My Lifelong Interest in Diversity
I have been interested in cultural diversity most of my life. When I was four years old, my cousin Glenn gave me an Eskimo doll from the Aleutian Islands where he was stationed during World War II. This little doll in her seal skin parka delighted me.
When I was 12 years old, I vowed to travel around the world to see for myself how other people lived. When I was a young woman in my early 20s, I fulfilled my vow. I traveled the world solo for a year and a half.
At the time of my travels, warfare in Vietnam was escalating and many places in the world were unsafe. Nevertheless, I experienced kindness and goodwill as I traveled from one culture to the next. People welcomed me with outstretched hands. They offered a meal, a place to sleep and a conversation when the only language we shared was pantomime. Despite the intervening years, I continue to believe most people are kind and have good intentions towards others.
As I began revising my webpage, I felt compelled to focus on issues of diversity. I also had to acknowledge how deeply saddened I am by the inhumanity thousands of people experience at our borders. These people are the descendants of those who offered me their hands over 50 years ago when I was a young woman traveling the world solo. I now extend my hand to them.