By: Claudia Frost iPDG, Member of District 7780 DEI Committee, Brunswick RC
I was born in Lewiston at the very hospital that treated the injured victims of the tragic shooting last week. Lewiston and Auburn are divided by the Androscoggen River and are known as ‘twin cities’ although the two towns were also rivals. I grew up in Auburn and my parents and especially my grandparents were openly racist. I learned about DEI backwards. When I read in the comment section of the DEI questionnaire: The older members are always a challenge, I recalled my own journey.
A short list of the prejudices I grew up with included the French, Catholic, and Jews. There were very few Mainers of color, but there were outbursts regarding ‘colored’ TV personalities. As a child, the household prejudices did not make sense to me. I kept quiet more from fear than respect of my elders.
By the time I was in high school, I began to speak up. I found the one black family in Auburn had a piano and a young girl who wanted to learn to play. This was my first openly defiant act - piano lessons for a young black girl.
Many years later, I found myself volunteering in the Framingham Women’s Prison as a choral conductor. Most of the inmates were black. I kept this volunteer position for five years.
I am now one of those ‘older members’ and I challenge those who renounce DEI. Most of the senior Rotarians had a similar experience and reject the prejudice in their original family. For those who harbor racist views, I suggest a good look at the four way test. As Rotarians, that is the litmus test and being a bigot does not pass any part of the four way test.
A couple of weeks ago, I was giving out food to a line of cars here in Harpswell. One of the clients leaned over to say ‘isn’t it awful what the immigrants are doing.’ I was able to smile and say, “I see that differently.” The older gentleman did not respond but looked more confused than offended. Saying that you disagree is not shutting the door on the conversation but it is opening a window. No battle, no war, just an honest disagreement.
I am proud to be a Rotarian and belong to a global organization where Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is cherished and practiced. Cultivating a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture in our clubs is essential to realizing our vision of a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change and do good for the world.