My mind fills with the different points of view that I observed this past week in the latest election frenzy. The message from some appears to be that different groups of people will not be welcome here in the U.S. I hope that those who disagree will work hard to let others know that not everyone feels that way, no, not at all. Yet, I see that others do have strong points of view, and I am trying to understand why although I disagree.
My mind works to find the words to combat the rhetoric. Sometimes I feel a bit helpless. This time, it seems that we need action, stepping up before we vote to show we want our country to include everyone. Using fear, anger and prejudice is not the path I want our country to follow. I've long committed to reading and sharing diverse literature, in my past classrooms, and now with my grandchildren. And as I was raised, I continue to be kind and welcoming to everyone, to be sure that no one feels excluded or disrespected.
I've used this poem several times through the years for discussions with students. It is startling in its brevity, can be examined in several ways See what you think. You can read more about Mitsuye Yamada here at the Poetry Foundation. She and her family were interned at a relocation camp during World War II, and she has written about this experience in both her first book of poetry, Camp Notes and Other Poems, and her more recent one, Desert Run: Poems and Stories, including poems with feminist leanings, too.
The poem:
Looking Out
Mitsuye Yamada
It must be odd
to be a minority
he was saying.
the entire poem is here.