THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO DO OUR PART
I have seldom been the type to take to the streets or gather for public demonstrations, but I admire those who do! Even though my efforts may not have been heroic, I have tried to do my part by using the gifts that I have - writing, teaching and gathering material help. I am not a hero. I just keep trying to find ways, sometimes very small and maybe sometimes even significant ways, to do what I can for the cause.
Recently, I wrote a letter of support to the African American Catholic woman from Saint Martin de Porres Parish here in Louisville, who wrote a wonderful article about racism for our local Catholic weekly, The Record. She wrote one of the most articulate articles I have read asking the question, "What are white people afraid of?"
I wrote a weekly column every week for that very same Catholic paper for fifteen years. Since then, I have had a blog post for five years now. I wrote columns and I post things on my blog regularly that highlight the presence, gifts and contributions of other races.
Just recently, I sent a contribution to a young African American teenager here in Louisville, who has both parents incarcerated, who started a bee-keeping business to make money so as to be able to go to Trinity High School even though he is not a Catholic. He too is a writer, so as a fellow writer, I also encouraged him to keep writing.
My "Kroger card" triggers a "Friday Freebie" every few weeks. Every time I get a "Friday freebie" coupon online from Kroger (things like a free dozen of eggs, a bag of cookies or some yogurt), I always cash in my coupon, grab that product, stand at the door waiting for an African American family with a bunch of kids or an elderly couple with a sparse basket and offer it to them, telling them that is is free, but I can't use the "freebie" that week.
Another very small thing I do to encourage "essential working" minorities is to "over-tip" them as a tangible way of appreciating the fact that they are risking their health to take care of other's needs.
When I worked at Saint Meinrad Seminary as the founder of the Institute for Priests and Presbyterates, as part of that program I started a World Priest Program to help orient international priests to American culture and conducted over 150 priest assemblies teaching priests and their parishioners of over a hundred dioceses how to better welcome international priests, most of whom have black and brown skin. I would regularly seek out lunch tables to sit with seminarians from other races. I always learned something new. I even had one of my books for priests translated into the Swahili language of east Africa.
In my retirement, I founded an organization for retiring priests, bishops and professional lay Catholics (the Catholic Second Wind Guild) to encourage them to share their time, talents and treasure in the poor Caribbean missions of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a predominately black country with mostly black Catholics (many descendants of African slaves). I have made twelve service trips myself. I have encouraged several volunteers to make the trip. I have raised hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of medical supplies, financial aid, furniture, automobiles, scholarships, Christmas toys, Easter baskets, clothes, church furnishings, school supplies and food.
I have learned one obvious thing about racism. It has at its root - plain old fear! We all seem to fear what we do not know. When we are afraid we often do some awful things to "protect" ourselves. The secret to getting over one's racism is to put oneself in other people's shoes, to get to know them and to go out to meet them on their terms. In my years of crossing the boundaries of race, I have gained a new perspective on others and on myself! I keep looking for those "little ways" that I can undo the hurt, stop the pain of racism - and, yes, to definitely learn what other races have to teach me - and they do have a lot to share.
I grew up in an all-white country town of twenty-seven people. Since then, I have deliberately gone out to meet and appreciate people of every skin color on earth. It has indeed been a great blessing! Today, as the old gospel song goes, "I Wouldn't Take Nothin' For My Journey Now!"
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