blog

the diversity panel

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 13:36

A departure from one of our regular house meetings was the event of a wonderful evening celebrating our diversity. A panel of four very powerful women came to meet with us, not only to describe the joys of their culture but also to talk about the many difficulties of being seen as ‘different’ in our society.  A Latina, Philippina, an African American, and a paraplegic woman; all let us in to hear some very personal experiences they have encountered in their lives, and were inspiring in their descriptions of how they cope, what they’ve learned and how they see themselves as unique and happy with who they are.

A very lively discussion came out of their willingness to talk about things people usually don’t talk about.  It gave our residents the opportunity to disclose their own experiences and to open a dialogue with one another that might not otherwise have occurred. 

Several residents came up to me at the end of the evening to say that they hope we have more of these gatherings.  One of the women connected with a panelist who works at Seattle Art Museum, and she gave her a lead on a job at the museum.

Another talked privately with a panelist and learned more of her story, which was very similar to her own life. Many others talked about loving the laughter and candid conversation we all enjoyed.  A great evening!

Kathy Lewis
Care Manager