The whole time we've been in discussion at LC, and for that matter the whole time I've lived in Portland, I personally have vocalized and heard woes about the lack of diversity. We look around the room, or the city and see a whole lot of the same, a lot of doing pretty well white folk. I'm realizing now through our poetry that it's truly not that simple, and we're doing ourselves a disservice if we think that economic standing or the color of our skin are the only determinants of who we are. We are all so different. Not to call people out...but I've never met anyone personally who was in the air force, or who is in the thick of a divorce, or is madly in love with someone who from what I understand is on the other side of the world. Even these circumstances don't do justice to what is behind the label or the face, and it was really eye-opening and cathartic to hear how truly unique each of you are.
We're in a pretty lucky spot. We've been tossed in with, almost collided with, this small group of extraordinary people, all eager to make a real effort for good and change. Maybe it's the intimacy of seeing the same people everyday, or that we're all in the same boat of homework, and debate and study, but I felt this exercise came at a very appropriate time. We've gotten to know each other just enough to break the surface, and to do something like this poem reveals how much is still beneath. It reinforces the sentiment of always being mindful that you don't know a person until you do, whether it be a student, a co-worker, a peer or a supervisor. I'm feeling pretty lucky right about now.
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