)
kposokposo
kainkain
kalasi kehekehe
hambana
pharologanyo
ಮಸ್ತ್ ನಮೂನೆ (Mast namūne)
kupambanapambana
çeşitlilik
dürlüligi
янзы-бүрү (ânzy-bürü)
турлы (turly)
різноманітність (riznomanitnistʹ)
tanu
kup killiq
xilma-xillik
phambano
diversità
đa dạng
kalainan
amrywiaeth
ferskaat
wuute
iyantlukwano
эгэлгэ (égélgé)
deyversiti
oniruuru
díibersidad
variedá
ukuhlukahluka
Joachim Frank is a German-born scientist and writer living in New York City and Great Barrington, MA. He took writing classes with William Kennedy, Steven Millhauser, Eugene Garber, and Jayne Ann Philipps. He has published a number of short stories, poems and prose poems in, among other magazines, Eclectica, Offcourse, Hamilton Stone Review, Conium Review, StepAway Magazine , and Wasafiri. Frank is a recipient of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His first novel, "Aan Zee,” appeared in 2019. He just published his second novel, "Ierapetra or His Sister’s Keeper". Frank’s website franxfiction.com runs a blog about everything and carries links to all his literary work.