Nan,
Well said! I attended a workshop a few months ago in which gay,
lesbian and bi-sexual students spoke very powerfully and personally
on "coming out" experiences. I was particularly impressed with the
idea of how they have "come out" to themselves. It requires a
courageous type of honesty that I don't often find with most of our
18-22 year olds. But what also struck me about that was the intense
need at least initially for these young people to spend a lot of time
and to form community with other gay, lesbian, or bi-sexual students.
I agree that some form of affinity communities are necessary. But,
as you rightly point out, it makes diversity even more complex of an
issue.
Nick
> I am interested in the fact that discussions about
> diversity (which IS a huge and complex issue)
> seem to take into account important variables such
> as race, ethnicity, class, age and sexual preference
> (a new one on the scene - thank God it's finally
> arrived and is visible). What seems to be missing
> in these discussions is the factor of TIME.
>
> Here's what I mean.
>
> As continuously evolving human beings, we grow
> and change over time. Our experience of
> ourselves (and our own "differentness") and others
> (and our perceptions of their "differentness")
> changes. People can evolve from wanting (and,
> yes, NEEDING, developmentally) to be with only
> those like them. I believes this happens when the
> very nature of their being has been denied,
> repressed, rendered invisible by the culture.
> Having had that experience of being fully who you
> are, not having to fight for your very existence, you
> are then more able emotionally, cognitively,
> behaviorally and, yes, spiritually, to be with others.
> AND, you might choose to never move from that
> point of being with those who are like you. We
> need to think "both and" here.
>
> Look at the players in "service." (This will be
> extremely simplistic) The provider of the service,
> the recpient of the service - they both can be,
> developmentally, at very different places. We need
> to respect and honor where they are. We also
> need to challenge where they are. This is the crux
> of the helping relationship.
>
> Let me make an assumption. I believe that many of
> us on this listserve have ideas about the WHERE
> we want society to be - the endpoint - the goal. I
> believe that those ideas probably include a life for
> ALL participants of equality of opportunity, social
> justice, the opportunity to have basic human needs
> met and the privilege to be a part of others'
> journeys as they go about meeting their needs.
>
> Let us not forget that our collective journey towards
> this end can allow for everyone to proceed in their
> own way and at their own pace. This is the point of
> "When in Rome" "to everything there is a season"
> "timing and delivery" etc. And let us not forget the
> paradox of relationship, that by creating an
> environment in which people can be fully who they
> are, they can then move towards who they are
> destined to be.
>
> Nan Ottenirtter
> American Association of Community Colleges
> 202-728-0200
> nottenritter@aacc.nche.edu
>
>
======================================================================
Nick Cardilino "A different world cannot be built
University of Dayton by indifferent people."
Center for Social Concern --Horace Mann
E-mail: cardilin@trinity.udayton.edu
Phone: (513)-229-2524 Fax: (513)-229-2035
homepage: http://www.udayton.edu/~campmin
======================================================================