Reply to To WP: What Can Black People Do to Improve Race Relations in this Country?

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[quote=Anonymous]I think it's just a matter of fact that when people grow up with differences in values, morals, work ethic, etc, those basic aspects, then it doesn't matter which ethnicity you are; you may have fundamental differences from others. I found that my closest friends were the ones with whom there was similarity/overlap in those fundamentals. We could understand and relate to one another, and we developed mutual respect.

Demographic factors do play a part, as others have mentioned, because there just may not be many immediate opportunities to interact often with people of other backgrounds. Still, that doesn't have to be a deciding factor. Growing up, in a mainly white neighborhood, it turned out that one of my closest friends because one of the handful of Chinese students at my school. We just clicked in various ways.

When I went to grad school, I became close friends with a black female student from Southern Africa. We had many differences between us, a main one being she was already married (I was single and would only end up meeting my future husband about 7 years later). She'd come to North America to pursue higher education, given the better opportunities for her field of study here. In this case, we both shared a passion for higher education (hence, where we met), we were both hard-working and wanting to succeed. 
       On the other hand, I think we also clicked because of our interest and curiosity in the differences in our lives. I was probably more impressed with her than vice versa, given the long distance she'd traveled, and how challenging her life was back home (she practically was a mother to her younger siblings, having to help out substantially in her household). Sadly, when she moved back, our communication waned, with circumstances taking over, lives become more complicated.

All this to say that I embrace the chances to know people of different backgrounds. But it's a two-way street. If one goes into something with an attitude of hostility or suspicion, whatever your ethnicity, you are closing yourself off from the world. [/quote]

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