Something to Think About

I've talked before on this blog about issues regarding poverty and race. I recently heard this story on NPR and I found it interesting:

http://www.npr.org/2012/09/27/161885219/aurora-colo-tries-to-capitalize-on-its-ethnic-riches

I don't know why some cities are more racially diverse than others. Before I moved to the South, I lived in an environment that was not very racially diverse. There were only a few black kids at my high school, some Asians, some Polynesians, and some Hispanics. But mostly, we were white, middle class folks. I was in the lower end of the middle class spectrum - we had food stamps and received assistance from our Church, we had secret Santa gifts given to our family, and we were happy and grateful. I still am. I am frequently overcome at the generosity of people. If my mother has had a frustration in her life, it is that she's never been blessed with access to the funds that she would like so that she could bless others.

But all of this homogeneity really serves to weaken our community. The first real experience I had with a racially diverse group was when I went to boot camp. Thrust into a world that was so very different from my own, I realized how ill-prepared and naive I was. Not only was I insensitive and arrogant, I was also ignorant. The learning curve was steep, though, and fortunately I was able to gain some friends quickly that helped me with their patience and their example. Their kindness and friendliness towards an incredibly naive seventeen-year-old kid from Utah was miraculous, really. And I'm grateful for that, too.

The military is a great mixing pot. Attracting folks from all over the country, putting them in places where they have to rely on each other - sometimes for their very lives - and where they have to live, eat, sleep, and work together, the military quickly makes everybody the same. Race has no bearing on a persons ability to perform, nor on the swift retribution that comes from making a mistake. Because later on, outside of training, mistakes can prove deadly. And everybody bleeds the same.

Military folks returning from WWII saw a world that was as unprepared as I was for racial diversity. Gone were the days of being at close, even combat, quarters with another of a different race. People returned to segregated communities, as separated as though there were a wall surrounding their respective neighborhoods. Some of the nefarious real estate and lending practices helped continue this trend, and people who had once looked at each other as brothers, comrades in arms, now no longer looked at each other at all.

But some came back changed by their experiences. And they taught their children that it was not right. Having served a country that seemed to ignore their problems, these men and women and their children fought the injustices that they faced. Schools became integrated. Buses carried people of all stripes, and all over the country, barriers to race were removed. Great, progressives strides were made because people stood up to claim what is theirs - a fair, just chance to succeed in a world that for so long had denied it to them because of the color of their skin.

What a ridiculous thing to judge someone for.

We are now looking at a world where race is less important. This is at once a good thing, and a bad thing. That race is considered at all carries both positives and negatives. The best thing is that people are learning to accept people of all backgrounds, of all races, of all cultures, languages, etc. We are learning from our past mistakes, and we are learning to reach out to all people regardless of the color of their skin. There continues to be racism, it is true. There are issues that still must be addressed and resolved. But progress is being made, and it is important.

On the other hand, race is important. It speaks to heritage, legacy, and past. It speaks of a feeling of community that held together in the darkest of times. Now that those times are over, and the world is getting lighter, it is important to learn from and celebrate the strength that can come from this heritage and legacy. Communities are strongest when they take from the vast sample of cultures, races, backgrounds, and even languages, and makes them it's own. As we learn to celebrate our differences and commonalities - the very things that make us so wonderfully powerful as a society - then we will know we have truly arrived.

It is a blessing to me to be able to serve the community of Mont Belvieu - a place I have come to love and consider my home. I only hope I am worthy of the task, and can bring honor to the community and the legacy that is here.