Tar River Writing Project

I loved the monopoly game we played and the interaction between us, the fun we had playing around the table together. I liked that Mike was honest in responding to the remark I made about "This is what we did to the Native Americans," however I don’t even remember what sparked me to make that connection.

I am not comfortable discussing race relations and the conversation we had on Thursday is not something that I can call back into memory easily, because somehow I got to feeling so uncomfortable. I was missing Will coming to the rescue with his lightness and humor, wishing that Mica and Veronica were there to add their wisdom.

What I did take away from the discussion was Mike saying, "I am not responsible for the way people treated the Native Americans and for slavery. I wasn’t a participant in that process." I found Mike’s independent stance refreshing in that he doesn’t take on the guilt-by-associaton that I think many white people feel. Hey Mike, I’m glad you stood up and spoke your truth "I for one am not guilty."

I was purposeful in not entering into the discussion. I think we’ve gone out of our way to create a safe place for sharing in the Summer Institute. We’ve stayed away from discussions on race, religion, child-rearing practices, gay rights, civil rights, and all the other political topics that make up our world. We don’t cross those lines at school either.

Talking about any "hot" issue publicly that presses me to take one side or the other makes me feel uncomfortable and squirm in my seat. I don’t like to make other people take sides on those issues, where there may be no right or wrong answer.