I’m taking advantage of my last break of my workday to reflect on a few things. You know, this canvassing thing has been a lot more than just my trying to get the word out to my neighbors. Again: It’s not about me. Quite often, when I’m talking about my own experience, the people I’ve approached respond by sharing a slice of their own personal experience. Sometimes, these experiences are quite graphic.
Last night, while Mary and I were trying to resolve that late night dinner debate, we found ourselves in a conversation with a few familiar faces at our favorite neighborhood grocery store. One of the clerks (a man of color) briefly shared some of his experiences, and explained that he now completely avoids driving on one of the main thoroughfares in our neighborhood in order to avoid unnecessary encounters with local law enforcement. I don’t think any of us, including his coworker, had any idea that he’d been having these kinds of experiences.
Thinking about the level of interest and concern that’s been shared at that very same grocery, I decided to swing by on my way into work this morning and drop half a dozen copies of the reprint from Northwest Asian Weekly. I handed one copy to the teller, who was bagging my Mountain Dew and yogurt (my current version of an all-American breakfast). In a friendly and familiar manner, she held my bag back after handing me my change, gently directing my attention. “Well, now have you read about this guy?” she asked. She was referring to a copy of my Artist’s Statement that she was now drawing from behind her register.
This is soooo not about me. And this isn’t a black and white issue, or just one Seattle neighborhood’s issue. This is happening all over the U.S., and I’m thinking that we all have some kind of experience with this thing. We all recognize that this kind of behavior is unjust.
One a final note: I recently resolved my email problems, which means that I’ve been having all kinds of fun sorting through hundreds of emails. I just found one from a dear friend that reflects a dialog on this issue from the perspective of a non-American. Even though it made me wince to see how they currently view my country, I found their input incredibly valuable. Accordingly, I encourage my Australian neighbors to get involved in this dialog, as well as any of my neighbors in other countries.
