Even though America has always had a certain "double-consciousness" about its diversity, multiculturalism is still the American ideal, Clarence Page, columnist for the Chicago Tribune, told a standing-room-only audience.
From the Founding Fathers on, Page noted, we have never been able to live up to our cherished belief that "all are created equal." Even the man who penned that idea used ink from bottles filled by slaves, he said, and Ben Franklin once voiced the fear that the German influx into Pennsylvania would change America. "We will inevitably and always be paranoid of immigrants, especially when we are anxious about our futures," Page asserted.
- Teach students their whole history. "Students need an equal opportunity to know and understand a variety of cultures. We don't want to replace Eurocentrism with Afrocentrism, or any one form of superiority with another," Page said. Nor do we want a canon where only the "DWEMS" (dead white European males) are read.
- Teach the true nature of racism. "One of the biggest tragedies since the mid '60s is that we have lost our common language about race," Page said. "Whitespeak says, `I am not a racist; my family didn't own slaves; I never burned a cross,` suggesting that racism is purely a sin of commission. Blackspeak is obsessed with respect, as in `Don't dis me, man.`" Blacks see the failure to give respect as a racist sin of omission, one more offense in a history of mistreatment, Page said. "Racism can be both kinds of sins, including neglecting to look into yourself for racism."
- Involve yourself in the lives of young people. "We need to get to know students, discuss their hopes and dreams, so that we see one another as we are." Often a self-imposed "politeness conspiracy" keeps us from discussing our differences or any sensitive issue like race, gender, or class. This is partly caused by fear and partly by wanting to gloss over difficult subjects, Page said.
- Finally, Page urged his listeners to "be an ally to minorities." People of all ethnic groups need to work not for desegregation or assimilation, but for integration, a true sharing of cultures. "This means more than being a non-racist; it means being an anti-racist," Page said. "We are not a melting pot so much as a Mulligan stew, where each of us contributes to the flavor and absorbs it from others."
