'A Very Human Being'

In lieu of the Friday digest this week, here's a poem that Imam Abdur-Rahim Muhammad of Auburn, New York, wrote  - and recited by memory to us during the Communities Creating Racial Equity Learning Exchange this week:

A Very Human Being

I gave him just a passing glance -
His face and hair, his shirt and pants -
All covered in a split-second no more;
After all, I'd seen "his kind" before.

... But a spark in his eyes surprised me, and then
He opened his mouth, and surprised me again
For what came from him came to me unexpected;
Its echo, inside me, could not be rejected.

Experience deserted me, inside my brain went cold
Faced with a category that I couldn't pigeonhole;
"This one's not like the rest of them"; but even I was seeing
My stereotypes refused to bend - to fit a human being!

I started getting angry then, but really at myself;
My noble, lofty principles had fallen off their shelf
I had to reassess them, now confronted and adjusted,
For here - inside of my own mind - a bigot had been busted!

Life on other worlds may seem impossible to find,
But here on earth, to recognize a human heart and mind
Is harder still for those who think that just a certain kind
Of people qualify, with all the rest somewhere behind!

The sorry truth is this for those who claim to have priority:
Denying others' birthright bares their own inferiority!
To change this sorry state of mind, disguised as "the human condition"
And remake the world, in human form,
Is every single human being's mission!

Reactions? Post your thoughts here or send them via email to rightarm2000 at adelphia dot net.

 

Comments

[Sarah Kadden]

Dudes, I couldn't sleep last night, I am so excited about what we are in the process of! I have nothing but love and respect and awe for this community and positive social change we are creating. Racial Equity, here we come!

[Julie Fanselow]

Sarah, thanks for kicking off the comments here! Here's wishing you and the rest of the Burlington team continued inspiration and energy as we work toward real racial equity in your city and all our communities.

[Martha McCoy]

Sarah, you said so well what all of us at Everyday Democracy are feeling right now.

Thank you to everyone at the Learning Exchange -- all the awesome community teams, the great Everyday Democracy team of staff & Senior Associates, and the evaluation and strategic communication teams that came in to work with us. I'm grateful that all of us -- in multi-racial/multi-ethic teams -- are exploring what it means to work with each other in inclusive and racially equitable ways. That's so important as we're grappling with how to create COMMUNITIES that are more inclusive & democratic & racially equitable.

And I love it that we're having FUN while doing it, and forming connections with each other across the country. That means when we need each other (which we often will, because this work is HARD), we'll have others to reach out to, and we know they'll be there for us. I firmly believe that this is some of the most important work we could be doing at this time in our country and our communities. and all of us at Everyday Democracy are profoundly thankful to be in this work with you.

If you're not in the Communities Creating Racial Equity initiative, and happen to be checking into this DemocracySpace, we're really looking forward to sharing our learning with you. We at Everyday Democracy will be bringing a lot of this learning to our upcoming national conference in Denver, June 12-14!

With awe and respect for the work that communities are doing to create voice for everyone and achieve greater racial equity,
Martha

[Molly Barrett]

To all the CCRE participants, grateful thanks. You, your ideas, your energy, and your deep sense of commitment to this work are a source of inspiration to everyone at Everyday Democracy. We are proud and privileged (in the highest sense of the word) to be learning with and from you.
Molly

[John Fenner]

Hi folks,

It was wonderful being with you all last week for the very important
CCRE work. In the closing circle my answer to the question "What one
thing will I take away?" was renewed faith that we can make a
difference on racial equity. I was so inspired to be with all the
dedicated community people and to see how hard all of you are working
to support them.

The two videos at lunch were a fitting final hurrah! to the event.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this great work.

And for all of you in Hartford and Maine, I hope that you can inhale
and exhale deeply, know that you did a great job, and get ready for
the board meeting and National Conference with the confidence that
all shall be well.

Many blessings,

John
--
John Fenner
Senior Associate
Everyday Democracy
134 Parkview Drive
Brevard, NC 28712
828-877-2966
828-877-4749 fax (call first)
jfconsulting@citcom.net
www.everyday-democracy.org

[Carolyne]

I am late getting into the feedback loop from last week's meeting, but not in my enthusiasm for the passion I see in the communities doing this work -trying to create space and voice for everyone in their community to participate in the decisions that affect the quality of life for everyone. As Curtis Mayfield would say: Let's keep on keeping on.