Images of the ole South played pitter patter with my mind, as I sat quietly holding the space this past weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There I was, the facilitator of this Board Retreat offering guidance, asking questions, playing music, reading poetry, eating together, holding hands, and only one other person's ethnicity was the same as mine. More than a few times, I looked around, felt my heart opening, and realized, "Things had changed."
When I left the South in 1963, the images of mistreatment, prejudice, and discrimination traveled like worn luggage with me. Buried within, I licked my wounds and made a silent pledge to myself that I would never come back except to visit family. More than a few times, my husband had jokingly inquired with curiosity, "Let's move to the South." That's when my pledge was revealed, coated by an emotion deep inside me, as I responded, "Are you crazy? Never."
But this weekend as we closed the circle, tears un-expectantly filled my eyes. I could feel ML King, those that had sacrificed their lives, and my own father smiling down on me with compassion and grace. Angry expressions worn with bitterness and outcry that, "I was second class'' were healed, as I looked upon the faces of these women. It was a moment I will never forget.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not naive. Racism still exist. While integration is in full bloom, I witnessed little evidence of integrated friendships or relationships. African Americans jogged, walked the trails, ate red beans and rice, shopped, rode in automobiles, and attended church with other African Americans. But then, is this so different than other parts of the country?
For a long time, I have believed, if you want FULL integration in your life, you must open yourself up to diversity in ways that challenge all your old stereotypes. If you want it, you must be open to a dialogue where myths and beliefs are flushed out into the open. You must be open to believe, we are all inter-connected. It is a humbling experience!
And for this time around, to every women who's eyes I glazed into...I appreciate the hugs and genuine acceptance that I felt; the welcome I received, peer to peer - equal. Yes, much has changed. And I suppose at the core, the change has also happened in me!
Each person spends from $329 for airplane-rafting jaunts. The Chateau de Versailles, the Palace at Versailles, was the French royal palace for many generations. Upgrades include an airplane flight to Glen Canyon Dam for a day of incredible river rafting.
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