Last Friday, I had the opportunity to sit down with a Weiser graduate from a few years back for an engaging and interesting conversation. This person was very articulate in expressing views that were thought provoking for an old white guy. The individual had furthered their education and is now putting it to use in very constructive ways. This person is definitely a credit to the town of Weiser. This party is also a person of color who has experienced racism here in Idaho and is now concerned about simply walking down the street for fear of personal safety in some areas of Idaho.
This party originally contacted me with an email titled, “Eradicate Racism” not long after George Floyd’s death. I can tell you the title caught my attention. Through further email correspondence we were able to sit down last Friday to discuss concerns locally and on a broader plane.
Speaking with this person helped me realize further, the need to listen to what is going on in the country; to get past the noise and rhetoric of extreme examples and simply listen to the experiences and thoughts of people who may be outside of our personal circle. Not everyone has experienced this great country of ours in the same way. Racism is an issue in this country and needs to be dealt with.
I have seen examples of racism that shocked. I have also experienced examples where a severely disadvantaged minority individuals when given the opportunity, flourished. I have personally experienced the benefits of white privilege, even if I didn’t agree with it.
I also grew up in a very dysfunctional family with many issues. One of the things I learned was that in order to become healthy, issues must be brought out into the open and discussed in a respectful, constructive manner with a view of working on those issues and moving forward.
At this point in our society, we as a nation are dysfunctional; we are us or them, red or blue, black or white, patriots or communists, pro-police or antifa. The labels we use divide us. If we could drop our labels of each other and realize we are all just people we, as a society and country would be much better off. To be clear, I am not advocating buddying up to extremists in any form, but the vast majority of people are not extremists. There are issues which need to be discussed. Without addressing issues and trying to come up with solutions, moving forward is an impossibility.
Racism may not seem to be much of an issue locally, but it does exist. Acknowledging this fact, does not mean I don’t support the police, that I agree with what is going on in cities to the west of us, or other distractions. What this acknowledgement means is that we need to talk to each other to gain a better understanding of where people outside of our small circle of friends are coming from and take action on solutions, just the same way you would do with family.
I am an old dog, who is learning something new from someone much younger, who has a different perspective. Listening and learning helps me grow as a person. I may not agree with everything, but there is usually something to be learned.
OK, now to move on to other items.
In City news this week, the Recreation Dept. is taking registrations for fall football and soccer. No fees are being collected at this time, since it may become necessary later to cancel the season.
For those of you who own an RV, the City is in the process of constructing a waste dump site on the corner of W. 9th and W. Idaho where the Recycling Center used to be. Construction should be completed sometime in August.
That’s it for this week. Let’s help Weiser be an even better place to live for everyone!
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