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This article is from Today's
Native Father, issue #126, March/April, 2003. Related articles from this issue: |
Women Working Together Against Racism A letter to mothers by Ilva Hertzler |
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As a child I lived in the southern United States. Although I didn’t know all that was happening on a larger scale, I was aware that African-American people in our city were being treated differently. They had their own drinking fountains, public restrooms and sections to eat in restaurants. They had to ride in the back of the bus and they could not go to any schools that had white students. Segregation had a strong grip on most of the city. In my childish way I would argue with my friends about this. I didn’t like the way minorities were treated. One day I came to my high school to find that six graves had been dug on the ball field. Rumor had been circulating that six African-American students were going to be required to come to our school. As I have learned since, this was only the tip of the iceberg. Awful things were happening across the South that were not being dealt with justly. I have not experienced racism in the terrible ways that some of you have. I’ve known misunderstanding and ridicule because of the way I live out my beliefs, but that is minor compared to the racial injustice many are suffering. I love the racial diversity where I live in northwestern Ontario, Canada. There is so much beauty in the cultures and peoples. I am rich in friends of many cultures. I love them all very much. When my family moved here 24 years ago, I had much to learn. I bumbled and fumbled my way through relationships. No doubt I offended some because I was ignorant of the culture, traditions and ways of the people among whom I lived. There were times I was hurt by others because they didn’t understand me. Even today I’m sure we get puzzled about each other at times. As I think about the whole world, I know I can’t do anything about the conflict between Palestine and Israel, or U.S. and Iraq, except pray, which I do. However, I think we women can do something in our own world to stop racism. We can start taking small steps each day to begin to understand each other and to see each other as real people: women who have families; women who have longings, fears and doubts; women who have a history and a future; women who can laugh and cry and get premenstrual tensions. In other words, we have more similarities than we have differences, don’t we? So let’s visit each other’s homes, go for coffee, have Bible Studies, babysit each other’s kids, do crafts, play games, shop, clean our houses together. Let’s begin asking our friends to introduce us to others. Let’s listen to their stories with respect and admiration. We pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” To live together as different races and cultures we need to look at each other the way God looks at us. He made each one of us, so does that make any of us better than any other? Easy answer, isn’t it? If God’s will could be done here in this world the way it is done in heaven, would there be racism? Would we kill, break promises, gossip or be greedy? Would we put others in a box and stereotype them? We women can do a lot to make our homes and communities more loving and accepting of each other. Let’s start with our own neighbourhood, our own street, our own apartment block. Ilva |
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