Thursday night Betsy and I participated in a community event with people of color to show our opposition to the oppression that occurs everyday in our community. Some of it is subtle, some, not so much. Hearing the stories of police "attention" that young people have experienced was eye-opening. It is hard to believe that in 2014, some of the same things that created "sunset town" mentality in Iowa still occur. The shootings in Ferguson and about 400 other places in the US should remind us that good people can do bad things and people who lack understanding (and perhaps training) are more likely to make a poor judgment.
Juxtapose this with the Landlocked Film Festival's showing of "Arab American" that tells the story of a son of Iraqi immigrants' experiences post-9/11 in Iowa where he was severely beaten in Fairfield for being seen as an Arab. You can add stories of bullying over sexuality and other cases of our inhumanity toward each other, but it doesn't change the simple fact, we are struggling unnecessarily to keep our humanity together.
For each case of violence, whether through "policing" or through ignorance, we are signaling to the next generation that there are people who count more than others and you do not have to concern yourself about changing that picture because "it" is and "it" always will be.
Thankfully, I truly believe that many people of goodwill see through the veil of prejudice and bigotry. They understand that keeping us at odds with one another serves a divisive purpose and they genuinely want to tear down the wall of deception that perpetuates this false narrative.
I saw this in a crowd of 120 people, I see it in the filmgoers that attend Landlocked. I see it in the eyes of students that I am fortunate to work with. We have a way to go to tap into the spirit root of our shared humanity because not all people are willing to let their guard down or have been injured and can't forgive. But we can change the narrative by our example. My generation is a little bit better than our parents' generation and the next generation is a little bit better than ours. We can't allow the narrative to be changed by a lack of shared history, we must constantly educate and challenge ourselves to be and do better.
I am an unrepentant peacenik. I always have been and I always will be. But peace is not the absence of violence, it is the presence of understanding, tolerance, and ultimately acceptance of each other--blemishes and all. We have no natural reason to war with each other. We have no real reason for someone to protect and serve us, if we are serving the common good. Let's take the challenge that was thrown down at the rally the other day to introduce ourselves to people we don't know and let them know, whatever their skin color, religion, sexual-orientation, or even political affiliation, that they matter. The fabric may be tattered, but it is not beyond repair. But, you and I have to be the catalyst of change--not someone else.
Juxtapose this with the Landlocked Film Festival's showing of "Arab American" that tells the story of a son of Iraqi immigrants' experiences post-9/11 in Iowa where he was severely beaten in Fairfield for being seen as an Arab. You can add stories of bullying over sexuality and other cases of our inhumanity toward each other, but it doesn't change the simple fact, we are struggling unnecessarily to keep our humanity together.
For each case of violence, whether through "policing" or through ignorance, we are signaling to the next generation that there are people who count more than others and you do not have to concern yourself about changing that picture because "it" is and "it" always will be.
Thankfully, I truly believe that many people of goodwill see through the veil of prejudice and bigotry. They understand that keeping us at odds with one another serves a divisive purpose and they genuinely want to tear down the wall of deception that perpetuates this false narrative.
I saw this in a crowd of 120 people, I see it in the filmgoers that attend Landlocked. I see it in the eyes of students that I am fortunate to work with. We have a way to go to tap into the spirit root of our shared humanity because not all people are willing to let their guard down or have been injured and can't forgive. But we can change the narrative by our example. My generation is a little bit better than our parents' generation and the next generation is a little bit better than ours. We can't allow the narrative to be changed by a lack of shared history, we must constantly educate and challenge ourselves to be and do better.
I am an unrepentant peacenik. I always have been and I always will be. But peace is not the absence of violence, it is the presence of understanding, tolerance, and ultimately acceptance of each other--blemishes and all. We have no natural reason to war with each other. We have no real reason for someone to protect and serve us, if we are serving the common good. Let's take the challenge that was thrown down at the rally the other day to introduce ourselves to people we don't know and let them know, whatever their skin color, religion, sexual-orientation, or even political affiliation, that they matter. The fabric may be tattered, but it is not beyond repair. But, you and I have to be the catalyst of change--not someone else.
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