Curt's Executive Director Susan Trieschmann spoke to a group of students at Northwestern University today as part of their MLK programming. Here is what she had to say....
Isabel Wilkerson wrote a book called; The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. A story about the three routes that were commonly used from 1915 – 1970 by African Americans when leaving the southern states trying, to get to the North. One of the reasons given for the migration was “they just want to feel the security which other people feel.” The woman that was quoted said those words when interviewed in Alabama in 1902.
Ask yourself - Has anything really changed for African Americans, Latinos, basically people of color, since 1902? Certainly some things have change because of the courage of people like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu or Harriet Tubman but has there been enough change?
Many people would argue that lots of things have changed - Now African Americans can sit anywhere on a bus, they can work wherever they want if they are educated enough to do so, they can live where they want – right? But is that enough change and are those things all true?
If you think yes, I would suggest you check the statistics. All of those things are basic human rights that everyone should have been able to do from the very beginning. And many of those things are still terribly compromised or not happening at all.
If you think no, than what can you do about it? What can you do to make everyone in your classroom, your neighborhood, your country “feel the security which other people feel?”
What I chose to do was open a Café to give at-risk young adults the opportunity to build job and life skills not only help them get jobs but also to show the community that youth that have made mistakes can make positive changes in their lives and help to make their community a better place.
It was not something I had planned to do when I was building a career, it was not something I thought I had the skills to do because 1) I really really don’t like being controversial in any way and I always seem to be fighting for the basic rights of the young people I work with and 2) . I don’t like speaking in public like this and this is a large part of my job.
But I kept seeing young men (and women) of color being arrested and sent to prison. Then after they got out, I would see them on the street, unable to get jobs because no one wanted to hire someone that had been in prison, and our laws don’t make it any easier for ex-prisoners.
I also noticed that we were putting more African American youth in jail, even though I believed just as many white youth were being stopped by the police – usually for the exact same reason. I knew something was wrong – and that it wasn’t fair and I also knew I couldn’t tackle the entire problem – but I wanted to do something. The only problem was - I had no idea what to do.
So I went out and looked for places that were helping these young men, and women, but I couldn’t find any organization that was working with this group. I kept hearing that they didn’t think it was worth the time or money. Most thought it was best to wait until they were older – 26 or 27 – so they all seemed ok keeping them in prison until they got older rather than helping them when they were teenagers. Just think, if it was any of you (because you are 8 – 18 years old) – would you like to be “thrown away” until you are older just because you made a mistake? Do you think that’s right? I didn’t!
I had never done non-profit work, all I knew was how to run restaurants so that’s what I did – I build what the young people told me they needed to stay out of jail, into what I knew how to do – and opened Curts Cafe. No clue if it was right or wrong – but it was at least something! And in 3 years the young people that have worked at Curts Café have shown all those people that they are worth it! Most are working hard in jobs, paying taxes, and staying out of jail! Why don’t more people – just do something?
When MLK was interviewed in 1966 by ‘Meet The Press’ in Chicago he was questioned about a comment a Chicago Police Superintendent made about the Civil Rights Movement. The Police Superintendent said
“The Civil Rights tactics have aroused hatred around Chicago’s white residents and are hampering the Negros progress. “ MLK answered, as only he could so eloquently and intelligently, saying “The Civil Rights tactics have not aroused hatred; they have revealed hatred that already existed. We did not create it; we merely exposed it and brought it to the surface.”
When I thought and reflected on that statement it made me wonder-
- is it hatred
- or is fear
- or is it the lack of truth in education
- or is it just plain ignorance?
Maybe it is the entire bundle together. The more I live, learn and experience the more I realize that much of what I believed was truth, was truth based on fear and lack of knowledge.
And I’m going to be honest – most of us don’t even realize we are hurting others by our fear and lack of knowledge. I didn’t realize I was doing it, but ignorance really is the worst excuse these days so I had to take responsibility for my actions and I always try to do better.
So how can I – doing the work I do – and you – knowing what you know do help make changes in our world?
I have 5 simple suggestions
- Be Aware what Racism and injustice looks and feels like – it doesn’t always jump out at you and make itself really obvious.
Think about the people that live in your own community who are African American, Latinos or people of color. Think about the fact that unlike me with white skin, a person of color cannot hide when they walk into a room filled with white faces - be sensitive to what they may be feeling. The news is riddled with “gang members” that all seem to be African American (which they really aren’t) and we constantly see black men shooting black men (yet the majority of the mass murders were done by white men), so be aware that although you are not judging them – others may be. People who don’t know better form opinions based on what they see in the media. You may not be able to change everyone’s opinion immediately but you can be aware and sensitive to it.
- Educate Yourself – don’t count on anyone else to do it.
You all go to great schools that have a more diverse group of students in each class than I did. But is your curriculum that way to? Be aware that still in 2016 we have a very white curriculum and we don’t always represent the strength and courage of our African American brothers and sisters. You can fight that system – but it will take time. But immediately – you can educate yourself on what amazing accomplishments people of color have achieved and have done to change the direction of many bad decisions, sometimes its well hidden because most of them do it under the radar without anyone knowing but its worth the time. There are some of the strongest and most courageous people of color doing amazing things that we just never hear about. You can take a few hours a week and research and educate yourself so when the time comes – you are ready!
- Share your Knowledge with Your Friends, Family, Community
So learn your facts and become an expert on what you’re passionate about – for me its keeping kids out of prison, for you it will probably be something very different – but find your passion and go for it. Speak about what needs to be done to help make social change and even explain that it will make all of us much better people. You can also speak up when your friends or family show their prejudice, ignorance, and injustice and teach respect, inclusion, intelligence and love. But teach others, like MLK did. It doesn’t matter if you’re 8, 18 or 80, if you speak with intelligence people will listen. If you speak with the eloquence and peacefulness that MLK did – they will listen forever.
- Do Something!
Doing Nothing is probably the worst thing you can do – by doing nothing – you help to keep the cycle going and you help keep our fellow Americans feeling as if they are not treated the same as you are and that you don’t respect and care about your friends and neighbors.
A homeless family when asked what they would like from people – said simply “just look us in the eye and say hello.” They didn’t ask for money, cloths or jobs. They asked for respect when we see them on the street, even though they aren’t dressed like us because they were down on their luck. Everyone of us can do something!
- Don’t Give Up
Probably the most important thing is you cannot give up, on your goal or on anyone else, because we have so much to learn from one another and we must make everyone know that their opinion is valued and we are honored to have them as our neighbors, our brothers and our sisters.
Because you, you are our future, and you have the opportunity to make the changes we desperately need. You may feel like you don’t have the knowledge, you’re not old enough, you don’t have the time, the expertise, the money – or so many other excuses I used when I really had all those things - but I was really just was scared.
Are you just scared? Don’t be, because You are actually a much better generation than mine was because you have the least amount of prejudice than any other generation. You see beyond color most of the time. You may not reach a hand over the aisle but you do not avoid people of color like we did when I was young, you do not move if and an African American sits next to you on the bus and you have no problem playing on the same sports team with people of color. Sounds so simple, but it shows respect and inclusion rather than hatred and superiority.
You are half way there because you came here today and opened yourself up to the learning – and it’s a hard lesson, I know. I honor your work and your passion to do better and I’m excited about the changes your knowledge will bring for all of us.
I asked our students what they would like people to think about them and they offered 7 inspiring thoughts I would like to share with you. They said – “When you see me on the street”…
- …treat me like one of your own brothers, rather than an enemy
- …know that you really are just looking in the mirror because I am just like you
- …know that I could do better if I had the privileges you had, but I’m doing the best I can and I know I may actually be stronger than you are, because of the struggle I have had.
- …look at me as someone with a great future ahead of him.
- …help me become a better, more successful man, rather than keeping me down and judging me on things I did not do.
- …help me to be successful, rather than looking down on me. Introduce yourself, and give me a hand.
- …know that I don’t care about what you think about me, but I do care about what you don’t think about me
- …know that I don’t care about what you think about me, but I do care about what you don’t think about me
I will leave you with this wonderful thought that I have been contemplating all month.
“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.
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