Diversity Not Adversity

“The wise man belongs to all countries, for the home of a great soul is the whole world.”  ~ Democritus, ancient Greek philosopher (460 BC – 370 BC)

It was late Saturday morning and I was standing in the stockroom of a vacant store sampling homemade catfish. Though it might have been vacant from a retail perspective, it was anything but quiet. From the front of the store came the clamor of commerce, people and activity; sounds which could be heard even in the back where I stood. They were the sounds of the Afro-Centric Market Place in Simi Valley, California.

I had been invited to participate, as a representative of my company, by my new best friend, Sandra Brown. Sandra and I had met in a leadership program sponsored by the local chamber of commerce. Her outgoing personality had made it easy to get to know her and to feel comfortable around her. Since I was a diversity marketing manager, she had encouraged me to participate in the African American Tradeshow she was chairing.

So here I was with a catfish sandwich in hand courtesy of Sandra’s best friend Lizzy. “How is it?” she asked with a smile. “Deee-licious,” I replied, still chewing. “It’s a bit early for catfish though.”  “It’s never too early for one of my catfish sandwiches,” retorted Lizzy, her hands on her hips. (This friendly banter had started when I arrived and would continue through-out the day. It was only one of Lizzy’s endearing qualities.)

“So what do you think of the trade show?” Sandra asked. “It’s really nice” I replied, still focused on the catfish. “Really nice,” Sandra said, mimicking my vocal pattern. “That is definitely a white person’s response.” Sandra’s head moved back and forth punctuating each word.  I stopped chewing, surprised to hear Sandra refer to me as a “white person.” After all I was a white person.

“Have you ever heard music like this?” “Have you ever seen booths like these?” Have you ever seen clothes like these?” Sandra’s head continued to go back and forth. “No, not really” I responded feebly.  “So tell me what you really think?” Sandra’s look had become penetrating.

 I put the sandwich down, realizing this was becoming more than a casual conversation. “I think it’s different,” I offered. “Different how?” Sandra was not going to let me off easily. “Different as in it is something I have never experienced before.”

Finally Sandra’s gaze began to soften. She broke into a litany about how they had set about to make this trade show different; one which truly reflected their culture. “We Black folk are different from you White folk, so what do you really think?” Sandra concluded. This final comment caught me off guard. I had come to believe it was impolite and perhaps inflammatory to suggest we were different.

I swallowed hard and then proceeded to tell Sandra all the things I liked and the few things I didn’t like about the trade show. More importantly, I asked about the things I didn’t understand. Sandra listened intently and offered explanations where necessary. Finally, I was done.

A big grin began to spread across Sandra’s face. “Now that wasn’t so hard was it?” she asked. “You see, we are different than you.” “Different in how we act, how we think and the things we value. Being different isn’t bad, it’s just…different. The good thing is we live in the 21^st century where we can acknowledge, talk about, and maybe even celebrate the differences. Now let’s get you some corn bread and butterbeans.”  

For centuries, cultures have often looked upon other cultures, races, religions and social groups as suspect, inferior and even subhuman. Blacks were sold as property and a Native American tribe was put on trial by the United States Government to determine if they were truly human. These biases continue in many parts of the world even today.

As we traversed the 20^th century, we reached a sort of middle ground where we convinced ourselves everyone was equal and therefore the same; to point out differences was often viewed as bigotry. Sandra taught me what many of us are coming to understand, that it is a good thing to discuss the differences. In fact, we are called to celebrate these differences.

As Christian Stewards, we understand that every person is, in a sense, his or her own individual culture. In today’s “culture,” it is not that we are becoming more the same; rather, we are each becoming more unique. While we may find some comfort where we overlap, in point of fact, our strength lies in the differences between us.

 This is one of the messages of Pentecost. While we are all members of the human race, we are each our own unique culture with unique gifts – “one Spirit, but different gifts”.  God made us all different for a reason. We are called to use our gifts to complement one another, not to be in conflict with one another.

As we celebrate Pentecost this weekend, it is a time to recognize and rejoice in the unique culture of the others in our lives. They are not adversaries, but gifts of God.

Dear God: Teach me to be grateful for all the other people you have created in this world.

“The greater the diversity, the greater the perfection.”  ~Thomas Berry, CP, Catholic Priest, member of the Passionist order, cultural historian, ecotheologian, cosmologist and geologist (1914-2009)

©2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

“90 Second Stewardship” is a reflection on being a Christian Steward in a secular and sometimes harsh world. This reflection is written by James E. Carper of Simi Valley, California. All rights are reserved. You are welcome and encouraged to forward this e-mail to family and friends provided the”© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” is included along with this message. Organizations, whether for or non profit, are required to receive written approval before reproducing these reflections. If written approval is given the “© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” must be included along with this message.