Eracism Moment Sept. 7, 2020
This morning, I’d like to share the evolution of my experience regarding racism.
I grew up in a conservative town in a conservative family in Ontario, Canada.
There were no people of color – diversity was Catholics, Protestants and Jews.
Before I graduated from University, I realized that my upbringing had been narrow and I came home and told my parents I was going to Africa to teach. My mother’s response was: “You are not!” But I did. I knew I needed to expand my horizons, and this seemed like a good way to do it.
My takeaway from Ghana was Ghanaians are welcoming, generous and good humored.
Some years later, after living in the sometimes subtle, sometimes not subtle American behaviortoward blacks, I was sitting in the parking lot of Macy’s at South Center Mall, when I saw a white man running, followed by a black man and woman. I assumed he was being attacked. Turns out, he had stolen something and was being chased by security guards. I was ashamed and shocked by my assumption.
At a church dinner around the same time, someone told a racist joke. I think we were all stunned, but no one said anything. I did gather up my courage and talk to him at church the next morning. It was progress.
Fast forward a few years and was co-teaching diversity classes in Seattle and running a peer tutoring program with inner city, mostly children of color, tutored by suburban kids, all white. For many, it was their first experience of a relationship with a person of another color and developed some very sweet bonds, and academic improvements of both the younger and the older children.
In the same time period, my daughter, Andrea was talking about a friend of hers at school. Later she showed me a picture of her. My response was: “Oh, she’s Asian.” Andrea’s response: “So”? You see, I was celebrating her embracing diversity, whereas she took it for granted.
In Nigeria in 2005 on a Global Citizen Journey, I met Judy, who later immigrated to the US. We had become good friends in Nigeria and continued the friendship here.
Today, I’m mentoring my friend Judy, who has decided to develop support groups for black girls in schools in NY city using the Compassionate Listening model she learned on Whidbey Island, and other leadership skills she learned in Landmark Forum.
I’m also a new member of the Black Lives Matter team at BUF and I’m listening to Podcasts to educate myself and sharing what I’m learning with others.
Each one of us is on our own path, but to become whole, as individuals, to restore our soul as a nation, our challenge and opportunity is to start, at whatever place we are on ourjourney and grow into more accepting, fulfilled human beings and communities. I’d like Black Americans to be able to freely express their welcoming natures, their generosity and their good humor, without having to always look over their shoulders in fear. We would all be the better for it, wouldn’t we?
Thank you.
