I was raised in a typical mainstream American family and growing up I cannot remember that learning about other cultures was a high priority.

Recently, I sat with my family watching the televised presentation of the London Summer Olympics. We were interrupted with breaking news from a Milwaukee, Wisconsin suburb where a shooting took place during worship at a Sikh temple. While there have been many days I have wondered if my chosen path makes a difference in the world – yesterday I realized just how important pluralistic education is to our families, our communities, and our nation. In stunned silence my husband, two children and I watched the tragedy unfold.