This morning, over my dark-roasted Columbian coffee and cranberry muffin, I read the front-page article in our local paper, the Daily Post. The headline? "Pushed out of own park: Pardee neighbors say outsiders taking over"
My first reaction was disgust and anger, but before I made it home to my computer to write my letter to the editor, I realized that the woman featured in the article had been quite courageous to put herself out there on an issue that was sure to bring heaps of angry criticism in our white, rich, liberal community.
She was also doing the community a favor by bringing up an issue that needs to be discussed. Could it be that the result will be a better community?
More in the cellar...
By the time I arrived in front of my keyboard, I had drafted a response that was free from anger or criticism. Believing I have something to say that may be thought provoking for the Daily Kos readership, I am putting the letter here for your consumption:
Editor:
Regarding "Pushed out of own park" in Monday's Daily Post, I don't agree with Nancy Willis, but I applaud her courage in speaking out on a delicate issue. The issue is one of residents' rights to have park space that is not crowded with outsiders. In liberal Palo Alto, many will rightly see white privilege at the heart of this. Whether people agree or disagree with Willis' sentiments, they are likely to be uncomfortable with the subject.
Before you determine that Palo Altans have a right to parks that are not crowded with outsiders, imagine San Francisco trying to limit outsiders from Golden Gate Park, then realize why that wouldn't work.
We need to understand that white privilege hurts whites. We wrongly feel superior to people of color, and those beliefs isolates us. White privilege is a wall that makes relationships with people of color awkward at best. Close relationships enrich our lives; the wall of white privilege costs us dearly. Willis scored a direct hit with her comment that "There's not a comfort zone that we can go to just hang out as a family or be comfortable being there." Bullseye.
As usual, getting at the root of the problem is more difficult than taking shears to the ugly weed, but it is the only real solution. Only whites can address the isolating reality of white privilege. We can be gentle with ourselves as we dismantle the walls, knowing that we were raised within our walled compounds and it is all we know. It can be scary outside! But outside is an infinitely better place to be. I thank Nancy Willis for starting a conversation that could allow us to live in a larger, more colorful world -- if we can demonstrate the same level of courage that she did.
I am thrilled that we are on the cusp of an era of brilliant leadership. Our time to break down barriers is upon us! All it takes is courage.