Diverse unity is America’s strength

Our veterans died in cold fox holes in Europe and in chest deep water exiting ship to shore vehicles with guns above their heads at Corregidor, Philippines so we all could be free, no matter our position in life. We all deserve a chance. Liberal, conservative, rich, poor, Christian, or Jew we all have more in common as Americans than not.

Labels do not represent ceilings on our potential or define our personhood or “degrees of freedom.” Here’s four human stories:

Tom

I met Tom in 2011 when visiting Corvallis and supporting my friend Aleita, a community organizer for people who experienced homelessness. Tom was working on his sobriety. Within the first few minutes of meeting, Tom shared that the upcoming weekend would be tough. Saturday would be a home football game for the Oregon State University Beavers and there’d be plenty of beer cans. Tom circulated through tailgate parties around the stadium and collected, crushed, and cashed-in redeemable cans. What he did with the money would make or break him.

He’d been broke and broken most of his adult life. His teeth were cracked and rotted from the chemicals in meth and he lost his wife and kids. Tom lived under a blue tarp at the Corvallis Home Depot property. I adopted Tom that summer. I invited him to the Fred Meyer’s to buy anything he needed that would make his life easier. His first request was the latest Tom Clancy novel. Tom had read every one of them up to that point. I always think about this first request from someone who had nothing. Tom wanted to feed his brain before he fed his appetite for food, booze, or another addiction. Tom was my literate friend – not an inebriate. He just died unexpectedly this year, 2014. I’m crushed.

Mindy

Mindy wheeled through my special education classroom door in 1982 with a white-toothed smile that went ear to ear. She lit the room up with love and acceptance. We didn’t know her receptive language and she had no speech or expressive language. Her mere presence communicated joy. She experienced or was labeled mentally handicapped and experienced Cerebral Palsy. Mindy never suggested meanness or anger through gestures or expression. Sometimes she would have her chin down and her big brown eyes looking up, searching for guidance and direction with tasks she struggled with. She always tried hard. I’ve said many times that Mindy’s social skills far exceeded many PhD’s I’ve met in the past 30 years. Mindy was my gifted elementary student — not mentally handicapped. She grew up to live independently with supports in a group home and worked 20 hours a week.

Mario

I stopped for a beer at a pub in Stevens Point, Wisconsin in 2010 and met Mario. He was pretty smashed and we immediately began a conversation. I was sober. Within minutes he pulled a newspaper from the bar top to point out an article he’d written supporting the continuing education of previously incarcerated people — felons. About a week later I stopped in again and Mario approached me. He was sober this time.

He apologized and I replied I was just concerned for him back that first time we met — no judgment. Mario experiences the label of felon and was awarded a $25,000 fellowship to study journalism in 2011 at one of the best programs in the country at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He and I became friends and he writes a journal dedicated to the poorest neighborhoods in Madison. His area of interest is writing about the lives of people who experience the label of felon, have served their time, and are rebuilding their lives against all odds. He also writes about their children and families. You will read his work at the national level some day. Mario is my friend and writing mentor — not a felon. He’s now a reporter in San Diego.

Edith

Edith is a former undergraduate student of mine at Adelphi University on Long Island (1986), now a teacher. After graduating with a master’s degree she took a job at a middle school in Oregon. I was teaching at UAA in 1999 and got a call from her one day. She said there was a gay pride parade in Portland that she wanted to participate in, but was worried about how the community and school would treat her if they found out she was gay. A practical concern. The first advice I gave her was to never seek my advice. Then, I suggested she speak with her boss, the principal, about her interest to be an open advocate for inclusion and to listen to her heart. She did, marched with others, and was interviewed by a major network for the evening news. Her community loved her, children followed and emulated her, and she became an avid advocate for the full inclusion of all people in “community.” Edith and I are in repair mode with our relationship, but I care about her as a friend. I respect her personhood. She’s a tenured teacher in the Valley.

Before we label someone an inebriate, mentally handicapped, a felon or a homosexual, remember that that person has the same need to love and be loved, accepted, supported and understood, as do you. Labels do not define a person or their potential. We are all Americans.

Love one another and do the internal work needed when you can’t see beyond the label.

Paul Maguire is a former university professor who lives on Bradley Lake in Palmer and operates Paul’s Pedal Tours.