Federal Way is so rich in culture from the many diverse communities that reside within and around city limits that one can’t help but notice when these communities celebrate their heritage.

There are many recognized holidays around the world in February, but for many African-Americans and Asians this month brings Black History Month and the celebration of the Lunar New Year.

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States by historian Carter G. Woodson. It was then called “Negro History Week.” The second week in February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, both born in that month. In 1976, as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration, Negro History Week was expanded to Black History Month and was officially recognized by President Gerald Ford.

Lunar New Year is celebrated by many Asian cultures and is one of the most significant traditional Korean holidays. For many in the Asian community, this celebration generally falls on the day of the second new moon after winter solstice, and because of this, the date of the Lunar New Year changes year after year. It is typically a family holiday where children wish their elders a happy New Year and the elders reward this gesture by giving them New Year’s money, or what is considered “pocket money,” as well as offering words of wisdom.

Within these historic celebrations, many of us don’t realize to what magnitude these cultures have contributed to our everyday lives. In my line of work, I regularly wear a mask for rescue and the extinguishing of fires, never knowing how this “tool of the trade” came to be. The inventor of what we know as the modern-day gas mask was Garrett Morgan, the son of parents who were once slaves. Morgan was born in Kentucky in 1877. He distinguished himself as an inventor and businessman in Cleveland and became best known for inventing the Morgan safety hood and smoke protector in 1914. In 1916, his gas mask made national news after it was utilized to rescue 32 men trapped after an explosion in an underground tunnel 250 feet beneath Lake Erie. The rest became history as purchase requests from fire departments around the country started coming to Morgan.

The son of Sejong the Great, a 15th-century Korean king, is credited for inventing the first rain gauge. Because of droughts, Sejong directed the villages of his kingdom to measure the amount of rain that fell. His son, later crowned King Munjong, decided that instead of digging into the earth to check rain levels it would be better to use a standardized container. These gauges were used as an official tool to measure a farmer’s potential harvest, utilizing these measurements to determine what the farmer’s land taxes should be.

Why, you may ask, am I giving you a history lesson? This isn’t about knowing why cultures celebrate historical dates or who invented which tool that we use today, but rather how diversity touches each and every one of us in our everyday lives. There is unity in diversity. Diversity unites our thoughts, our actions and even our reasons for doing what we do each day. Diversity brings us together.

In my first article for the inaugural Diversity section of this newspaper, I reserved my definition of “diversity” for a later time. If you can remember from this past January issue, this section of the paper was introduced as a three-month trial, so I thought that I would enlighten those individuals – such as Mr. Federal Way – who are longing for my definition.

In writing this article I have done just that – defined what I believe to be diversity. I’ve defined it by using my experiences, my heritage and my beliefs. Unity is diversity. Diversity is the celebration of race, culture, gender, young and old, poor and rich, homeless and disabled and LBGTQ, embracing all that is different and using those differences to shape our day-to-day lives, influence decision-making and make us better. It unites us. It gives you empathy and helps you control apathy. We are born into a world of rules and regulations, where our thoughts and beliefs are organized and presented by those that have come before us.

Diversity assists in shaping and evolving our actions and our character. It is very healthy to welcome diversity into our lives.

Now, I’m not sure whether or not the Federal Way Mirror plans to continue including the Diversity section in its newspaper in the future, and I hope that the editors do, but what will happen if this section is not chosen to continue? How will our city, our citizens and even our citizens’ children continue to grow? How will we choose to unite?

I believe that diversity creates unity, and once established, will only help in fostering harmony.

Gregory Baruso has lived in Federal Way for 15 years and has been a member of the city of Federal Way’s Diversity Commission for eight years; he currently serves as chair. He belongs to many state and local civic organizations and is always looking for ways to help his community.