After only a couple weeks, I have experienced more discussion on race and culture here than I ever encountered in Minneapolis. Some of that, of course, comes with working in an organization that strives to connect people cross-racially, but another part is simply being in the old capital of the Confederacy where many of these issues run much deeper than in the Midwest. To give an example, there is a road just a block south of where I live called Monument Ave. that has 8-10 statues in the middle of intersection for a few mile stretch (see last week’s blog and pictures). Expectedly, most of the statues are of dead, rich, white males who served for the Confederacy in the Civil War. A few years ago, they were planning to add a statue of Arthur Asch, an African-American tennis legend and native of Richmond. Apparently there was a big uprising among the many locals claiming it didn’t belong with all the Civil War heroes and others. That statue ended up being erected on Monument Ave, but the example proves the battle still being fought down here.
Every Thursday at lunch, the interns at Boaz & Ruth gather to talk about books we are reading and other issues at work. This week’s discussion was particular fascinated as if revolved around race and also the social injustices facing prisoner reentry into society. Five of the seven interns are white, and for most of us it is the first time we have been a part of a community where we are the minority. We talked about the feelings of uneasiness that come with that and how it can sometimes influence your personality. It was also interesting to hear how easy it is to have internally racist thoughts, especially since working with ex-convicts can be frustrating. It is often surprising how one negative encounter with a person in a group stereotyped by society can lead to these thoughts. I catch myself making unfair judgments about people I see in the impoverished neighborhood surrounding Boaz & Ruth just because of a negative interaction I witnessed at work that day. One of the interns named Randy is in his 50s and going back to school at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and he spoke a lot about growing up with racist parents and how difficult it was for him to overcome that way of thinking instilled in him by his parents. I don’t believe racism is something we’re inherently born with, but rather comes about through our upbringing in interactions with parents, friends, and the one that is probably most present nowadays, the media.
One of the joys of being in Richmond has been the many opportunities to interact with people of different cultures every day. Last Monday evening, I attended a Baptist service structured around the launching of a new prisoner reentry program being launched by a collaboration of churches. It was truly unlike any other experience I have had with religion, with the mostly black congregation singing and shouting out praises at any time. The preacher from the evening was nationally recognized and from Washington D.C. His hour-long sermon was filled with fire and emotion, yet was poetic at the same time. As he proclaimed unto the people his message, they would often respond by standing, shouting, and clapping.
While I’m on religion, I have observed an entire sub-culture based on faith that I have never truly experienced before. From my observations, and in speaking with a few other locals, it seems like religion strongly correlates with social class in the South. No matter the denomination, though, faith generally seems to play a larger role in people’s daily lives than in the Midwest. There also appear to be more organizations based on Christian ministry serving the urban areas. While I have the opportunity, I hope to attend some services of different denominations and gain more insight on how faith differs across race and class.
Another unique experience I was able to partake in on Saturday was a Native American Pow-Wow of the Mattaponi Tribe on a reservation about 50 miles east of Richmond. Established in 1657, this reservation happened to be the oldest in the country! It was the first time I had ever been on a reservation where I could actually get a glimpse of the living situations these people face. A lot of the houses seemed characteristic of impoverished areas, which begged the question of how most of these people were able to make a living. That aside, the Pow-Wow featured a lot of native dances and music, all in traditional Indian dress. It was another truly unique experience!
Me, Aaron, & Kevin at the Pow-Wow
Back at Boaz & Ruth, things are beginning to become a little clearer for me in regards to my area of work this summer. I will start by working on the business plan for Diamond Catering & Café. The catering division mostly caters in-house events, while to Café is a small building adjacent to Boaz & Ruth selling sandwiches. I am finding great joy in working with Josh, an intern of Boaz & Ruth for about a year that holds more responsibility than most staff members, and Chef Ed, a 52-year old graduate of the B&R program with a solid background in cooking at many restaurants.
There are still many frustrations and struggles I face at Boaz & Ruth, but instead of coming from working with ex-convicts, they have stemmed from organizational issues resulting mainly from the rapid growth of B&R over the past year. I am surprised by the at-times strict hierarchy that exists in an organization with fewer than 15 staff. The founder and CEO, Martha Rollins, is a very dedicated and driven person with a huge heart, yet at the same time she has been described to me by those of the organization who know her as a shrewd business lady and a control freak. I have already witnessed that even minor decisions must be approved by her. I do appreciate the fact that she has challenged me and others to achieve at high levels, but I don’t feel like most staff are being trusted to independently make important decisions in their area of expertise. While this may be a cynical perspective influenced by working with STLF, a non-hierarchical organization, for the last few years, I still feel like her ownership of the organization is the root of many communication and strategic problems we face on a daily basis. I think her approach is more equip to running a for-profit business rather than a client-based nonprofit. Like I said, though, her drive and leadership is the major reason Boaz & Ruth is achieving such great things. Sounds like a good scenario for a case study.
Well, those are just some of the main observation I had from the past week. I continue to become closer with many of the apprentices at Boaz & Ruth. I can’t wait for friends to visit and meet some of these amazing people. I am also looking forward to showing off my growing knowledge of the Richmond area to anybody who visits. There are many great local restaurants and amazing sights to see. I am also very impressed by the college campuses I have visited, which include VCU and the University of Richmond. I was able to walk around U of R with my roommate and U of R alum Kevin on Friday evening. He mentioned that the campus was voted one of the most spectacular in the nation, and I could see why. I hope to go there during the day sometime this week and post some pictures!
Other highlights from the week included seeing a movie for $2 at the magnificent Byrd Theater. The Byrd is a local landmark and shows movies in the stage between mainstream theaters and release onto DVD. I also volunteered for a few hours at a 9-year old indoor soccer charity tournament benefitting the Virginia Tech Memorial Fund. Keeping with the soccer theme, I got two pickup games in this weekend despite the ridiculous heat. If I keep playing at this pace I will come back a skinny man!Looking ahead to this week, I am looking forward to teaching a morning class tomorrow at Boaz & Ruth on the topic of Community Engagement. I am also interviewing briefly for a possible part time research position with a professor at VCU. The topic of my research would be philanthropy. As always, many other unforeseen surprises with occur, so stay tuned!
Historic Byrd Theater
1 comment:
Great read bro, looks like you are learning a lot. I always suspected the deep religious presence in the south- its interesting to hear your discoveries. I hope you get that research assistant position, that sounds pretty PHAT! ahaha.
Keep being an inspiration buddy
LIVE IT UP
Jimmy
Post a Comment