You know me pretty well. But thanks for jogging me on this one. You have my mind working overtime.

I am sitting here thinking about my daughter's basketball team. All of them are white, middle class girls. Great kids, and fortunate to live as part of the first generation for whom color seems not to have consequence except as a simple genetic difference. We were having a lunch celebration, with a ton of 14 year old girl chatter and giggling after they played very well in a game. The area of South Jersey (Southern part of the State of New Jersey for those from overseas) has a large population of Puerto Ricans, with some Mexican, some Guatamalen, some Peruvian, etc. The young gentleman busing the tables was Hispanic, and was speaking Spanish with his co-workers. So when I needed something, I spoke to him in Spanish. For those who have seen me, you would understand that usually this causes a reaction. I hardly look like someone would speak Latin American Spanish with little or no Yanqui accent. In speaking to him, I asked "Es usted de Puerto Rico?" He indicated that no he was from Guatamala. After he left, one of the girls asked me what the difference was between folks who speak Spanish. She figured they were all roughly the same in a cultural sense. This led to a wonderful discussion of the various Hispanic cultures. We spoke of the Inca and Aztec influences on various folks. We spoke of the differences in food and food preparation. We spoke of idiomatic differences in the language. Then one of the girls, and Italian descended young lady, said; "Mr. Lane, it is no difference between them than there is between and Irish person and an Italian person, right? Same language, but different cultures, right?" I pointed out to her that it even goes further. Between her and him, the language and culture was different, but the desire to live in peace and the desire to get ahead were all the same. I told her of my Grandmother telling me to find what we have in common with each other, and celebrate the differences.

A good day in the diner for the girls, the wait staff, and for me.

That is how we fight racism, sexism, ageism, and any other -ism out there. Teach, and more importantly, teach to speak out against the evil that pits one child against another.

Mick