Will the US become South Africa?
I've heard many times that this nation is going to change its stance when it comes to racism when we reach 2050 and the demographics
will change so that those who are White and Non-Hispanic will be less
than fifty percent.But I'm not really convinced that'll happen when
positions of power in the US whether in business, politics, education
and religion continue to be White, Non-Hispanic and male.
And why?
A few years ago the president of the college I used to work at wrote an editorial stating essentially that the college was doing students of color a huge favor by teaching them to assimilate into the majority albeit White culture on campus and in US Society. When I met with him to talk more about what he wrote, he told me that it was simply a practical matter that the numerical minority become like the majority in order to succeed.
I proceeded to ask him if that if he, a White male, were to become the minority in the US then would he be willing to learn another language, e.g. Spanish or assimilate into the new culture. He definitively said, "Yes, of course. That's only fair and right."
The truth was that he actually was in the numerical minority (in California) and as far as I could tell he was making no effort to learn Spanish or assimilate into the now majority culture of Latinos, Asians, etc. The so-called minority, i.e. people of color had just overtook the birth rate in California and now were just over 50% at that time. Frankly I didn't have the heart to tell him that he was indeed the minority nor did I have the "cojones" to put him on the spot about it.
We could either go the way of South Africa in the days of Apartheid or become a nation that is truly able to embrace our collective future as being diverse in all the ways that's broad and deep. By being willing to make a way for each person to take full advantage of their God-given gifts and talents, we will be better able to contribute to our society and world as creatively as each of us was made by the Creator.
And why?
A few years ago the president of the college I used to work at wrote an editorial stating essentially that the college was doing students of color a huge favor by teaching them to assimilate into the majority albeit White culture on campus and in US Society. When I met with him to talk more about what he wrote, he told me that it was simply a practical matter that the numerical minority become like the majority in order to succeed.
I proceeded to ask him if that if he, a White male, were to become the minority in the US then would he be willing to learn another language, e.g. Spanish or assimilate into the new culture. He definitively said, "Yes, of course. That's only fair and right."
The truth was that he actually was in the numerical minority (in California) and as far as I could tell he was making no effort to learn Spanish or assimilate into the now majority culture of Latinos, Asians, etc. The so-called minority, i.e. people of color had just overtook the birth rate in California and now were just over 50% at that time. Frankly I didn't have the heart to tell him that he was indeed the minority nor did I have the "cojones" to put him on the spot about it.
We could either go the way of South Africa in the days of Apartheid or become a nation that is truly able to embrace our collective future as being diverse in all the ways that's broad and deep. By being willing to make a way for each person to take full advantage of their God-given gifts and talents, we will be better able to contribute to our society and world as creatively as each of us was made by the Creator.
Comments
Post a Comment