Without a doubt, I feel like the multicultural diversity of the Memphis population is one of the city’s biggest assets. Another is it’s openness in talking about diversity and race relations, and the lessons we can learn from each other and the region’s rocky past.
Now I’m not naive enough to think that everyone in the Midsouth feels the same way I do about diversity. Not even everyone in my own family would agree with me. But at least there is an awareness that race relations should not be a taboo conversation. That sweeping painful historical data or unpleasant facts and figures under the rug are not acceptable. In Memphis, most people recognize that in terms of race relations you are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Apathy isn’t an option. And as someone who has found herself working closely with corporate workforce and supplier diversity departments in a region of the country that is not exactly diverse, I can assure you that this “self-awareness” puts Memphis light years ahead.
There are numerous educational venues that address the topic of race relations in Memphis. I personally first started down the “path to enlightenment” during an inclusion training at First Tennessee with my Leadership Academy class, where I had the epiphany that, although I always thought of myself as inclusive, in actuality there were two people in dozens that I regularly interacted with who came from a different ethnic background than me (I also had to admit that I was intimidated dancing in front of black people, and isn’t awareness the first step? Although I really, truly have no rythm.). It was an eye-opening experience.
The next milestone in my education came while touring the National Civil Rights Museum with an out-of-town guest. I lived in Memphis for 5 years before I toured the NCRM; if you haven’t been yet please do not make the same mistake I did by waiting! My friend and I spent three hours the first day before the museum had to close, and they were kind enough to let us back in for free the next day for another 2 hours to finish the tour. I still made repeat returns to absorb all of the information presented.
And just last year I participated in the powerful Common Ground iniative. The intense, 7-week series of focus group meetings dubbed “Conversations on Race. Communities in Action.” opened my eyes to new perspectives and the bottom line facts and figures that shape the Memphis population, as well as introduced me to an impressive group of people I would probably never have met or interacted with otherwise, but would feel completely comfortable bear hugging if I ran into today. It was truly an enlightening, thought-provoking and humbling experience that helped me experience mulitculturalism in a completely different way than I had before. And to quickly plug: For anyone interested, spring registration is still open through this Friday, April 3rd at www.commongroundmemphis.org.
Whether you use one of these avenues or find another opportunity (such as The Obama Phenomenon conference taking place at the U of M this weekend), I would encourage everyone to be a part of the discussion and to take advantage of the wealth of diverse perspectives Memphis has to offer. You, and the city, will be better for it.
