Conversations

Conversations with Omar are never on light and insignificant topics.  We start out with a good morning and he addresses me as Mr. Jerry.  I try to tell him that it's just Jerry and he replied that the title was out of respect.  I am ok with it in that it makes him comfortable in our interactions.  Other than him, I cannot remember ever having a serious conversation on serious topics with an African American man.  This guy is accomplished on a number of levels. He's a dad, s husband, a father, an HR professional and a minister.  He is about Andrew's age at 40 this year and his family is expecting a newcomer in April of next year.  

We covered the history of race in America with all of its inequalities and horrors.  We spoke of marriages and relationships and all the pitfalls within those frameworks.  He really schooled me that the so called Critical Race Theory that is bandied about is actually the truth about our history.  We spoke of young men he mentors that need guidance to make correct and moral life decisions.  I told him of my mugging and car jacking and how I was ultimately healed by the words of a young black buyer at Ford that had befriended me telling me to not hang on to my anger because it would eat me up.  His name is Mark Campbell and I wish I could tell him how much his advice meant to me.

We spoke about Jesus in the historical sense.  Scriptures say that in appearance he was a wooly haired man with brown skin. How different is that then the depictions from renaissance artists showing the man with flowing wavy hair and pale complexion.  Did Europeans that did these artworks need to have a guy that looked like them? 

Moving forward can be difficult.  We must find a way to move ahead if not for ourselves but for our children and grandchildren.

Couldn't sleep last night thinking about this and things to do today.  I think that eyeball to eyeball conversations even on difficult subjects are needed to really connect to our friends and colleagues and family members. Those connections create commonalities and we actually learn about each other. 

I know, way too heavy, but its that kind of day

all for now

stay safe