To Iswari on courageous conversation about race

[Guest guest]

Iswari wrote:

 

I have so often seen it happen that people either walk out of these

conversations or leave them afterward feeling frustrated. In my experience, one

of

the most amazing

organizations doing work in this area (mainly for women and girls, but some

programs are open to men) is Be Present, Inc...I don't want to get

too off-topic, since this isn't directly about Amma or the community, but

I've been really blown away by some of the experiences that I've had...and just

wanted to provide a link to their site for anyone who is interested in

exploring these issues further for themselves:

 

http://www.bepresent.org

 

Premarupa, that is fantastic news about your school district!

 

I've also had conversations with others within our satsang about how to

reach out more to those from non-Indian, non-Anglo backgrounds and to let them

know about Amma....but they sort of fizzled or got forgotten in the wake of

more time-sensitive concerns. I think there are probably two pieces....how to

let people from different backgrounds know about Amma and also how to help

people feel welcome and want to participate in satsang....because I know the

public programs draw a much more diverse crowd than do satsangs. So, I'd be

very

open to hearing anyone's thoughts or experiences on this issue.

 

 

Dear Iswari,

 

Thank you so much for sharing the info about the BePresent process. I

haven't checked it out yet because I am trying to catch up with the digests. :

/

But I saved it to peruse in the future. The subtext of our conversation,

about dealing with these issues in the schools reminded me of when I was

working at Peace Links, and we put together a program, with technical

assistance

manuals for teachers, and lots of resources and exercises for working with

children. The program was called "Embracing Diversity."

 

I remember this very well because this was at a time when schools were

beginning to teach multiculturalism in schools, and I remember very well the

vociferous response from many right wing organizations. They wanted to stamp

this

out before it got started. They took some schools to court over it. I

remember feeling surprised, like I did when I got the response I got for

playing

with the little black girl, and then shocked and horrified. How could anyone,

Christians, particularly people who proport to be spiritual, be against this?

But of course, many use the Old Testament as a justification because of the

story of the split when a certain tribe or group was separated from the rest

.... the tribe of Aham? I can't quite remember this story. It always amazes me

when some people who say they are Christian, live not by what Jesus taught

(Love everyone), but by the Old Testament, which is used to justify everything

from racial hatred to gay bashing, and even in some cases, to murder (I am

thinking of the KKK, but this is still "out there," it has just become more

subtle and more undeground.)

 

And as my artist friend and colleague, whom I wrote about before, Corrine

Mitchell told our art group, if you want people of color to attend meetings,

e.g., satsangs, you have to hold the meetings, e.g., satsangs, where they

live, go into their communities, not simply reach out and expect them to come

to

some nice, middle class white neighborhood. I don't know how this would work

because I know it is difficult enough to just get a satsang going, keep it

going, and create it as an active group... maybe holding satsangs on a

quarterly basis some place in the black community. Temba might have some

thoughts on

how this could be done.

 

But I do know that all the flyer posting we did in the black communities in

the DC area did absolutely no good. It was only when we began to hold

periodic meetings in these communities, that black women began to come to our

group

and get involved.

 

I do not think this is off topic by any means. Amma does not want anyone

left out, and we are Her voice and hands here in America. To me, moving to the

West and then to the Southwest, has been very weird ... no people of color,

especially in Oregon. Of course, in New Mexico, there are a lot of Hispanics,

but it is just strange after living in a place where people of color from many

parts of the world had come to live to be in a place where there are none.

And personally, I feel that I am missing this aspect of my life.

 

Yesterday, when I went downtown, there was a fellow with two friends sitting

outside my favorite coffee shop. He was playing a guitar, so of course, I

was magnetically drawn to him. He sang a beautiful song; he had a lovely voice,

strong, resonant, unique. He must have been from Australia because hecause,

when talking, he had a thick Aussie accent. His car had broken down in Silver

City, where, if you have to have something like that happen, it is probably

one of the better places because of the mild climate. I asked him if I could

share one of my songs, which I croaked out with my frog voice. He and his

friends had to strain to hear me over the traffic, but they loved my song and

were very encouraging to me to keep singing, despite how my illness has changed

my voice. It was a beautiful and wonderful encounter. I gave them some info

about where Johnny U K (Unrestrained Chaos) could play for tips and where they

could go and get some information about getting food and other help.

I may ask Doug if they can pitch their tent here, once they get their car

running.

 

But this encounter was wonderful, not only because we all connected on a

spirit level and an artistic one, but because of the differences between us,

which only enriched our encounter.

I was walking on a cloud for a little bit after this.

 

Okay, I'm rambling, so I'll stop. But I think this conversation is

absolutely central to what Amma is all about ~ love, inclusion, selfless

service, etc.

~ and "peace on Earth to all men (and women and children and animals and

plants, etc.)." Blessings ~ Linda