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.
No comments:
Post a Comment