I appreciate this for so many reasons. You say it all well, so I won't try to add. I just want to say that #3 reminds me of a moment that I really appreciated in last month's neighborhood civic association meeting. I live in a fairly racially diverse neighborhood, and a string of comments from people of various ethnicities all matched: they all agreed on the people they deemed undesirable, the people who occupy certain spaces on certain streets. Then, a much older white woman, who has probably lived here longer than anyone else present, stood up and said: "We are speaking as if they are not part of this neighborhood too. What do you think __ Street and ___ Street are? They are part of our neighborhood and so are the people you're talking about." I swear, I wanted to get up and cheer, but I also felt schooled in the best possible way. I assumed her contribution would be more of the same. Instead, she made me look at myself...regarding my assumption about her and regarding what I HAD NOT said! That's what you're calling on people to do and that's what you're equipping them to do because you give concrete examples that will allow them to think of more. Thank you for your voice!
I appreciate this for so many reasons. You say it all well, so I won't try to add. I just want to say that #3 reminds me of a moment that I really appreciated in last month's neighborhood civic association meeting. I live in a fairly racially diverse neighborhood, and a string of comments from people of various ethnicities all matched: they all agreed on the people they deemed undesirable, the people who occupy certain spaces on certain streets. Then, a much older white woman, who has probably lived here longer than anyone else present, stood up and said: "We are speaking as if they are not part of this neighborhood too. What do you think __ Street and ___ Street are? They are part of our neighborhood and so are the people you're talking about." I swear, I wanted to get up and cheer, but I also felt schooled in the best possible way. I assumed her contribution would be more of the same. Instead, she made me look at myself...regarding my assumption about her and regarding what I HAD NOT said! That's what you're calling on people to do and that's what you're equipping them to do because you give concrete examples that will allow them to think of more. Thank you for your voice!