[Peace] a few moments to reflect on racism

[Debra Schrishuhn]

Amid the maelstrom of endless news cycles and bloviating politicians,
we need to take a few moments to reflect on the underlying racism
among ourselves. Sadly, the
candidacy locally and nationally of people of color sparks negative
and racist reactions from the electoral opposition in words and actions
that range from dog whistle politics to outright acts of violence and
hate crimes.

I commend all who work to raise awareness about the pernicious issues
of institutionalized racism that pervade our society and community. We
must begin talking with one another, not at each other, and we must be
willing to go beyond our own comfort zones to learn how others
experience the world. Here, I am not just talking about people of
different political perspectives communicating, but within our own
ranks, we must condemn
the casual racism of disrespect and the tendency to dismiss
individuals because their looks or their perspective or their speech
or their dress is unfamiliar, not what we are expecting, or associated
with a particular socio-economic stratum.

I think often of the Senegalese conservationist Baba Dioum:

"In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what
we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." (paper
presented to General Assembly of the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1968.)

Although his focus was the natural world, his words are applicable to
much more than forestry and wildlife. Put another way, exposure leads
to education, education leads to understanding, understanding leads to
appreciation, and appreciation and love lead to action.

If you have a few moments to spare, please read this article:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-midterms-candidates-of-color_us_5bd0d365e4b0d38b587f6dcf

Be well,
Deb