Your verse is unpretentious, very appealing.

I could picture myself in it as a musical metaphor,

a witness to the way the formality of white maneuvers

itself blushing over snowy rage; I the traveler in the

nostalgic vessel of your short stories, induced into the

creative form of your wit for the pure sake of having

something beautiful to sing about.

Roberto Rios was the first in his Latino family to “set foot on American soil,” as he described it.  Roberto was embarking on a college career at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee.  The son of a Church of Christ minister, Roberto spent the majority of his 23 years involved in the church in his hometown of Lima, Peru.  A move to America away from all his family was not going to change his Hispanic heritage. When Roberto graduated two years later with a degree in computer information systems, he quickly secured a job in computer networking in Arizona. After marrying his bride Jeana, he moved his family back to Lima where their first child was born.   “We really wanted our child to be born in Peru,” said Roberto who anticipated returning to the States.

In a recent keynote address, Pete Cooper, CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga stated why diversity and change are inevitable. Cooper listed nine reasons for inevitable change and linked those reasons to specific diversity issues.  Every county within 400 miles of our Southern border will become majority nonwhite in the near future. The same can be said for many of our major cities. The ethnicity of our population is changing dramatically and the diversity of cultures will continue to change the face of America.

Reese Witherspoon quote - “Being a Southern person and a blonde, it's not a good combination. Immediately, when people meet you, they think of you as not being smart.”  

Harper Lee quote - “Well, they're Southern people, and if they know you are working at home they think nothing of walking right in for coffee. But they wouldn't dream of interrupting you at golf.”

I’ve been studying: (a)  how to not look askance at folks who appear to be fair-weather friends, and, (b)  how to be an improved friend. As in, being there when I’m needed. And yes of course sincerely asking ‘how can I help?’ involves self-centeredness. I believe self-fulfillment through good deeds though, is not a bad thing. I am not studying how to join the saint-hood nor suggesting such for others. Long ago I realized the personal satisfaction and ‘the feel good’ derived from helping. For a time this was likely the chief component of my volunteerism motivation. 

Georgia's Trenton Arts Council is sponsoring an event on September 11th called “Happenings.”  Developing a multicultural event like “Happenings” is a more ambitious project than we’ve ever attempted.

Ethnic and Racial Disparity in education is a persistent societal problem. 

In light of changing demographics and an increasingly diverse society,  we must find ways to address education disparities and close the gap.  Three key factors contribute to differences in education for ethnic and racial minority children: Expectations, Exposure and Environment.