"Please,step out of the
car..."
.... is probably a phrase that will be heard more often in
Arizona in a few years if their just-passed anti-immigration
legislation stands up to the coming legal challenges. And
while the Arizona government's assertion is that practices
and procedures will be put into place to guide an equitable
way of deciding WHO to stop, the reality will be that
people who "look a certain way" will be stopped. And
another reality is that families will be separated. Income
streams will be disrupted in many different ways.
The question of immigration (legal or not) is clearly vexing. And I don't intend to address it today. But, as often
is the case, there is a slight coincidence of calendars: the recent passing of the Arizona law with DU's annual
Diversity Summit (which took place today). The theme of this year's summit was "Creating Inclusive
Environments". That theme is a far cry from the "theme" that seems to stand behind the Arizona law -- that theme
might be expressed "Preserving Exclusive Communities". And their seeming focus on the preservation of a past
'reality' appears based in fear: fear of loss of income, fear of loss of control, fear of "the other". There is often little
consideration of the benefits of engaging those who "look a certain way".
What gifts do those who are different than us bring? What do we learn? Religious communities at their point of
origin were generally centered around one group, one nation, one ethnicity. But to survive, or thrive, most have had
to include what were once considered "outsiders". Much of the Christian New Testament, for example, is a
chronicle of the struggles surrounding inclusion. Buddhism had to expand to include non-monastic practitioners. That work of inclusion has rarely been easy (as the New Testament writings clearly show), but with the inclusion of
each successive "outside" group, the original religion has benefited. The same idea could be seen in the founding of
the United States: the Statue of Liberty's "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe
free" sentiment epitomizes the recognition of the gifts that peoples from around the world brought, and would
continue to bring, to make this nation as vibrant as it is.
Again, this is not so much about the question of immigration, but a question of how much WE are willing to do
to be enriched by those different from us. We travel to other countries, but do we simply "spectate" or do we learn? We go to ethnic restaurants (what a WONDERFUL gift we have surrounding us all the time), but do we ask if there
are traditions behind some of the foods, stories connected with them? Do we go into ethnic markets and notice, not
only the foods of different countries, but also that foods that we know well are part of those cultures too? What if we
read books that were on the best-seller list NOT of the NY Times, but of African, South American, or Asian
newspapers (yes, assuming we could get them in English if we couldn't read the original). Can we step out of our
cars in unfamiliar neighborhoods (both literally and figuratively) and feel the LIFE there, the human joys and dramas
that are just like our own?
I hope we can travel down the road with our eyes not fixed on the rear-view mirror for fear that the past may
constrain us, gather us in, and prevent us from really living! Let us try to carry the best of the past with us while we
look ahead toward a richer future, enjoying numerous stops and side trips along the way! Who knows where we
might find ourselves?
Blessings,
Gary