Moving

I'm moving. It's not far, but far enough to have to pack up everything.
I donated stuff. A lot.
I love magazines. Apparently i've also brought nearly everyone with since at least 2006. I have now gone through nearly all. Mostly pulled recipes, design ideas and fashion tips. My own pinterest but in a box and on paper. The rest? Garbage. I think there were at least 200.
I've been working hard on it for a few weeks now. Feel like I should have made more progress. Feels good to purge (or weed as the librarians say) but still feel like there is much to go and much to do.
Part of goes to storage. Round two is reducing all of that.
I had a friend who fit everything she owned in her big GMC Jimmy. I felt sad for her. Now I am wondering if that is not such a bad thing after all...

"Tomorrow's Leaders Today" essay for Public Allies award

Back in June 2000, I was recognized with the "Tomorrow's Leaders Today" award from Chicago's Public Allies. The mission of Public Allies is to identify a diversity of talented young adults and create opportunities for them to practice leadership and strengthen their communities in a new alliance with people from neighborhoods, nonprofits, business and government.  Tomorrow’s Leaders Today (TLT) is just one of the ways Public Allies puts its mission into action.

Having recently found some files of older things, writings, essays and similar keepsakes, I found my essay for the award. I thought I'd post it here. I still think it all holds true today.

Tomorrow’s Leaders Today Essay: What do you see as the issues facing your community? Describe your vision for addressing these issues. Explain what you have done to demonstrate your commitment to strengthen your community.

By Denise Lyons, June 2000

Mary Eisenhower recently wrote, "Ordinary citizens of different nations, if able to communicate directly, would solve their differences and find a way to live in peace. This is a simple thought-that people can make the difference where government cannot." This simple statement comes from an international organization that promotes cultural understanding and leadership experiences through personal exchanges. While she may have referred to a broader picture of international diversity, we here in Chicago have the same opportunity to take this quote to heart. Chicago is a community rich in diverse cultural and ethnic traditions. But we face a great problem: diversity and cultural understanding. The United States as a whole has always promoted the idea of the melting pot. People of various faiths, cultures, and backgrounds come to this country and blend into one nation, America. While this may be a good theory, it is not the practice. People who have come to America, and to Chicago specifically, have not blended into one cultural as Americans. This is where the struggle lies.

The concept that we are a melting pot served a time that was long ago. We no longer need to melt in order to fight a world superpower. The fight that takes place is within our own communities. Each nationality settled into a neighborhood and within these neighborhoods, there is the recognition of a common culture. The cultures and ethnic groups do not melt, they simple lay side by side. Looking at the broader picture of the neighborhoods, one envisions a quilt. While a true quilt has a pattern and logic, the Chicago quilt does not. The variety of ethnic groups often chose their neighborhood for economic reasons. They had little wish to give up their traditions and their practices. They fail to recognize the need to educate others and focus on the need for cultural understanding. This has led to misunderstanding among ethnic groups and the typical economic power struggle between those that have and those that have little.

               Those who came to Chicago many generations ago may be less connected with their ethnic heritage. More recent immigrants have not. Within the quilt of Chicago, we can witness the fraying of the edges, as groups struggle to remain within these boundaries. As the potential for economic wealth is realized, groups are being disenfranchised and neighborhoods are victims of gentrification. There is little recognition of the value in the strength of a diverse neighborhood. As the process continues over and over in various neighborhoods, the struggles and problems continue. No one group, no matter how powerful or visionary, has the ability to address the issues of the community residents. In Chicago, we have real problems: crime, drugs, health and welfare, gun control, and education. We need real people to help face them and it cannot be done alone. Now is the time for us to set aside our differences and focus on bettering and strengthening the community as a whole. Each person, each group has the ability to offer something that will promote positive changes and eventually better cultural understanding. It is a not a time to retract, it is a time to build and grow. It takes the effort of all people; serious people ready to face serious challenges.

               On the issue of diversity, we can all strive to celebrate our heritage while respecting our community and our country. There is a longstanding tradition of ethnic celebration in the city: Irish, German, Jewish, African, Italian, and Mexican to name a few. These celebrations must continue for the children to recognize where their ancestors came from. However, in celebrating these heritages, we must invite the greater community to participate in the celebrations and provide the educational resources so that they can learn about these cultures. Misunderstanding of cultural differences comes out of fear and lack of communication. All ethnic groups came here to begin a new life, one that recognizes the past and envisions a brighter future. It is only through cooperation and communication that we will be able to come together and see how strong our quilt can be.

               My vision for Chicago is that every person's background is celebrated and every person's contribution is welcome. This is a difficult vision to translate into practice. Many of the ethnic groups have begun to remove themselves from the Chicago quilt. They are angry that their neighborhoods are constantly shifting demographically. Many of the lower income communities feel that the only way to keep their heritage is shut everyone out. Those with economic resources in turn, see only the black and white figures that read economic wealth. They do not see these neighborhoods as filled with individuals, families, and groups. Stereotypes run rampant, each side growing stronger in their desire to move in or keep others out. There is no way that these attitudes will build a better Chicago.

               However, strides are being made. The CAPS program invites all neighborhood residents to come together to discuss issues of crime. Progress might be slow but the communication lines are broadening. A program on the southwestern side of the city, which comes out of one of the Catholic all-girls high schools, brings teenagers from the city and suburbs to discuss issues of racism. Neighborhood festivals are held and some have seen great success, as Chicagoans come together on a social level to celebrate various ethnic heritages. These examples are only a beginning. We need to go deeper; truly strive to understand each other. Listen to each person's contributions and create a vision that makes Chicago a strong and unique place to live, for us now and for the future.

               We all have a secret weapon: education. Education is the key to unlocking the anger, stereotypes, and fears that threaten diversity. Beginning at a very young age, we must teach our children that we can and must live together in a peaceful world. We must tell the stories and share the beauty of our ethnic heritage and yet promote the idea of cultural understanding. We do not have to give up our ethnic traditions to be able to respect the ethnic traditions of others. Additionally, children will mimic what they see and hear from the adults in their community. Hearing ethnic slurs or degrading language only promotes an isolationist mentality. Adults often question why children and teenagers are participating in hateful and destructive behavior. The answer is simple; they see it all around them. Promoting the idea of boundaries, keeping ethnic groups tied to one area, only fosters these negative attitudes. Young people need to see positive role models. They need to watch their parents and guardians participate in activities that build community, not rip it down. They need to see the adults come together and address the real problems present. They need to be ever mindful that those who are younger are watching their behavior.

               I consider my community to be all of Chicago. I think it shortsighted to only see my street as my community. The activities in which I participate and in which I have taken part encompass a greater spectrum. Through my graduate program at DePaul University, I participated in service activities that spread my influence beyond my street. I have gone to the north side of the city to clean up a beach littered with refuse. The beach was supposed to be a family beach and upon my arrival, I saw that it would be a dangerous place for families. We all need to take pride in our public places and work to keep them safe and clean. I went to a homeless shelter in a north side neighborhood. It was not just the serving of a meal to the people that came to the door, it was taking a few minutes to listen to their stories and empathize during a time of need. I visited a south side neighborhood, next to a highway and in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood, where I joined church and school members bring new life to their facility by painting rooms and planting flowers. Beyond the work done on that day, I learned a great deal about the heritage of the school and the commitment and pride that families have for the place that gives them solace. I am President of a woman's group that spends a great deal of time and effort to sharing the advantages that they have. We hold an annual clothing drive that supports a variety of shelters and organizations, collecting items not only from our group but from anyone willing to donate. We hold a meeting each October at the Ronald McDonald House in Lincoln Park, so members can see the positive work being done to support families of ill children right in their own backyard. We tour the facilities, donate funds from an annual wreath sale, and participate in an activity, from baking cookies to painting pumpkins, in an attempt to bring some joy to families during their difficult time. I advise Northwestern collegiate women in scholarship and career building activities, promoting my experience in the nonprofit arena in an attempt to broaden their understanding of the needs of communities beyond their own. I spent several years teaching religious education to elementary students. While my role was to strengthen their understanding of their own religious beliefs, I also thought it important to press upon them the need to understand other religious faiths. We spent time learning and discussing religions beyond Catholicism, focusing on similarities and not on differences. Even though it had never been done before, we undertook service projects. We visited the Ronald McDonald House and also the University of Illinois at Chicago children's ward, so that at their young age, they can see the need to participate in volunteer activities that serve others. I believe strongly in service and wanted them to have an understanding of what they can do. I strive to be an ambassador for cultural understanding and goodwill in whatever activities I participate.

               I believe that we all have an opportunity to climb out of the proverbial box and really take a hard look at what is happening around us. Nothing can be done as individuals. We need to put aside differences and work together. Even in a small way, whether through financially supporting the outreach efforts of one's church, volunteering at a community building function, or even voting for candidates that support the diversity and community, each person has the opportunity to join with others to make Chicago the strongest tapestry, useful, bold in color and strength, and a model for other cities. I truly believe that only together can we truly make a difference. I am willing to step up and make this happen. I hope that others will join me.