An adult UU shares with me his impressions of GA and asks me what I think about the GA.
I tell him that it is apparent to me that we still have much work to do about racism, that again this year there was insensitivity and arrogance on the part of white Unitarian Universalists toward people of color. I share that adult people of color tend to be more accustomed to this kind of behavior on the part of well meaning, but clueless white folk, but that the youth of color are outraged that Unitarian Universalist adults could come across as arrogant, imperious, culturally incompetent, and/or oblivious jerks.
He opines that the problem with racism at General Assembly has been overblown.
I assure him that the problem is real and experienced, and results in pain among people of color and youth of color that undermines their confidence in Unitarian Universalism. In that we are a faith that proclaims "deeds not creeds" that proclamation creates an expectation that we might try to walk our talk. (I know it did for me as a Unitarian youth, but I soon came to realize that the vast majority of pew sitters were not faithful Unitarians, they came for intellectual stimulation not transformation.)
He offers the observation that the youth of color at General Assembly dress like they were in a street gang. I am taken aback by his characterization of our youth's dress. I know many of the youth by name, I have know several of them since they were children. I know their parents. The parents include UU ministers, Trustees, Congregational leaders, and the youth appear to me to be dressed like middle class youth dress when they are being hip, which is not at all like street gangsters. I reply that I know the youth and I disagree with his judgment of their attire, but perhaps making the distinction between youthful attire and street gangs requires some discernment and recognition of distinctions. (I am trying to be persuasive and not come across as dismissive.) He concedes that I might be right, and shares that Black youth make him nervous.
I am reminded that five centuries ago when the Europeans first encountered the Africans and the Native Americans they concluded that these "strange" people were promiscuous because they didn't wear clothing ("save for their privies") in the summer time.
Youth and the culturally marginalized must learn to dress "right" or they won't get any respect!
Some youth and young adults of color from the DRUUM YAYA website. (If you see the gang colors please email me and help me out.)
What a great group of truly beautiful people. (By the way--they're so much tidier and nicer looking than my friends and I were in the Sixties.)
This is a good looking group of kids , moderately dressed up, it looks to me. And they look like they expect, and usually get, "respect." Our GA kids, of all colors, do not dress as nicely, as a matter of fact, seem to be enjoying] the (probably carefully crafted) look of "I don't care what you think," informality. But human nature being what it is, I've no doubt that the look contributes to problems with the adult world. Not that that arguement would impress a teenager; it certainly wouldn't have impressed me at that age. And it seems to me that it's up to adults to play along with any teen aged "look" that isn't downright dangerous and attempt to see the emerging persons who are hiding behind it, and that means dealing with our discomfort.
I saw no youths of any color at GA dressed in a way I might associate with gangs.
That said, my (very suburban, white as white gets) brothers went through a phase where that's all they wanted to wear.
CC
The youth in these pictures look far LESS "ghetto" or "hiphop" than my fifteen-year-old son. And people wonder why I've yet to take him with me to GA...