Displace Hostility With Geniality By Experiencing Other Cultures
The city of Spokane has initiated a diversity call to arms. Mayor Jack Geraghty is chairman of the recently formed Spokane Race Relations Task Force that held a unity meeting in December at City Hall.
Geraghty challenges groups in Spokane to make the city “a community where all people are welcome, valued and secure.” Meetings will be held. Committees will be formed. Solutions will be discussed.
Perhaps one solution is celebration.
Performances of music, dance and theater that are culturally diverse help break down barriers while entertaining audiences.
Whether it’s a dance company from Africa or acrobats from China, the performing arts allow us to share a common space with people from very different backgrounds. By experiencing other cultures through the arts, we see them in a positive way.
Allowing diversity into our lives with entertainment offers an avenue of seeing the world from a comfortable vantage point. Sitting in a theater, an audience is open to the suggestion of the performer. If the performance creates a positive impression in the minds of audience members, they take that with them when they leave.
Cultural diversity is especially important in education. Impressions are created at an early age. Programs of diversity allow young audiences to experience people of other cultures before stereotypes set in.
From Spanish flamenco dancers with hammering heels to chanting Tibetan monks in traditional robes, school shows educate while they entertain. Students take this new appreciation of cultural diversity out of the schools and into the community.
Intolerance and discrimination are not new problems, and we won’t solve them overnight. Committees and meetings do promote positive dialogue.
However, action is the key. When you eat ethnic foods or wear clothes from different lands, your actions positively promote cultures of the world without your even knowing it. Next time you go out for Mexican food, see if there is a mariachi band playing in town. By encouraging diversity in everyday living we allow ourselves to experience the world.
When our lives are full of rich, culturally diverse experiences, there is no room for intolerance, discrimination or racism.
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