What was the most important takeaway today at Maryknoll? It was not the learning about how to buy things in Chile, useful though that may be, what with the expressions of courtesy and proper grammatical forms. It was not the fiercely contested Scrabble match, either. Rather, it was the cultural interview in the fourth period. This week, I met a woman from Haiti named Joanne. This put us on the island of Hispaniola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic. And it is the latter nation whose heritage shapes Inwood, the neighborhood where I live and work. Joanne took me into the communitarian ethos of the people of the Caribbean. When someone lacks something, be it housing or good health, the community provides. It is not in the character of the people to seek help outside the community. The community is the source of strength, the place of plenty. We swerved into a description of the common food and drink, with some kindly pokes at the Franciscan vegetarian.
I think the meeting went well. Perhaps Joanne could come back in two or three weeks to continue the conversation with me and mi profesora. That is, if she does not mind sitting in a small classroom on a lovely Friday morning with a friar whose brain is sputtering by the fourth hour of study.
I am beginning to know better what I want to do in these Friday conferences. There are two things that come to mind.
First, I would like to listen to lectures and then have some time for dialogue. I would like a guest from the Caribbean or Central America to teach me about the history and culture and religion of these peoples. These two regions, the Caribbean and Central America, are both necessary. The people who faithfully fill Church of the Good Shepherd and who animate Inwood culturally, socially, and economically are U.S. citizens or legal residents who themselves or whose parents and grandparents came from the Dominican Republic. But a preponderance of the newest immigrants to New York City comes from Central America, especially El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. These women, children, and men are not citizens. They are undocumented. These immigrants are not part of the parish, and they do not necessarily live in Inwood, but I would like to help them, as do a growing number of Anglo members of the parish.
Second, I would like to have strategy sessions. I would like to learn how to foster a shared community from among the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking peoples in my parish. I would like to see a more united community. The Anglos and the Latinos of Inwood do not mix with each other very much. If Broadway is the spine of the neighborhood, then Anglos are the west side of the body and the Latinos are the east side. There are, to be sure, a number of people from each community who cross Broadway to live and work and recreate with each other. I have learned from these model neighbors. But I would like to learn more. I would like to learn methods to help the Dominican culture and white non-Hispanic culture integrate. I would like to have more tools for promoting a social justice ministry that builds relationships and produces leadership between Anglos and Latinos. Maybe I can meet on Fridays with staff from Maryknoll’s own Mission Formation Program and Personal Development and Leadership Program.
These are some early arising suggestions that I hope the language program team will take under advisement. Once more, my thanks goes to Señoras Kitty and Tania for the arrangement of the cultural interviews these last three weeks.
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