White matters

I wonder how the storming rhetoric of fear and hate around the proposed Islamic community center in New York is impacting Muslim-American children. What are they experiencing as they hear how threatened people are by the building of a place where they can hang out after school and shoot baskets, play games, or say prayers. Do they refuse to go to school fearing the taunting of their peers? How do their parents answer their questions and explain that freedom of religion does not apply to all citizens in this country?

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A white woman involved in anti-racist work told me about a national organization she thinks is doing great work on non-violent communication.  She noted that her only concern is that it is primarily white people who are involved with it.  The rationalization she used for that being the case raised some questions for me.

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Saw this on my travels this summer.  Who do you think is telling the story here and what is it saying?  Looks to me like whiteness speaking. I ‘d like to hear your comments.

I saw this picture in an African American museum this summer in Philadelphia.  It’s a reminder to consider who is “at the table” when decisions are made and who is not.

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The focus of my conversations reflects my worldview,  revealing the way I’ve been socialized to see things.  I’ve been wondering what would happen if the conversation about race moved to a different place than I so often experience it.

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