Tonight I went to Greek Intervaristy to hear a speaker that I find highly motivational and encouraging. His name is Stevie King and sometimes he just blows my mind. What I love about him is how simply he puts everything. Stevie King is a black man that grew up in Athens, Ga. He was born the year that Clarke county schools were integrated.
To me, segregation seems like something that happened in history books. I understand that to some extent that racial discrimination still occurs and that affirmative action is a highly debated issue.
What really struck me as odd is that Stevie explained that being different shouldn't ignored. I couldn't help but think how often I encounter people from different cultures on campus and I tiptop around it. Only if they are from somewhere unusual and exotic do I ever ask them questions. Most of time I'm too caught up in being "politically correct" that I would never say, "What it's like being black or Hispanic on a predominately white campus?" I don't think I'd even say "white campus" because that feels taboo. We're not supposed to point out color differences. Stevie said that's where healing and understanding starts.
So perhaps we should stop outwardly pretending we think we're all the same when on the inside we truly don't understand those different than us and just open it up to discussion.
He mentioned that minorities would much rather be asked about their lives and their backgrounds than just ignored in effort to pay no attention to the fact that we were brought up differently, have different parents, and different values.
I think that people are people. I believe that we are all so similar that it would be impossible not be able to relate to someone else on some level over something.
So perhaps when we start asking questions and we're truly eager to learn about what makes us wonderfully different then we'll start to see and believe how truly similar we are.
After all, We all are made and loved by the same God. We were all created for the same purpose- To bring glory to His kingdom. What a beautiful common goal.
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