Tonya Covington on White Privilege: First of all most white people need to admit that it exists and understand what white privilege is. A lot of whites don’t believe that it exists and don’t believe that they have any privilege in being white. But there are certain things that come to you naturally or come to you easily because of the color of your skin that don’t come to us. Studies have shown that if two people walk into a store, one white, one black, the security guard is going to follow the black person irregardless if they do any thing wrong or irregardless of what the white person is like. That’s a privilege that most white people don’t know that they have and take for granted.

 

James Lewis on prejudice: As the only African-American elected state-wide in the state of New Mexico (as State Treasurer), I had a chance to go to New York for a bond closing. We had some bankers to pick us up at the airport. My deputy state treasurer, David King, a white American was with me. They had a car to come pick us up and the bankers walked up to him assuming that he is Mr. Lewis, the treasurer, and walked right by me.

Tonya Covington on diversity training: What I find is that most people come into the training or the dialogue very hesitantly. They don’t come out the other side that way. Usually people find that there is such a relief of finally being able to talk about the elephant in the living room that we were supposed to pretend wasn’t there at all. The other thing…is that people find out that they have so much more in common than they did different. And they’re usually surprised. It’s a great comfort to people to find that they are far more able to talk to people from different cultures more easily than they thought they would be able to be.

Othiamba Umi on getting along: It’s hard to get past just skin color and stereotypes and that’s why we continue to have these issues. But you have to realize that we are all humans, that we are the human race and we all have (to have) love for each other and respect for each other and we have to continue to do that.

Tanya Covington: I’m very hopeful mainly because I feel like we live in a country where people have proven that they will change anything that they decide needs to be changed. And I’m hopeful that people will look at race relations in this country and know that there needs to be a change. I thinik all it would take is that beginning tomorrow that everyone decides they’re going to be conscious of prejudice everywhere it is, and not participate in it.

James Lewis: Either we are going to have to get along or we’ll perish like fools. I think we have to continue to work at it, it’s not going to be easy. But I think there have been some inroads made in employment…a lot of other opportunities have opened up for us but they have to continue to open up and we have to continue to work at it.

Resources: Both Tonya and James said while there are many sources for background and information on race relations available that the most valuable thing any one can do is interact with people from other cultures. “People actually sitting down and talking to each other, finding out what their values are, finding out what each believes, and finding out about each others’ life experiences,” says Tonya. “I would recommend that you attend some of the African-American churches," says James, "so you can get that feeling, get to know some people.”

VIDEO: "The Way Home." Sixty-four women share their experiences of oppression through the lens of race. Separated into eight ethnic councils, Indigenous, African- American, Arab, Asian, European-American, Jewish, Latina, and Multiracial, the women explore their stories of identity, oppression, and resistance.

BOOKS: "Race Matters," "The Cornel West Reader," and "Restoring Hope" by Cornel West. New Mexico Black History by Barbara Richardson "Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson" by George Jackson "Soul on Ice" by Eldridge Cleaver

Some Black History Websites Include:

http://search.eb.com/blackhistory/

http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/bh_hotlist.html

Are you looking for an opportunity to discuss racism and other diversity issues in a small group format? Small discussion groups on diversity are forming in Albuquerque based on the "Trainings of the Mind in Diversity." The trainings were developed by Larry Yang, LCSW, a member of the Diversity Council of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a Vipassana Buddhist community in Woodacre, CA. They are modeled after a set of trainings in ethical conduct developed by the Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, and are published in part, in his book Friends on the Path: Living in Community. For more information about joining a discussion group in the Albuquerque area, contact Don Tarbutton,upekkha1@earthlink.net;, 505-899-3291.