[SustainableTompkins] Celebrating diversity through the Circle of Courage

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http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080215/OPINION02/802150353/1014/OPINION



Article published Feb 15, 2008
Celebrating diversity through the Circle of Courage
Roger Sibley / Guest Column
Two great civil rights movements in America became energized after the horrors of World War II. One was about race, the other about disability. There are a number of parallels, including the use of legislation to assure rights and prohibit discrimination. There are also significant differences in the circumstances faced by people of racial and ethnic minorities and people with disabilities 60 years ago, and those differences are present, more than we would like, today. 
With apologies for using broad generalities, discrimination against people of color was often hurtful, demeaning and violent. The attitude toward people with disabilities was more dismissive than vengeful. Those not kept home were sent to giant institutions designed to take care of “those people.” 

The reversal of the institutional trend was stimulated by a federal court order to New York state in 1975. Willowbrook was a state school on Staten Island that housed thousands of people. It was understaffed, overcrowded and horrible. People were literally bored to death. The federal court ruled that this lack of care was basically unconstitutional and ordered New York to provide good care for its disabled citizens. Perhaps not coincidentally, 1975 was the year Congress passed a law that required public schools to educate all children, including those with disabilities. 

One important action in the racial civil rights story that is missing from the disability movement is a parallel to the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. The basic ruling was that “separate-but-equal” is unconstitutional, that segregation is inherently unequal and therefore wrong. In Brown, the court ruled that the color differences of people are superficial and that what counts are that all people are basically the same and have the right to equal treatment. That fundamental sameness has not been extended to people with disabilities through law or judicial action. Therefore, it is OK to segregate people in education, employment and many other ways. After all, they are different. 

And that gets to the heart of the diversity issue. The legal protections are essential, but what counts is winning the hearts and minds of the citizens. Robert Fulghum had a popular book a few years ago, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” The most destructive thing we learn in kindergarten is sorting, looking at things and figuring out why one is different from the other. People don't think about sameness but think how a person of a different race or culture, with different social and economic status, with a disability, is not like me. 

At Franziska Racker Centers we have chosen to think of our work based upon basic human needs, things that we all have in common. This approach is not only more respectful; it is more effective because it is more accurate. The differences, be they gifts or challenges, do not take away from the fundamental desire we all have to enjoy a good life. 

We have used the Circle of Courage to illustrate basic human needs. Based upon Lakota traditions, the Circle illustrates the ingredients that make up a meaningful and fulfilling life. They include the desire to learn and be capable, form intimate relationships where we are cared for and care for others, foster independence, feel responsible and be able to make decisions and run our own lives. People who are often frustrated, who have no close friends, who feel like victims, are very unhappy people. And that manifests in isolation, tension and, too often, violence. 

The fact that Tompkins County has unresolved issues around diversity is not a surprise. The fact that these issues do not take care of themselves is also not a surprise. Many caring people in our community are struggling with figuring out what to do. So here is a modest proposal. 

Tompkins County should become a Circle of Courage Community. The Circle should be adopted by all governments, public schools, businesses and all citizens. The Circle of Courage is a way to understand ourselves and others, helping to build upon the commonalities in human existence, giving us a way to better understand and value each other. The message of the Circle is that all people are important, that each person is valuable and that we are willing to commit ourselves to understanding and inclusion. 

Change requires a vision of how we want things to be. In its simplicity, the Circle of Courage builds upon the initial promise of the United States, that all people are equal and endowed with certain, inalienable rights. It can set a tone, represent a commitment that people in this community have toward the whole and toward each other. The Circle of Courage does not solve problems, but it establishes a framework and guidelines for how we can make Tompkins County a community of which we can all be proud. 







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