Truly the Minority

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be in the minority? I’m not talking about our minorities in the United States, where there are 100-150 people from varying races and ethnicities to every 300-500 Caucasians. I’m talking about being one of 10-15 people of a different ethnicity to thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of people of another race or ethnicity. What would it be like? How would I feel? Can I handle it? How would I or how should I be treated?

This is all I’ve been thinking about since I walked off that airplane in Entebbe, Uganda.

You can never understand what it’s like until you have lived that way. There are people who don’t like us, who make fun of us and think we don’t understand what they are saying because of the language they speak. No, I may not understand exactly what they are saying, but one thing that translates across the world is how someone can make you feel. I can tell when someone is saying something behind my back or is making fun of me because I don’t know what I’m doing. I can tell when people lower their voices and snicker when I walk by. It is not a good feeling, at all. When it happens, I wonder if I will really be able to accomplish anything here or if people will just shut me out because I’m white. But, at the same time, there are people who are more than welcoming and accepting. Just this morning we met with the Headmaster of the Mukono Town Academy and he told us several times how much they loved having us here and how when we are here, we are considered Ugandan and part of the staff.

My thoughts on this topic have increased as I’ve been reading the novel by Kathryn Stockett entitled, “The Help”. It’s about the civil rights movement and what it was like to be a black maid in the Deep South. It shows the different perspectives between the maids and the high society, white women. It was truly dangerous for any black person to voice their opinion. Equality was not an option. But why? People were fearful of blacks because they didn’t take the time to understand them and their culture. This is where I will change. I’ve been taught since I was a child to not be judgmental, but when judgment is something that surrounds you, it’s hard to not be like that. I tried to not be that person, the one who refused to try to understand, or the one who just avoided situations where I’d be forced to understand and adapt. Sometimes I succeeded in my efforts, but other times I failed.

I will not act indifferent or avoid situations where I’m the minority. I will embrace them. I will be as strong as every other person that has to be the minority every day. I will be the one who is helpful and excited to meet new people. I will be the one who embraces diversity and other cultures with every chance I get. And finally, I will be the change I wish to see in the world just as the people of Uganda have changed my world.


Over and Out,
Lex




Platform 9 and 3/4! The highlight of our London excursion


told you it was pretty :)




mixing cement!