Mr. Jay H. Dick

The View from Another Perspective

Posted by Mr. Jay H. Dick, Jul 28, 2016 0 comments


Mr. Jay H. Dick

Growing up in small town Iowa, I was taught to never discuss race, religion or politics in "polite society." I guess the idea behind this was that one should not talk about topics that are "sensitive" or "controversial" in nature as they can upset or make others feel uncomfortable. Alas, this is not always the best practice. Looking back on my childhood, there were things I said or did that could be seen as hurtful in someone else's eyes. I can remember playing Cowboys and Indians. Capture the Flag, with one flag being the confederate battle flag. No adult ever commented on this. Nobody ever said, hey, perhaps you should call your game something else or use a different flag.

Skip forward 30 years. I still see the same hesitance to talk about race, religion and politics—and that is really unfortunate.


I have never had to fear the police.
I have never been looked at by others with fear.
I have not had to reconsider wearing a hoodie at night.
I have not had to fear for my safety.


I have to admit, I was never one to shy away from politics or religion, but race … well, that one could prove dangerous. Was I using the correct terms? Black, African American or People of Color. Was I being exclusionary—minority is more than skin color? Was I saying something or doing something that would cause offense? Unfortunately, my home town, population 2,500, had exactly one Jewish family and two African American families. There were no families of Latin American, Asian or "other" descent. Colfax was a pretty white place, as was the entire state. We did have one gay couple who lived a couple blocks down from me, but my elders simply referred to them as roommates and that was that.

I understand why people steer clear of the topics of equity, diversity and inclusion. But, to be honest, as America—and the world—becomes more and more polarized, we really must have these conversations, no matter how uncomfortable they will be.

Americans for the Arts staff participated in a one-and-a-half-day staff retreat to discuss how we, as an organization could work on addressing equity, diversity and inclusion. We had already put out our statement on this topic, but how are we going to lead by example?

This staff retreat was not easy. There was disagreement, confusion, anger and even some tears. The conversation was difficult and messy, but the result was better empathy and a commitment to equity.

What was my biggest take-away from the retreat? As a white man, I have absolutely no clue about the struggle of people of color. Yes, I am technically a minority myself (gay). But, that is not evident as one's skin color. To be honest, I really have never been exposed to any discrimination other than a minor slur and that hasn't happened in years. I should consider myself lucky—very lucky.

I have never had to fear the police. I have never been looked at by others with fear. I have not had to reconsider wearing a hoodie at night. I have not had to fear for my safety …

I thank Americans for the Arts for the opportunity for this discussion. I also know that this is not one of those "check the box" things. This is one point on a continuum. A topic that should be addressed and reassessed almost daily.

It is unfortunate that everyone in America—and the world—could not have this kind of experience. If so, the world would be a much nicer, safer and healthier place to live.

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