A Night Out with the Races

This is Cultural Diversity Awareness week where I work, and there are a lot of activities planned to make us aware of each other's cultures. Yesterday Barry met me after work and we went to a see a film and be a part of a panel discussion of The Color of Fear. The film is about the "state of race relations in America as seen through the eyes of eight North American men of Asian, European, Latino and African descent." It was very emotional and dramatic. I enjoyed it even though it mainly centered around the black/white tension. The snacks were good, too. We sat by a young black doctor from Louisiana who had a lot to share. (Thoughts, not food) A very animated Italian sat nearby who admitted to everyone that he looked like a big white thumb and was ignorant of the fact that he was invited to hunt and fish with the white business men because he was white, but he wasn't sorry for it. A very old white bald lady (doctor) shared her experience and made everyone laugh when she said she started here when the Dinosaurs were still roaming the campus. She became a doctor because of white parental encouragement.

After we enjoyed listening to people of different nationalities give their opinions, I talked B into attending the next presentation. He was very reluctant, but we headed to the North auditorium and got in line to enter. After straining to understand his broken English, we got to chant with the Dalai Lama's Chant Master! ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. It was awesome. Man can he chant. The audience wasn't too bad either.

After it was over, we walked through a bad neighborhood to our vehicles with renewed resolve and drove home in the dark. That sounds poetic. Barry drove way too slow and I drove too fast. He missed his exit. I beat him home and worried about him the whole time.

Friday we will enjoy a free lunch while looking at various motorcyles on show. I guess they represent the biker culture.