The Power of Diversity

I was a White boy raised in a predominantly Black neighborhood. It was segregated, but no one ever used that word. Black people attended their Black church, school, etc. I went to my White church, school, etc.

To avoid confronting racial issues, my parents sent me to a boys’ prep school that was all White and supposedly Christian.

After some reflection, I see that our communities, though outwardly friendly, were shaped by invisible borders we rarely questioned. Friendships and interactions mainly stayed within these limits, not out of malice, but because that’s just how it was.

In my senior year, I discovered that one of those White boys, a close friend, was Jewish. I didn’t know any other Jewish people personally. They lived in their own ghetto in Philadelphia, just like the Black community had their own neighborhoods. In retrospect, I realize that I harbored negative feelings about Jewish people, and I still do as I watch the genocide in Israel.

I attended college in the late ’40s and early ’50s and met a few Black students as well as some Asian and Jewish students. That opened my eyes to my prejudices, although I thought I had risen above them.

After college, I became an officer in the USMC (United States Marine Corps), and my entire officer candidate class was made up of White men. That didn’t bother me. Today it would have.

At my first duty station, my troops were Asian and Filipino, and for the first time in my life, the color of a person’s skin didn’t seem to matter. What mattered was how a person performed. But deep down, I knew that my “-isms” hadn’t gone away; I had simply suppressed them.

After serving in the Marine Corps, I went to seminary, became a priest, and returned to the Hawaiian Islands, partly because of their diversity. I began to realize that diversity is one of the key strengths of a robust democracy.

But I was still a closeted racist, homophobe, and sexist, even though I fought for the ordination and equality of women, gays, lesbians, and transgender people.

In the 1990s I learned about agape love. As a follower, I had to live out agape and love everyone unconditionally, regardless of where they were on their life’s journey. I also realized that I would never completely eliminate all my -isms. They were part of me. I had to control them, not the other way around. Living in agape love would help achieve that.

Attending classes, taking courses, participating in discussions, reading, and listening to others helped me broaden my understanding of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) and work toward recognizing my prejudices.

I’m not proud of my hang-ups but denying them wouldn’t let me be genuine. I must accept that these negative feelings are part of me. Sometimes, they’ll surface. I can’t ignore them.

Thanks to Jesus and his many lessons, parables, and actions, I learned that agape is the answer, and part of the solution is knowing more about DEI—diversity, equality, and inclusion.

When this administration canceled all further DEI initiatives, I immediately knew that the old ghost, White guys rule, was back, and we have to countermand it.

A true democracy is about DEI.

Let me know what you think.

PeaceLoveJoyHopeKindness

Bil

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P.S. People often ask me provocative questions about current events, both religious and secular. I have found that some of these questions are being asked universally. I’ll be periodically alternating regular articles with one of those questions and my answer. I invite you to send me your question to bilaulenbach@yahoo.com.

 

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