The end of a year and the beginning of a new one brings hope and inspiration for me. I usually spend the days after Christmas cleaning out drawers and closets. Well, maybe not every year but it is usually spent going through tall stacks of papers and magazines in an effort to start the new year with somewhat of a clean slate.
Today I am cleaning out one of my drawers that had not been sorted through for years. I carefully went through every scrap of paper and re read every old Christmas card, birthday card, keepsake notes and the like. I enjoyed finding some of the old cards and laughed while sorting through the written memories.
I found old newspaper clippings of mine, Rick's and Ben's. I found old poems, old drawings and old notes of ideas I had long forgot. I also found an old newspaper with a letter to the editor by Sister Helen PreJean. "What's become of compassion for the poor?" was the title. As I began to read the first few paragraphs, it seemed obvious to me that this had to be current. So much of what I read certainly reflected today's view of current conditions.
As I read the article, I realized that it followed Sister Prejean's observations of the Republican Convention held in New Orleans. Not that I remembered when that was, but it did become apparent that this was not as current as I thought. Then I became curious as to the date on the publication. I had to unfold the paper to see that it had been published in The Shreveport Journal in August of 1988. I gasped. It was hard for me to believe that the thoughts and concerns of this New Orleans activist stated nearly twenty five years ago still ring true today.
Sister Prejean writes: "Perhaps now that more of us in the middle class are feeling the crunch of economic policies that have not served us well (job lay-offs, two wage earners per family "to make ends meet",) we can feel more compassion for the poor and forge a new political will for social change in this country.
Somehow, in the swirl and rhetoric of the '80s we bought the package that the poor were to blame for our economic ills, that the so-called poor, most of them, were not poor at all but lazy, shiftless, crime-prone..."
It was Sister Prejeans next statement that rang true with me and it was then that I understood why I held on to this piece of paper.
"After working and living close to poor blacks these past seven years, I believe the heart of the problem of anger at the poor is that we Americans live isolated from each other. We cluster in our still highly segregated neighborhoods, churches and clubs with others who are 'one of us.' This isolation breeds stereotypes, flaming prejudices and fears. The direction for life and healing as a nation lies, I believe, down roads that helps us cross our own brand of Berlin walls, Gaza strips and black townships."
In 1988, when I tore this page from The Shreveport Journal and tucked it away, I had not yet started my own advocacy. The Children's Center was just a couple of years old and it's continued existence was in question mainly because I had made the decision that I wanted to be one of the first integrated programs in town. I would become one of the founders of Cultural Crossroads in 1992 and in 1999 I would accept the challenge of creating a cultural arts center in a black neighborhood.
It saddens me to think that we haven't moved any closer as a nation to understanding each other. Sister Prejean goes on to explain a program she was involved with called "Bridges." It allowed for young participants to live with the poor, to hear their stories, eat their food, play with their children, and attend their church. They came away humbled she said and shocked by the insanity and complexity of the human beings they had met. And the poor black residents also expressed shock that 'those young white folks care about us.'
Sister Prejean ended her long letter to the editor with a statement that I too believe. "This cross-pollination of rich and poor, black and white, is the magic stuff written about in our civic books. It is, I believe, part of the magic that can bring back to America her heart."
I am definitely interested in cultivating a more compassionate community. I had always been taught 'when we elevate others, we elevate ourselves.' As we all usher in the New Year, it is my hope and my prayer that we can be more compassionate and understanding, less judgmental and more eager to extend a helping hand to those in need. And in Prejean's words...' be a part of the magic that will bring back to America her heart!'
Happy New Year.
Today I am cleaning out one of my drawers that had not been sorted through for years. I carefully went through every scrap of paper and re read every old Christmas card, birthday card, keepsake notes and the like. I enjoyed finding some of the old cards and laughed while sorting through the written memories.
I found old newspaper clippings of mine, Rick's and Ben's. I found old poems, old drawings and old notes of ideas I had long forgot. I also found an old newspaper with a letter to the editor by Sister Helen PreJean. "What's become of compassion for the poor?" was the title. As I began to read the first few paragraphs, it seemed obvious to me that this had to be current. So much of what I read certainly reflected today's view of current conditions.
As I read the article, I realized that it followed Sister Prejean's observations of the Republican Convention held in New Orleans. Not that I remembered when that was, but it did become apparent that this was not as current as I thought. Then I became curious as to the date on the publication. I had to unfold the paper to see that it had been published in The Shreveport Journal in August of 1988. I gasped. It was hard for me to believe that the thoughts and concerns of this New Orleans activist stated nearly twenty five years ago still ring true today.
Sister Prejean writes: "Perhaps now that more of us in the middle class are feeling the crunch of economic policies that have not served us well (job lay-offs, two wage earners per family "to make ends meet",) we can feel more compassion for the poor and forge a new political will for social change in this country.
Somehow, in the swirl and rhetoric of the '80s we bought the package that the poor were to blame for our economic ills, that the so-called poor, most of them, were not poor at all but lazy, shiftless, crime-prone..."
It was Sister Prejeans next statement that rang true with me and it was then that I understood why I held on to this piece of paper.
"After working and living close to poor blacks these past seven years, I believe the heart of the problem of anger at the poor is that we Americans live isolated from each other. We cluster in our still highly segregated neighborhoods, churches and clubs with others who are 'one of us.' This isolation breeds stereotypes, flaming prejudices and fears. The direction for life and healing as a nation lies, I believe, down roads that helps us cross our own brand of Berlin walls, Gaza strips and black townships."
In 1988, when I tore this page from The Shreveport Journal and tucked it away, I had not yet started my own advocacy. The Children's Center was just a couple of years old and it's continued existence was in question mainly because I had made the decision that I wanted to be one of the first integrated programs in town. I would become one of the founders of Cultural Crossroads in 1992 and in 1999 I would accept the challenge of creating a cultural arts center in a black neighborhood.
It saddens me to think that we haven't moved any closer as a nation to understanding each other. Sister Prejean goes on to explain a program she was involved with called "Bridges." It allowed for young participants to live with the poor, to hear their stories, eat their food, play with their children, and attend their church. They came away humbled she said and shocked by the insanity and complexity of the human beings they had met. And the poor black residents also expressed shock that 'those young white folks care about us.'
Sister Prejean ended her long letter to the editor with a statement that I too believe. "This cross-pollination of rich and poor, black and white, is the magic stuff written about in our civic books. It is, I believe, part of the magic that can bring back to America her heart."
I am definitely interested in cultivating a more compassionate community. I had always been taught 'when we elevate others, we elevate ourselves.' As we all usher in the New Year, it is my hope and my prayer that we can be more compassionate and understanding, less judgmental and more eager to extend a helping hand to those in need. And in Prejean's words...' be a part of the magic that will bring back to America her heart!'
Happy New Year.
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