Recently I attended a three-day training to become a facilitator to lead intergroup dialogues planned in the fall at Smith. The issues that will be discussed are on gender, race/ethnicity and class.
I participated in the race/ethnicity group dialogue and I listened to people describe how being a person of color is something they have to deal with everyday. From inappropriate comments such as “Can I touch your head?” or “Does your mother speak English?” to people just being down right nasty. OMG! What planet are these rude folks from?
From the same planet that I live on and that is where the problem lies. My being “white” has never been an issue for me. But it should be. My being white does not give me a free pass to be unaware of what life is like for people of color.
One of the participants mentioned that “being comfortable” in one’s white skin should not be an option. That to “be uncomfortable” would be a way to grow and stretch one’s self. And I agree.
So stay tuned to find out how it feels for me to stretch my skin…
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Lucy & Terry's 3rd Annual Summer Party!
Awesome food, great conversations and lots of dancing! It was a smaller crowd but lots of new people to write about.
Bingo! I found the name of the missing teenager from last year's party (see July 26, 2009 posting). Fran and Dave’s daughter’s name is Aliza! Lovely young woman, we had a very nice conversation about my blog.
Terry & Lucy – I love their parties. My favorite spot is Lucy’s pottery studio. Lucy is very talented and we did own five her creations, after the party, it’s now six! Go to http://www.luciapottery.com. They are down to six chickens from last year’s eight. They had a rooster but he was nasty to Terry and was always attacking her. I heard he was the main contributor to a great tasting soup!
Andrew – Lucy’s 12 year-old son. He still has those awesome eyes that I mentioned in last year’s blog. He danced with his mother and he was very playful with her. One of his dance moves (that boy can dance) he pretended to have a fishing rod and he reeled in Lucy and she played along. It was one of those touching moments shared between a mother and son. Very out-going and one could tell that he was comfortable dancing with us ladies who were all over 30-something plus!
Luke – Lucy’s 15 year-old son. He has an awesome smile. He has a calming way about him. I see great leadership skills in his future.
Andrew – Terry’s 15 year-old son. I have not seen him in years! He has inherited Terry's soul-searching eyes. He also has a sly wicked sense of humor. The makings of a potential comedian?
Matt – son of Mike & Linda who attended last year’s party. Great hair, very thick and slightly curly. He has a great smile and the braces are gone!
???? - the fifth attendee of the boy's club and I didn't get his name. At one point he was on the dance floor with us, what a brave soul!
Josh – friend of Luke’s. When his mother tried reeling him onto the dance floor he leaned over and used a scissors-like motion! What a hoot!
Maddy – sister to Josh. About ten and a budding artist! She made a bouquet of flowers for Lucy out of painted plastic spoons. I’m thinking of “borrowing” her idea to sell at the shop. I made have to give her royalties!
Barb – charming mother of Josh and Maddy. I told her Mary’s story about the car accident and she showed so much concern and empathy. She is definitely someone I’d like to have as a friend.
Dave – husband to Fran, father to Aliza. They live across the way from Lucy & Terry. And, he is the keeper of the Green River.
Fran – wife to Dave and mother to Aliza.
Molly – is also a professional potter and colleague of Lucy’s. Go to http://www.phlaunt.com/mollypots/. She works a lot with black and white designs. We shared the dance floor and she still dances like Ellen DeGeneres! Meaning she has a smooth unique funky way of expressing herself through music.
Mary – a pottery student of Lucy’s. We had a wonderful chat and I entertained her with stories of my four dogs. We discussed the name “Mary” and that very few women under the age of 30-something have that name.
Gail – a pottery student of Lucy’s. A member of the big-girls pottery group.
Dawn – a pottery student of Lucy’s and part of the big-girls pottery group.
????? – she too is a member of the big-girls pottery group. Didn’t get her name or her husbands. She’s famous for her clay piece of a chicken butt roaster! It has a cone in the center where the chicken is in impaled and beer sits in the cone. At some point it makes contact and is suppose to add lots of flavor.
Evie (sp?) and her husband – she too is a student of Lucy’s. She is making a video for a local T.V. station in Greenfield about a book she wrote. I just didn’t have the opportunity to get more info and I wished I had!
John – husband to Mary Ellen and grandfather to the neighborhood kids. Retired but teaches to students wanting to master the English language.
Mary Ellen – wife to John and grandmother to the neighborhood kids. I didn’t have a chance to speak to her which was a disappointment.
And last our Karen – lives across from Lucy & Terry’s, and a wonderful friend of ours for over five years now.
Another great party had with Lucy, Terry and all their family and friends. I am so looking forward to their 4th annual summer party!
Bingo! I found the name of the missing teenager from last year's party (see July 26, 2009 posting). Fran and Dave’s daughter’s name is Aliza! Lovely young woman, we had a very nice conversation about my blog.
Terry & Lucy – I love their parties. My favorite spot is Lucy’s pottery studio. Lucy is very talented and we did own five her creations, after the party, it’s now six! Go to http://www.luciapottery.com. They are down to six chickens from last year’s eight. They had a rooster but he was nasty to Terry and was always attacking her. I heard he was the main contributor to a great tasting soup!
Andrew – Lucy’s 12 year-old son. He still has those awesome eyes that I mentioned in last year’s blog. He danced with his mother and he was very playful with her. One of his dance moves (that boy can dance) he pretended to have a fishing rod and he reeled in Lucy and she played along. It was one of those touching moments shared between a mother and son. Very out-going and one could tell that he was comfortable dancing with us ladies who were all over 30-something plus!
Luke – Lucy’s 15 year-old son. He has an awesome smile. He has a calming way about him. I see great leadership skills in his future.
Andrew – Terry’s 15 year-old son. I have not seen him in years! He has inherited Terry's soul-searching eyes. He also has a sly wicked sense of humor. The makings of a potential comedian?
Matt – son of Mike & Linda who attended last year’s party. Great hair, very thick and slightly curly. He has a great smile and the braces are gone!
???? - the fifth attendee of the boy's club and I didn't get his name. At one point he was on the dance floor with us, what a brave soul!
Josh – friend of Luke’s. When his mother tried reeling him onto the dance floor he leaned over and used a scissors-like motion! What a hoot!
Maddy – sister to Josh. About ten and a budding artist! She made a bouquet of flowers for Lucy out of painted plastic spoons. I’m thinking of “borrowing” her idea to sell at the shop. I made have to give her royalties!
Barb – charming mother of Josh and Maddy. I told her Mary’s story about the car accident and she showed so much concern and empathy. She is definitely someone I’d like to have as a friend.
Dave – husband to Fran, father to Aliza. They live across the way from Lucy & Terry. And, he is the keeper of the Green River.
Fran – wife to Dave and mother to Aliza.
Molly – is also a professional potter and colleague of Lucy’s. Go to http://www.phlaunt.com/mollypots/. She works a lot with black and white designs. We shared the dance floor and she still dances like Ellen DeGeneres! Meaning she has a smooth unique funky way of expressing herself through music.
Mary – a pottery student of Lucy’s. We had a wonderful chat and I entertained her with stories of my four dogs. We discussed the name “Mary” and that very few women under the age of 30-something have that name.
Gail – a pottery student of Lucy’s. A member of the big-girls pottery group.
Dawn – a pottery student of Lucy’s and part of the big-girls pottery group.
????? – she too is a member of the big-girls pottery group. Didn’t get her name or her husbands. She’s famous for her clay piece of a chicken butt roaster! It has a cone in the center where the chicken is in impaled and beer sits in the cone. At some point it makes contact and is suppose to add lots of flavor.
Evie (sp?) and her husband – she too is a student of Lucy’s. She is making a video for a local T.V. station in Greenfield about a book she wrote. I just didn’t have the opportunity to get more info and I wished I had!
John – husband to Mary Ellen and grandfather to the neighborhood kids. Retired but teaches to students wanting to master the English language.
Mary Ellen – wife to John and grandmother to the neighborhood kids. I didn’t have a chance to speak to her which was a disappointment.
And last our Karen – lives across from Lucy & Terry’s, and a wonderful friend of ours for over five years now.
Another great party had with Lucy, Terry and all their family and friends. I am so looking forward to their 4th annual summer party!
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