A Little Sanity in the Malaise
Advocating for our humanity is the only path.
Chaos,
too often these days.
Each day is
a bait and switch a
backpedaling of values
of morals.
People kidnapped off the street.
Fear is spreading fire
into the veins of everyday life.
We are being starved
of the freedom
to be ourselves.
People are dying of hunger
and disease needlessly
because of revenge,
hatred and racism.
Funding withdrawn
lives catapulted
into thin air.
For what, efficiency?
Learning is obstructed.
The arts in limbo.
Distruction
in every direction.
Laws ignored,
rights denied.
Liberty
is in question.
For those willing to wade through the present and unending malaise of chaos, let’s direct our thoughts toward the love of community and some humanity.
As I reside comfortably and safely in my whiteness, two Hispanic women were sitting on the wooden fence across from my house the other day. They had just dropped a housekeeping business card on my doorstep without knocking. Did they assume I was not home? Why didn’t they ring the doorbell? They may not speak English or be shy and afraid. I don’t know.
I was leaving to attend my Spanish class when I noticed them. What a strange coincidence. I’ve not seen them in the neighborhood before, but I’m new to the area. They looked pretty young, maybe high school age. It was early afternoon, so you’d think they would be in school. Many questions went through my overactive mind.
If I had time, would I have talked with them? Would I have practiced what Spanish I know? I admit to being shy and afraid to speak Spanish to those who know the language well, much like the two young Hispanic women and their potential fears of speaking English to me.
About once a week, Hispanic-based businesses leave their cards on our doorstep. I would hire their services if we didn’t have this insufferable need to be responsible for our own home's indoor and outdoor chores, at least for now.
As I walk to my Spanish class, I wonder about those two young women in this current political climate. Are they safe in our community? Are they getting harassed by locals and local officials? I haven’t heard anything on the local news.
What do they want to do with their lives? To work in the family housecleaning business, or are there other dreams they aspire to? Do they feel there are other opportunities available for them?
Growing up in a white dominated community, I was shielded from knowing anything about the lives of those who were not white. In my adult life, I have lived in areas with diverse populations. I’ve been fortunate enough to read a great deal of literature and taken college courses on ethnicity and other cultures. Still, I haven’t lived among nonwhite groups or been exposed to what daily life is like for them. So, I can’t say anything of substance about what they endure every day.
If you have not lived it, you don’t know.
I taught in an after-school program in one of New Orleans’ public schools in the heart of the city. The school was made up of mostly poor children from black neighborhoods (the projects) and poor white neighborhoods. Most of the teaching staff were black, but there were also white and Hispanic teachers. If you want to know what kids are going through or what is on their minds, give them some paper, paint, and crayons. You will gain insight into their rapidly developing brains and how they perceive their world.
I had to confer with my supervisor on several occasions due to some of the kids’ visualizations. It was a bit unsettling.
Living in New Orleans gave me a front row seat to racism, classism, bigotry, economic deprivation, and all that goes with those issues. It was a lesson in the realities that have existed for a long time, and the reason why I moved from my sheltered conservative upbringing to a more liberal mindset.
I just finished reading Soldier and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling by Jason De Leon. Jason, a professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, lived among a group of smugglers in Latin America. The book was a lesson in the complexities of migration issues. It is a fascinating and heartbreaking read about the realities of why people migrate and the lengths they will go to leave horrible living situations. It is a difficult read and not for the faint of heart.
I bring up this book because it is an example of someone who embedded themselves with a particular ethnic group to learn firsthand how they lived. As an anthropologist, it was essential for Mr. De Leon to report and relay this information for the benefit of his students, readers, and the world, so that we could gain a glimpse of reality.
I enter the Spanish class. The instructor, a former elementary teacher, is offering this class free of charge to our community. The class began with 25 students. Now, there are 10-12 hearty souls left. Some are taking the class to sharpen their Spanish skills, others have friends or family members who speak Spanish, and still others want to challenge their brains. We are all over 55.
A room full of citizens wanting to embrace diversity and inclusivity for the sake of humanity.
Such a strange dichotomy of ideals is playing out all around us. A small percentage of people live in fear of those who are different from them. Most people want to spread the concept of loving your neighbor, helping your neighbor, and being open to them, regardless of their skin color, economic status, heritage, or religion. Most people recognize that these differences strengthen our citizenry, making us better individuals and encouraging humanity.
I am one of those individuals.
Thank you for reading and following my writing.