Little Rhody in NOLA
You never know who you're going to meet unless you're willing to take
a risk. This past Saturday morning at the end of a conference in New Orleans about race and ethnicity in higher education, I decided to attend a workshop for me. Yes, for me.
It had been a long week of learning about strategies to address -isms as well as being with colleagues from across the US and around the world to discuss ways to cope with racial battle fatigue in our jobs and on our campuses. Add to it I'm an introvert who was surrounded by people and interacting with strangers nearly all the time. By the time Saturday rolled around, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. So instead of one more workshop about how to educate on diversity, I went on a New Orleans writing marathon through the French Quarter with four remarkable people.
We found ourselves in probably one of the most divey bars near the French Market, sat on stools and put pen to paper while staying cool under a whirring ceiling fan and plenty of cool refreshment. Apparently the bar is one of the best places to be inspired even as much as I don't drink alchohol. Diet Coke is enough for me! Well, afterwards we read our musings to each other and then simply said "thank you" although internally I thought, "Wow!" when I heard what each person wrote.
So how does Rhode Island aka "Little Rhody" come into the story? It turns out that the workshop leader, Dr. Richard Louth, was born and raised in, yes, Cranston! And he attended Brown University. I teased him that he went to the "other" school. What was most fun is that I actually picked up on his so very slight RI accent even though he has lived and worked near New Orleans for over 30 years.
So you never know who you're going to meet and where, and the common ground one may discover by simply being open and willing to listen and in this case, write.
It had been a long week of learning about strategies to address -isms as well as being with colleagues from across the US and around the world to discuss ways to cope with racial battle fatigue in our jobs and on our campuses. Add to it I'm an introvert who was surrounded by people and interacting with strangers nearly all the time. By the time Saturday rolled around, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. So instead of one more workshop about how to educate on diversity, I went on a New Orleans writing marathon through the French Quarter with four remarkable people.
We found ourselves in probably one of the most divey bars near the French Market, sat on stools and put pen to paper while staying cool under a whirring ceiling fan and plenty of cool refreshment. Apparently the bar is one of the best places to be inspired even as much as I don't drink alchohol. Diet Coke is enough for me! Well, afterwards we read our musings to each other and then simply said "thank you" although internally I thought, "Wow!" when I heard what each person wrote.
So how does Rhode Island aka "Little Rhody" come into the story? It turns out that the workshop leader, Dr. Richard Louth, was born and raised in, yes, Cranston! And he attended Brown University. I teased him that he went to the "other" school. What was most fun is that I actually picked up on his so very slight RI accent even though he has lived and worked near New Orleans for over 30 years.
So you never know who you're going to meet and where, and the common ground one may discover by simply being open and willing to listen and in this case, write.
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