A Generation of Tolerance

Nelson Mandela said, "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."

Isn't this true?

Since today is Martin Luther King Day, there has been quite a lot of media about the Civil Rights Movement.  I find it interesting that there is just over a week between Martin Luther King, Jr. day and Holocaust Remembrance Day.

There is really no way to compare the oppression of one people group to that of another, and I will certainly not attempt to do so.   However, since my mind has been so focused on my trip, and since the media is so attentively covering today's holiday, I have made some connections that some of you may make, too.

I grew up about a generation removed from segregation.  I remember stories of "how things were," and, of course, there are still fairly segregated neighborhoods here.  However, I don't recall very much, if any, real racial tension in my community, and for that, I am thankful.

You see, I'm one of those folks who wishes the field for "RACE" would be eliminated from all forms.  In my less-than-political mind, if we are going to make things equal, then leave race out of it.  Leave it off of school enrollment forms and the census.  I know that there are reasons for filling out that part of a form, but I've always wondered what would happen if we just eliminated that field.

I recall looking up census data a year or two ago after my students read the essay "Melting Pot" by Anna Quindlen.  It really centers on the idea of the different cultures and ethnic groups that are found in America.  I found this headline, "2010 Census Shows Multiple-Race Population Grew Faster Than Single-Race Population."  The article (linked here) notes that the option to select multiple races first appeared on a census in 2000. Wow.

That population growth, though, wasn't really a surprise to me.  Every day, I look out into a classroom full of a rainbow of students.  I teach students who don't understand the Rosa Parks story. Here, in Alabama, just fifty years after the Civil Rights movement, I have students of all colors who do not understand the history of the segregated South.  They can't understand why fifty years ago they would've gone to different schools or why their lives would have been in danger because their parents came from different races.  They roll their eyes when I give them a lecture when they use the word "racist" in a joking way.  They really don't understand the deep roots of that word, because really, I have very few, if any, students who I believe would truly identify themselves as racist.  I am pleased to be teaching a generation of students who seem to be "color blind."

Just as students have a difficult time understanding Jim Crow Laws and racial intolerance here at home, they are similarly confused by the degree of hate and intolerance of the Nazi party.  The most frequent question students ask is "Why did the Nazis hate the Jews?"

In an earlier post, I noted that the "why" questions are difficult to answer, but for this, I will give at least PART of an answer. . . and the answer could be applied to almost any question about why one group hates another.

They were taught to hate.

I think it is promising that most of my students do not harbor hate. I know many families (mine included) that consider "hate" a bad word.  We don't use it.  It's dangerous.  Yoda, wise Jedi master in the Star Wars series, noted, "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

We can see that truth as evidenced in the Holocaust and as shown through the Civil Rights Movement here in the United States.   When we fear for our lives, our homes, or our property, our defenses are heightened.  However, that fear, in the hands of powerful people, can be twisted and used in evil ways.  Leaders throughout history used fear and propaganda to stir up hate.  Parents warned their children of the "danger" and encouraged hate. And absolutely, hate led to suffering.

Does racism still exist?  Of course it does.  However, I am hopeful that today's generation will be a generation of tolerance.  The more they learn about the atrocities of the past, the more they are empowered to prevent them from ever happening again.

So today, as we focus on our nation's great Civil Rights champion, I will leave you with these wise words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,  "I have decided to stick with love.  Hate is too great a burden to bear."