Of Racism on our Campus, and in the country.

I never thought I'd write about racism. I've never had too much of an interest, and mostly just thought it was a well worn-out topic on our campus. Yet I am writing about it...here and now, the same day our first African American president was sworn into office.
Today over lunch, I had an interesting conversation and debate with a friend about racism on our campus and in the country
Because of some privacy issues, I will not disclose names, nor the entire background of the story. Here, however, is a quick summary of the background. The night President Obama was elected President, there were several students from our campus, a few other people who were not a part of our campus, and a former staff member, all came onto campus late that night and painted "the rock". Painting the rock is a common occurance and is perfectly accepted. The words they painted on the rock, however, were not accepted, even tolerated by the school. After painting "Obama Rocks" on the rock, which was perfectly acceptable, that group continued to paint "Friends of NWC are racist." While painting the rock, students across the road were woken up to the sounds of racial slurs being shouted by these students. (I should mention this group of students were of different races...white, African American, Asian..)

For sake of time and space, I will allow that to be the brunt of the story I will share.
My discussion and debate today sparked and intrigued me.

The way I see racism is basically non-existant. My thoughts are the reasons why I might not interact with those in different races from me is not because they are of a different race, but because I either a) do not have any classes with them, b) do not live around or in the same room with them, or c) they are not in the same activities as I am.

This statement is partly true for me. I do not know alot, or am friends with alot, of people of a different race as I am. However, I am close friends with several people who are. But then it does not become about "I know and am friends with people of different races." It becomes, "I am friends with Priscilla, and Lolly, and Brian." Because I do not see them as a different race, I see them as my friends...people who I know because I share an interest of dancing, or an interest of working at camp. I do not go and randomly introduce myself to someone of a different race normally because I would not normally do that with someone of the same race. It is not meant as "I don't have an interest to talk to you because you are black." It's "I don't have an interest to talk to you because I don't know you."

This is how I view things. However, while talking with a friend of mine, I found that is not the way many others view it. The way he described it, they see things AS being racist.
For example: that same night, because they were causing disturbances late into the night, another small group (3 or 4 white students) came out to confront the group, who meant to just go ask if they'd quiet down. One woman from the rock-painting group started coming at the samll group, saying they're coming because they're racist. Immediately, one guy said, "This has nothing to do with race!" Later, when Campus Security pulled up, the rock-painting group automatically assumed they were being racist.

All this to say, in discussing this with my friend, he helped me see that the way I view racism is
a non-problem. The way those of different races see it as an actual problem, immediately thinking that those of different races are racist against them.

Now that my eyes are opened to this, I wonder how then to fix this problem.

If this is the way America truly sees it, I wonder how the African American community in America will view caucasions, or Asians, or Native Americans. How will Native Americans view Asians, and caucasions? How will Asians, view African Americans or Native Americans?

How will the election and swearing in of our first African American president affect our livelihoods as Americans?

Most importantly, how do we all come to a conclusion and make an effort to understand each other? How do caucasions look at Asians, or African Americans? How do African Americans or Asians or Native Americans perceive caucasions? What can we do to start seeing each other in the same light?

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Of plane crashes and the economy

Today, as I walked in the door coming back from class, I turned on the TV to see what was on. To my surprise, I immediately saw what looked like an airplane slowly sinking in the water. I quickly turned up the volume and sat down, only to watch and listen about the commercial airline that "safe crash landed" in the Hudson River. I was frightened as I listened about the details of what had happened, although I was very thankful there were no deaths being reported.

The airplane that had to crash took off from Laguardia. Later on, as I listened to details, I learned that Laguardia was confident that the take-off of that aircraft was successful, and that the supposed culprit to the problems were...was I hearing this correctly...BIRDS?

I had several thoughts that came in the following moments.
First, I was immediately thrown into this sense of fear. Fear for myself, fear for my family, fear for friends. I have never been afraid of flying, even after 9/11. My family even flew ON Sept. 11th, just last year, to California for a wedding. This, however, shocked and rattled me, as I am planning to fly into and out of Laguardia come this April. If one or two birds can cause that much damage and harm to an airplane, then what COULD happen?

Second, I thought "How in the world does a bird get sucked up into an engine and actually cause problems, and in this case, severe problems in the first place? " There are literally thousands of aircrafts over the world that take off every day. How has this problem not happened before? Don't the air traffic controllers realize that birds fly across the world every single day?

Third, it made me think of how safe flying is now, in today's economy. I hear every day of Delta and Northwest having to make hundreds, even thousands, of layoffs. Who, exactly, is being laid off, and how is this affecting the maintenance and care of the runways and the airplanes? I have yet to look into this, and I suspect it will not be an easy task. Yet I feel the need for people all over the world to know just how safe flying is at this crucial point in our economy.

These were the things that have flooded my mind ever since I sat down about five hours ago and first discovered this event. Hopefully we'll receive some answers soon on exactly how the air traffic controllers, pilots, and flight companies around the world will change their standards to keep us safe.

One last note: Major "props" to the pilots, flight attendants, and people on board that flight for following exact procedures, resulting in a very positive outcome in a very negative situation!

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Enrich your Life

When we're young, we were always told "reach for the stars," and "anything's possible." We grow up hearing inspiring stories about how people "made it." But as we grow older, our dreams become less exciting and more practical.

When I was young, I wanted to be so many things. A detective or CSI, a ballerina, a concert pianist, or a dolphin trainer. I grew up, and eventually figured out that it would be difficult to be a ballerina (I love chocolate way too much.) I learned that CSI's actually have to deal with blood (which I faint at the thought of.) I found out that you have to be great with a varieties of sciences and mathematics to train a dolphin (which I'm not.) And a concert pianist needs both extreme talent and lots of training. (Well, I had the training, and some talent, but it certainly wasn't enough.)

There are two things that have, however, stuck in my dreams. The dream of becoming a journalist, having a successful career, then going part-time so I can enjoy being a mother. This is my "dream B," or my "backup dream." I love to write, and I love to design pages. I love photography, and I love making videos. (I was a broadcasting major before changing to journalism, and now I've taken up broadcasting as a minor, since I'm only 5 credits away from it.) This dream, I know, is attainable.

But that leaves no room for the miracle of my first love...dancing.
This other dream has been in my heart since before I started taking dance lessons. This dream...becoming a dancer, is something my heart won't let go, no matter what I tell myself. I don't care whether it's on broadway or with a company somewhere. Yet something holds me back. I love to dance and to be on stage in front of an audience. I would give anything to make a career out of it. But I'm not. I am too afraid of my dreams becoming disappointments. I've been to scared of failing, and then having nowhere else to turn to.
The logical side of me said, "you need to go to school and get an education so that you can pursue this dream later." The heart of me said, "You need to pursue dancing right now." In the end, the logical won. I don't regret going to school. I have been incredibly blessed to have learned what I have. I believe, in the end, that journalism is well within a good grasp of me right now. But I constantly wonder what would happen if I were to just go and audition for dancing roles across the world.
I know I'm not the first, nor the last, to have these thoughts. What does one do when life takes us in out to sea, while our dreams are lying on the shore?

As Langston Hughes wrote,
"Hold fast to dreams
For if dreamd die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow."
These dreams are something one must hold dear, if even for the sake of having them for the time.
But how do we deal with the dreams put on hold?
I was recently talking with a friend about my dancing "career". She said that no matter what happens, that I should never give up dancing. She was right. It's in my blood, my veins, my life, and giving that up would mean a grief and sense of loss I know I couldn't bear.
Many people have dreams of doing this or doing that, yet only a handful of them ever do what they had dreampt about as life was just beginning. But letting go of a dream doesn't mean you have to quit all-together. There are plenty of opportunities around you that provide a means for that release. For me, it was teaching dance lessons at a local dance studio. I taught lessons to kids anywhere from ages 5-18, and I can't help but admit it was such an incredible blessing. To pass on information that I've learned through the years, knowing I am enriching another person's life, helped me see past my own ambitions and give back to the community. Who knows..maybe one of them might turn out to be the next Margot Fonteyn.

Take your dreams and your passions, and do something with them. Teach a class, do it as a fun hobby, join a club, or take some classes yourself! Whether it's painting, basketball, or acting, enrich your life, and enrich other's.

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