Week Twenty-Seven: Civil Rights and Diversity

And last, never let your mind become so narrow that you cannot associate with those of another race, color, or way of believing.

--Faith Valk Robbins to Miriam Joy Robbins, 10 May 1967, in "Mother's Message to Her Child" from the Baby Book of Miriam Joy Robbins, pg. 47

With Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday coming up next weekend, and the celebration of Black History Month in February, many of us are thinking about the Civil Rights Movement and issues such as diversity, social justice, tolerance (a word I dislike...who out there wants to be merely tolerated?), and acceptance of those different from ourselves.

The quote above written by my mother in my baby book when I was just under two months old. I am very grateful for parents who taught and walked a life of acceptance towards others. Even when our family was faced with several years of intense racism and hatred during a nasty lawsuit in the mid-1970s while living in Southeast Alaska, I never heard them say a negative word. My parents were--and still are--very conservative in their beliefs, but their faith in a loving God who loves all His children is behind their compassion and acceptance of all they meet. Others have not been so fortunate, I know, to have grown up in such a family.


*What was the racial, ethnic, or religious situation in the community where you grew up? Was your family part of a racial, ethnic, or religious majority or minority? Were there differences in your community or family such as developmental disabilities, mental illness, or social class differences? Were there bi-racial or mixed-faith families?

*How did this affect you and your family? Did your family experience discrimination or prejudice, or were family members prejudiced against others? Have you ever feared for your life because of prejudice?

*What were you taught about people who were different from you? Do you still believe this? Why or why not? If not, what made you change your mind?

*Were there households in your neighborhood or community where a couple was co-habitating rather than being legally married? Were there gays and lesbians in your community? Or did you grow up in such a diverse household? What was your family's or the community's reaction to this?

*Do you remember the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s or the AIM movement of the 1970s? What about the Equal Rights Amendment or the AIDS epidemic? What were your feelings or thoughts on these matters? Did they affect you directly, and how?

*What do you remember about meeting someone for the first time who was different from you in some way? What preconceived ideas were dismantled as you got to know this person as an individual, rather than as a symbol of your differences?

*If you are a person considered "different" by the mainstream, do you have a successful experience to share where you were able to change someone else's preconceived ideas about your diverse situation? How did that occur?

*Are there any oral histories in your family about being able to vote or own land or other civil rights for the first time? What about stories were rights were denied? (George Geder shared some stories of discrimination during his grandfather Jack Hancock's life here. My daughter, who loves to shop, was most distressed at how Jack's daughter Sadye was thrown into jail for staring at a dress in the window of a "for whites only" store.) Are there events in your family history where ancestors or relatives triumphed over social injustice? Were any of your ancestors social reformers? Are you?

As I'm sure you're all aware, the above prompts can bring up some volatile emotions. Please use caution and wisdom if you post your responses on a blog or other public format. These prompts are not meant to cause an uproar; the purpose of these prompts, as always, remains a way for you to tell succeeding generations about your life story.

Week Nineteen: Your Community

It's been two weeks since I've posted a prompt. "Your Community" is the focus this time. You can choose the current community you live in or any of the past communites in which you've resided. Perhaps you will want to write about all the communities of your life. Here are some things to consider:

*Describe your community: the location, including county and state; its size, and if a small one, its relation to a larger community; how long you lived there.

*What do you know about the history of your community? Who were its founders? What were major events of its past?

*What indigenous peoples lived there, and what ethnic groups immigrated to it?

*Why did you settle in this community?

*What do you like about it? Dislike? What would you change? What do you hope will never change?

*List some of the physical features and structures of the community...its parks, community centers, churches, and businesses, especially the ones you frequent.

*List events and celebrations that make this community unique, especially ones you have participated in.

*Write about your neighbors, friends and any family that live in this community, and describe your relationship with them through the community perspective.

*If you are active as a volunteer, committee or board member of your community, write about your experiences and responsiblities.

*What is the economy like? What is the economic makeup of its citizens? What is the rate of unemployment? What is the housing market like?

*What major political leanings does the community have? Major religous denominations? Are you in the majority or minority as a citizen in the political and religious areas? How does that shape your everyday life?

*What do you see as the future of this community, and why?

Week Seven: Your Religious Life

Were you raised in a household where religion/faith was a major part of every day living? Was your family only nominally religious, or somewhere in between? These questions are the basis for our weekly prompt, Your Religious Life.

*What religion/faith/denomination/sect were you raised in, if any?

*What do you know about the history of your faith or particular religious organization?

*For how many generations was your family involved in this particular faith or denomination?

*Who would you characterize as the religious leader in your childhood household or extended family? How involved with your local house of worship were the adults in your household?

*How often did you attend your house of worship? Was your attendance on major religious days only, several times a year, once a month, once a week, or every time the doors were open?

*What religious leaders were important to you, and how did they make a difference in your life?

*As an infant, were you baptized, dedicated, christened or accepted into your faith in a ceremonial way? Tell about this event.

*As a child, did you participate in Sunday School, Children's Church, Vacation Bible School, Hebrew School, or any other faith-based children's program on a regular basis?

*Were you involved in any club-like group as a child that was organized through your house of worship (Awanas, Boy or Girl Scouts, Royal Rangers, Missionettes, etc.)? Tell about any awards or badges you received.

*Did you ever attend retreats or camps for children or youth, sponsored by your religious organization?

*As a youth, were you involved in a youth group? Tell about some of the activities you participated in, whether service-oriented or just for fun.

*Did you participate in any ceremonies in your childhood or youth that demonstrated your commitment to your faith (first communion or confirmation, becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, etc.)? Tell about that event: what was the ceremony like, who attended, what gifts did you receive?

*As a youth or adult, did you become an official member of your particular faith? Did you make a public commitment or profession of faith (baptism, etc.) or participate in a ritual or ceremony to celebrate it?

*As an adult, do you still remain involved in the faith of your youth? Have you changed denominations or even religions? Are you no longer involved in faith-based organizations? What has caused you to remain with or change from the faith of your youth? If you were not involved with a faith as a child, but now are as an adult, how did that change occur, and why?

*Are you currently involved in any service to or activities within your house of worship, and if so, in what capacities?

*If you are married, did you marry someone within your faith, and was the ceremony conducted by a religious leader of your faith?

*If you have children, did you raise--or are you raising--your children in the same faith? Why or why not?

*Have you had what some call a religious experience or life-changing moment?

*If you could write a statement of your personal faith, what would it be? Include your own personal philosophies and beliefs, whether or not they are generally accepted by your official faith. Things to consider can include the meaning of life and suffering, your beliefs about God and holy leaders, and your beliefs about the after-life.

*Do you have a special scripture from your holy book that has particular meaning for you, or that you use for a personal statement of your faith?

*Do you have any favorite hymns, songs, and/or prayers? Why are they significant to you?

Photos from major religious events in your life, of the house(s) of worship you attended, of religious leaders, and of religious activities in which you participated would be great illustrations for this topic. You could also add ephemera (certificates, awards, church newsletters, Sunday bulletins, etc.) to your journal.

Next week, we will change our focus from our own lives to the life of the oldest ancestor that was alive at the time of your birth. Start thinking now about what you know about this person. We will return to more prompts about our own lives at a later date. Mixing it up a bit will help us be more creative in our thinking, and thus our writing!