Fear of Diversity.

"We as a people have been exposed to this small box. Your passion and destiny lies in this small box. The reality is that sometimes you miss your passion because you haven’t been exposed to that thing that will spark what it is that you are supposed to be doing." - Jeff Johnson

I know a lot of my blogs have mentioned the idea of exposure, but in the African American community it’s so important, and currently the lack of it has been so detrimental. I honestly may be overestimating the value of exposure but I honestly think it broadens thoughts and expands our ideas.

Since I’ve been back in Charlotte, between school and just catching up with people I’ve had the most random conversations. We always come around to what they are doing now and what they are planning on doing in the future. During those conversations, it’s so apparent how small/large peoples “box of exposure” is. The interesting thing is the size of individuals boxes are not solely based on education. I encountered just as many narrow minded people in Grad school classrooms as I have in the streets of Charlotte. Now-a-days you have just as many rappers coming out Dorm rooms as Project Hall ways. My point is that we as African Americans aren’t using education as an opportunity to expose ourselves to the world at large. As more and more of us fill campuses of higher education, I feel like we are using it as a Handicap. When there was just a few of us we were forced to get out of our comfort zone and expose ourselves to a different demographic. Now many of us waste that opportunity (especially at PWI’s) and concede into our comfort zone.

I know this is getting to be a little race sensitive, but my father, who grew up in rural Mississippi always wanted me to be able to have white friends, have the ability to look at them as associates. He said growing up all he ever knew whites as was in a superior position. Whether it was white teachers in Primary School, White Coaches on his high school team, up to White supervisors at work, the only thing he knew was whites in authority. He said, him and so many of his friends didn’t even really know how to communicate with whites. It was almost a fear they had in general conversation. It wasn’t until my dad was in corporate America, and essentially forced to have these comrades that he was exposed to this new world. I think I get these ideas of diversity from my parents being raised during the civil rights era in Mississippi and Alabama, respectively.

This idea of exposure isn’t reserved only to those brought up during the civil rights south. This discomfort is alive in 2011. I have friends (some college educated) who to this day are uncomfortable talking to even the most pedestrian of white America. I don’t know where this discomfort comes from. I don’t know if it’s an inert fear, or a fear of the unfamiliar, but it’s evident in those who are unexposed.

I apologies for how off topic this became and the rambling that ensued. These are the thoughts that came out and the direction this topic went, lol.

Just a thought.