how = Honesty, Openness, Willingness

I have two friends, Dante and Ellaysa, who are leading a three day workshop this week to form a children's praise choir and praise dance team for children ages 6-16. The 3 workshops will culminate in a concert on Saturday night at East High. My daughter, Sara, is 10 years old, and is one of two white children involved in these workshops, and she is the only caucasion as she dances in the front row of the 15 person dance team.

After two nights of workshop with about 50 kids, she began to process verbally on the way home. The conversation went something like this....

S- "It's kind of weird looking around and being one of the only light skinned people there, Mom. I kind of feel weird and feel like I'm a little on the outside."

Me- "Do you think it would feel differently if you actually got to know some of the kids that are there?"

S- "Yes, I did get to meet a girl named Mashya today, and two other girls called to me tonight, by saying, 'Sara, Sara'. I don't feel so outside when I get to know some of the kids. But I feel like I don't know some of their ways. I do see how Dequon and Destiny must feel going to our school and being the only 2 black kids in our class. "

Me- "Sometimes when we don't get to know people, we live with ideas in our mind about our differences, and we might think that we are better than other people. That's called prejudice. I know that I have prejudice that lives in me because of this."

S- "I know that I sometimes think that way, too, Mom."

She went on to say things like....

"I could be really embarrassed being the only white girl on stage during the dance Saturday. But I'm going to do it. I want people to know that they can mix, and it's okay. In fact, I really like being around some African-American people better than some white people. (She then went on to name who she knows that is 'nice and warm' and she named who it is that is white that she doesn't like to be around....I'll leave that out of this conversation. :0)

Can you just see her wheels turning as she's processing all of this in her 10 year old mind?
How is it that we can ever begin the journey of racial reconciliation if we don't first begin? It's a long and winding road, and one that will be traveled through relationships, but it begins with a single step. One of my favorite acronyms of HOW we can move off fear to growth is H- honesty O- openness and W- willingness. These tend to allow God to move me off "stuck" more than anything else.