Doni Aldine: 'Diversity isn't always what we think it is'
DENVER — Doni Aldine has traveled the world and lived in several countries, but she has perfected the art of being at home wherever she is.
Her mother is from Trinidad and Tobago and her father is from Costa Rica. As a child, Aldine — who was born in New York City — lived in Spain, Turkey, Germany and the United Kingdom. “I know what it feels like when you run into someone who’s multi-ethnic, multicultural who grew up globally or whatever the case and that feeling of home you get just by speaking to that person and I wanted to bring that to other people,” she said.
Her mission is to usher in what she calls "21st century diversity" by focusing on people who grew up in those "in between" spaces. Aldine is accomplishing that goal with her company Culturs Global, a multicultural lifestyle network that encompasses Culturs Magazine and podcasts that focus on travel and what it’s like being an Afro-Latina who grew up in a Spanish-speaking, colonized society.
“We talk about people and subjects that are part of activating 21st century diversity," Aldine said. "We talk to people who are multi-ethnic, multi-racial. They often have a foot in two or more worlds and they often grow up globally like I did."
One of the inspirations for the company is Aldine’s father. He died of COVID-19 in 2020 on Easter, while in the hospital also fighting cancer.
“As a tribute to him I looked at some of the things I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t," Aldine explained. "I learned German when I was younger and French. But I never learned Spanish, which was his first language. So I said this is the year that I will learn Spanish."
That year, she traveled all over South America to learn her father’s native language. And now, Aldine's magazine is in countries and territories all over the world.
The main idea is to bring culturally diverse people and subjects together, Aldine explained.
“Diversity isn’t always what you think it is," she said. "People bring so many ideas to the table and that’s what this in-between space is; what you see isn’t necessarily what you get. We’ve made assumptions too long based on how people look."
She hopes that her message of 21st century diversity helps bring different people with different experiences together.
“Diversity is something that really shapes our lives in a way that makes it more positive and shapes it in a way that gives us more empathy, that’s the goal. You want to be able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It’s really about feeling like you belong and someone understanding you without having to explain it,” Aldine said.
Aldine feels that figuring out someone’s background based only on what they look like isn’t enough, which is why she so supportive of multi-cultural environments.
“The older you get and the more steeped you are in a mono-cultural environment, it’s easier to make assumptions about the people who are around you," she said. "It would be wonderful if we all, as a whole, got to know the person in front of you. Get to know them, talk to them, find out their background. That’s what should motivate you, not the quick assumptions we make."
Dana Knowles is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS and can be reached at danaknowles@rmpbs.org.
Julio Sandoval is a multimedia journalist with Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at juliosandoval@rmpbs.org.