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All Hands on Deck: Talking About Race, Inclusion, and the Goshen CRC

April 17, 2018 by Julia 7 Comments

If you saw the April 11 edition of the Goshen News, you likely noticed the above-the-fold headline, “City leader accused of sharing racist rhetoric.”

Did your chest tighten as you read those words? I know mine did. There’s nothing easy about this conversation, but here we go.

Several months ago, Councilman Ed Ahlersmeyer read aloud — in an official public gathering — an article by writer Shari Goodman called “Blacks, Crime, and the Bended Knee”. He did this at a Community Relations Commission (CRC) meeting, where he serves as a City Council appointee. Please find and read the piece in its entirety. It claims to be a complaint about Colin Kaepernick’s famous (or infamous) bended knee protest against acts of police violence, but it’s clearly much more than that.

In nearly every line of the article, my eyes see overt hostility at an entire race and a profound ignorance of our nation’s racial history. Each thought feels like a partial thought, leaving out huge swaths of contextual information, with the writer setting up “whites” and “blacks” as adversaries. And it’s all in response to one man’s behavior (Colin Kaepernick). Ranting against an entire race in response to one person’s behavior is the very embodiment of racial prejudice.

I would be negligent if I didn’t assess the messages contained in the article against the backdrop of the role Councilman Ahlersmeyer plays on the Community Relations Commission.

Ahlersmeyer said he read the article not because he agreed with all of it, but because he considered it worthy of discussion. I’m a big fan of discussion. But his claim that he was trying to have a deeper conversation doesn’t align with his previous statements or actions. Prior to the recent public criticism of the article, he never attempted to discuss it with anyone. In fact, he shunned multiple requests do to so. And he still hasn’t specified which parts of the article he agrees/disagrees with — or why an NFL player’s protest should become a priority for a commission in Goshen, Indiana.

Some have defended Councilman Ahlersmeyer, claiming there is value in having “diverse viewpoints” on the CRC. But surely no one would argue that the variation of viewpoints should fall outside the core purpose of that commission. There’s merit in debating how best to achieve success; but appointing members who misunderstand or repeatedly dispute the very foundations of a board or commission’s function is an obvious recipe for failure (right?). It’s why you don’t see Chamber of Commerce boards led by vocal Communists.

The CRC is charged with nurturing and sustaining a climate of non-discrimination and social harmony in the city of Goshen. Based on his actions (and on conversations I’ve had with him in the wake of those actions), my conclusion is that Councilman Ahlersmeyer is not an appropriate Council presence on the CRC. This is not a condemnation of Ed as a human being; humans are complex, multi-facetted creatures. And we’ve got to find ways to keep everyone in the larger circle, including those we think are wrong about something as important as race. I will unequivocally assert, however, that he is not a good fit for the task of racial bridge-building. Maybe one day he will be. Life experience has a way of transforming people. But he’s not ready now.

I hope Councilman Ahlersmeyer will resign from the CRC. It would be a gesture of goodwill on his part, a public acknowledgement that he has more to learn before serving in such a role. If he is genuinely interested in building stronger cross-cultural/racial relationships in Goshen, he should work for that… but not as a commission member. City resources are too scarce to use the CRC as a vehicle to absorb, and then attempt to enlighten, one individual at a time.

If Ed DOES resign, City Council will have a CRC seat to fill. What will our criteria for an appointee be this time around?

Democracy — politics — is an ongoing negotiation. Painful episodes like this should be greeted as opportunities to reinforce our collective values. Mine is just one voice, one opinion; but I want it to be clear: the CRC should be a place to champion the rights of historically marginalized people. It should be a place to devise and implement strategies that help residents of Goshen live together justly and peaceably — regardless of race (and culture, gender, religion, sexual preference or identity). Surely that effort should be led by those who have firsthand knowledge of the challenges minority/marginalized communities face — and those who sincerely wish to understand and address those challenges.

Well.

I’ve read and reread my own words here dozens of times. There are too many of them and the ones I use aren’t good enough. They don’t walk off the screen and pull us to another world where we have it all figured out. I wish they did. I’m almost tempted to keep them to myself, because it feels futile to even try. But then I remember that staying silent or giving up doesn’t work either. So I’m going to push “publish” anyway.

If you have words you want to add (perfect or imperfect), I hope you will.

This matter is on tonight’s (April 17 @ 7 p.m. @ 111 E. Jefferson) City Council agenda.

Rain, Rain, Go Away (or We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Sump Pump)

February 27, 2018 by Julia Leave a Comment

Like everyone in town, my husband and I heard the flood brewing in the night. The rain drummed our metal roof without pause, a sound that’s often comforting… but one that turned more ominous by the hour.

It wasn’t at all surprising to wake that first day to find a message of distress about a friend on Indiana Avenue whose basement was slowly filling with water. The morning was spent with sandbags and sump pumps… and a nagging sense of dread as the water ignored the forecasts and refused to crest (later, the evening was spent in much the same way at our daughter’s house).

I chatted (helplessly) with a good-natured man in my friend’s neighborhood who struggled in vain to clear out a storm drain as water pooled in his yard. The pumps in his basement couldn’t keep up with the pace of the flood. “We don’t have insurance,” he said with a resigned smile.

Soon, Goshen’s First Responders appeared and made their way toward a house that sat further down the street in deeper water. The visual of a rescue team clad in wet suits helping a resident onto a raft is something I’d only seen on news reports about OTHER PEOPLE’S flooded cities. But these guys were men I actually recognized (they were trainers from my “Fire Ops 101” course for local elected officials).

This flood has been a striking reminder of what government is designed to do — which is to make public safety someone’s JOB.

Of course, government isn’t the only actor in a crisis. Throughout the week friends, neighbors and acquaintances across town have borrowed and lent pumps and shop vacs; they’ve given one another words of encouragement, hugs of support, and places to sleep. A couple of large churches offered space early on and the Red Cross set up quickly in their sanctuaries (thankfully, the beds they brought went mostly unused — but they were prepared for any scenario). Moving forward, Maple City Chapel will continue to help coordinate volunteers.

None of us could survive without the generosity that flows from people when a true calamity shows up. But as powerful as kindness is, it’s not a substitute for the structure and technical expertise that government provides. Professional firefighters and police officers; engineers and water/sewer superintendents; street department workers and building inspectors; and an elected mayor who has taken a pledge to care for an entire town… these are the people who monitor and measure our circumstances, who are charged with (who have charged themselves with) keeping Goshen’s residents healthy and safe.

Help in the midst of a crisis shouldn’t be like the lottery (Surprise! You’ve just randomly won a dehumidifier! Boy, are your neighbors with the soggy carpet going to be jealous.) Government exists to make sure everyone in need gets assistance — regardless of service club affiliation or church membership.

Floods are slow, drawn-out events, ones that wear people down (yep, it’s probably going to rain again this week even if your basement is still wet). We’ve heard the stories from other places; we know that enthusiastic volunteers eventually disappear (they’ve got their own jobs, how could they not disappear?). So, ultimately, we’ll need to count on the professionals who are in it for the long haul. They worked through the initial high water and closed roads. They’ve reached out to our county, state, and national governments in an effort to secure the resources we need to recover. They’ve hauled sand and measured water marks and assessed roads and pathways (then put it all in charts and graphs and on maps to make sense of it).

It’s not over. There’s plenty more to do. No one can promise that things will go smoothly every step of the way… because chances are they won’t. People will struggle. They’ll get frustrated. It won’t be easy.

But here is what I CAN promise, what I DO know: Goshen is in good hands. We have smart, capable, dedicated staff working every single day to make things better. And if you’ve been paying attention, you know that our young, first-term mayor deserves some serious praise. Day after day since the torrential rain fell, he’s stayed late and come in early alongside city staff. He’s answered phones and walked neighborhood streets — and even on a couple of hours of sleep, he still manages to crack the best joke in the room. Don’t worry, I’m not going get all totalitarian and demand that you throw a parade for him or anything. I’m just going to say that watching him rise to this challenge with decisiveness and grace makes me proud to call him Mayor.

A Place at the American Table

February 24, 2017 by Julia 4 Comments

My maternal great grandmother came to the United States from Germany when she was just 14 years old. She traveled alone, sent with a small collection of items to begin her new life in America. I know almost nothing about her, except that she told my grandmother never to marry a German (a sweeping declaration I found confusing as a child). Today, generations later, my sole link to her is a dark, claw-footed table that sits in my sunroom. Some days I wonder why I didn’t ask more questions.

It’s hard NOT to think about one’s immigrant roots these days. It feels like a time to consider all the “what-if’s” and “but-for’s” of our cultural and national lineage.

I was born into a middle class family here in the United States of America. I didn’t have to haul water for my family or sell fruit in a market as a child. I went to school and learned how to read and write (arithmetic – well, I tried). I had enough food, shelter and love to grow. I had more than I needed.

As an adult, I’ve kept the middle class foothold I was granted at birth. My husband and I own our home and (with some help from family) our daughter has graduated from college debt-free (listen to my gigantic sigh of relief). No, we don’t summer in the Hamptons or belong to a country club, but we can afford Netflix and dinner at Constant Spring (as if anyone could ask for more).

Mine is a fairly ordinary American story. At least for a white American with a not-too-distant immigrant past. This nation has absorbed and nourished generations of immigrants. Although I say that with the knowledge that my German great grandmother visually “blended in ” to a majority-white America. Many immigrants from the countries identified and targeted by the current presidential administration don’t.

Admittedly (yes — ADMIT it), our past is littered with racial and ethnic transgressions that I can’t possibly do justice to here… but at least our rhetoric has tended toward generosity. In my lifetime, our national words have been of pride, but also of diversity and inclusion; of loyalty to country, but also of openness. We have celebrated the differences the world brings to our shores, our prairies, our purple mountain majesties.

But now, our language flirts with arrogance and aggression. Say it out loud, this new slogan: “America first!”. It reminds me of Shel Silverstein’s “Ladies First!” poem, the one about the little girl who demands to go first all the time. As you might guess, it doesn’t end well.

Say it again: “America first!”.

My daughter and I celebrating “Immigration Day”at Parkside Elementary School more than a decade ago

Does it feel right in your mouth? In your ears? Is this who you want to be?

Not me. It makes my bones heavy and my heart sag, this phrase. This way of being. This sending “back” of people who live among and with us, who came here for work or love or hope.

If the current political climate doesn’t hurt your heart (oh, please say it does), perhaps it should hurt your head. Both nationally and locally, we need immigrants. Just imagine Goshen without its many Latino-owned shops and restaurants. County-wide, we are short-handed in the labor market, with the RV industry in need of thousands of workers. At a recent luncheon in Goshen, the Chamber of Commerce president voiced concerns to Rep. Walorski about the potential negative economic impact widespread deportations could have in Elkhart County.

In short, forcing out significant numbers of our residents will weaken us. If we don’t stand up for and with our immigrant neighbors, we could lose them — some through deportation — and others because they seek out communities where they sense more support than we’ve mustered for them here.

Yes, now is the time to consider the “what-if’s” and “but-for’s” of our past.. and our future.