THE RACIAL DIALOGUE HOMEPAGE

" I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stiffled. I want all the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any." -- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." --Nelson Mandela 09/17/95

Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced. --James Baldwin

This site was built to create a dialogue by sharing our experiences and inviting you to share yours. These experiences, of encountering a person of a race or ethnic background that was different from ours, of hearing from our parents or from others whom we love and respect about what people of other races or cultures are like, of reading books by or about other ethnic groups or seeing them portrayed on television, all help shape our fears, hopes and expectations about other groups of people. It isn't so simple as to say that one person is a racist and another is not, for, like it or not, our attitudes are a complex mixture of these many influences and our reactions to them. What we can do is to acknowledge our experience, acknowledge the preconceptions we still hold, and then broaden our awareness. Telling our stories is a way to acknowledge these influences and to re-experience them from the vantage point of who we are now, with the understanding we have now.

We believe that it is time to look beyond some simple ideas and categories, beyond the idea that we are all either racists or complely free of preconceptions. Beyond the idea that we are all the same, to an understanding that while we may be fundamentally the same in terms of our deepest needs and hopes, that our methods of fulfilling those needs and pursuing our hopes may differ dramatically as a result of our individual, social and cultural experiences. Beyond the idea that we should be color blind to being able to appreciate our real differences.

And why do this? Because we are interconnected, because our differences enrich us all, because expansion of the boundaries of who we are is the greatest joy we can experience. And that is the other reason to share these stories, to share our experience, our point of view, our richness.

So, we invite you to share your experiences and read those shared by others. As time goes on and we receive responses we will add to the rooms and perhaps add others. If you have ideas for some, please let us know. Eventually, we'd like to have versions of the rooms especially for children, and another for youths/teens. If you have young friends, please invite them to contribute and give your help and encouragement.

Choose one of the following theme rooms to begin your journey:

First Encounter This room contains stories of first encounters with a person of a different race or ethnic origin.

What My Parents Told Me This room contains stories of what people were told by their parents or other people who were important in their lives about people of a different race or ethnic origin. It may also hold stories that their parents told them about their encounters with members of a different racial/ethnic/cultural group.

Later encounters or Experiences This room contains stories of later encounters or experiences with a person of a different race or ethnic origin, that were particularly meaningful or influential to us.

The World Through Our Children Sometimes you experience the world most strongly through your children. This room contains the stories our children told us, or their experiences as observed by us, of their encounter with a race or ethnic group different from their own, or with racism.

Experiences with the Law People of different races may have entirely different views of law enforcement and the justice system based upon their own experiences with police or legal institution or the experiences of of people close to them. Others may have a fear of crime, whether from being a victim of a crime or from watching the nightly news, which may or may not center on members of a different racial group. This room contains stories of those experiences or thoughts about the source of our fears.

Poverty Poverty is disproportionaly experienced by some minority groups, and by single parent families headed by a woman. In addition, poverty itself is often stigmatized by preconceptions about why people are poor, and what poor families are like. At the same time even those of us who are not poor may be fearful of it, especially if we live one or two paychecks from homelessness as is the case of many families in the United States. Sometimes this fear may focus on minority groups or women, a feeling that they are getting the jobs and the breaks that you are not.

This is a page of stories that share the experiences of being poor - how did it come about, how did it feel - and/or of encountering those who live in poverty. It is also a place to share our fears and the situations that bring them out.

Culture Explore the customs and practices of your culture.

Cultural Dialogue Homepage : First Encounter : What My Parents Told Me :
Later Encounters or Experiences : The World Through Our Children : Experiences with the Law : Poverty : Explore your Culture

This page is the idea of Solla Carrock and Tracy Williams-Murphy. Please give us your feedback and ideas at mailto:sollac@hotmail.com or mailto:tracy@bootstraps.net

Please feel free to duplicate this site's contents or concept elsewhere.

The Bootstraps.Net home page