In high school, I didn’t give a dime about being popular. I had a tight group of friends and we did our own thing. Hands down, I was one of those “nerds” in high school. I spent a lot of my time studying and excelling academically. I did, however, care about others feeling safe and included on campus. I was a part of an organization in high school, called Bridges, that advocated for acceptance and inclusion on campus. We did a lot of projects to combat some of the negative thoughts and stereotypes experienced on campus.
So fast forward more than a decade later and I still haven’t graduated from this mentality. I still don’t care about being popular, and I still care about fostering an environment of inclusion and acceptance. Thus, for the second year in a row, I was involved in DREAM Camp, which stands for Diversity: Respecting Ethnicity and Multiculturalism. I’m sitting with my other Peace Corps Volunteers at camp and some of the teenage campers excitedly wave and blow kisses at me. I look at my friend Neil, “So, I can’t tell if they legit like me or they are making fun of me.” Neil, who is an English teacher in Peace Corps, casually states, “Georgian teenagers do not plot or go out of their way to show fake affection like that.” He believed that the kids liked me.
Some of these kids went out of their way to actually spend time with me. I was also going out of my way to hang out with them. I convinced a few of them to teach me how to perform a Georgian dance skit. I taught one of the girls how to float in the sea. We had deep discussions with other campers about race and prejudice in America. During camp, we had something called “the Positive Box.” You can write positive notes anonymously to campers, counselors, or PCVs about your experience at camp. I received a few notes from campers and they were literally the sweetest!
The kids at these camps genuinely want to learn and interact with American Peace Corps Volunteers. They are excited to spend a week with us and ask thoughtful questions. I told the new Peace Corps Volunteers to show vulnerability and to be honest and open. I described how last year I shared stories about my childhood and how raw I was. It paid off loads. I wanted to create the same atmosphere this year with the campers. I wanted people to be real about the negative effects of discrimination and intolerance. I wanted the message of inclusion, hope, and love for all to ring loud and clear.
During my sessions, I asked thought-provoking questions. For example, I asked if immigrants to America were “real Americans”? I know that sounds simple, but in all honesty, it is not. A lot of Georgians struggle with the idea that non-native born Peace Corps volunteers are real Americans. I think it stems from the fact that they believe that the Armenian-Georgians and Azeri-Georgians are Georgian second. They are Armenian and Azeri first. Ironically enough, they said that immigrant Americans are true Americans. So then I said, “okay, so the Armenians with Georgian passports are real Georgians?” They yelled, “NO!”
So then I was, “okay, so then with that logic, immigrant Americans are not real Americans.” I looked at their faces and I asked, “Why are they not real Georgians if they want to be Georgian? If they speak Georgian? And have been living here for generations?” Of course, the only answer they could give was that it was traditionally thought as such. I wanted them to question the system. I wanted them to internally debate some of the negative stereotypes in their community. Because through those debates, they can learn and grow. Of course, I inserted a lot of jokes and humor in these tough discussions. That is probably why at the end of the day they were still willing to hang out with me.
By the end of camp, I noticed that some of the youth were including the minority campers in their circles. We had one camper who did not speak much Georgian. She is ethnically Armenian and living in an Armenian community. In the beginning, it looked like she felt isolated. By the end of camp, I saw the ethnically Georgian teenagers include her in their activities. They translated for her when she presented and were kind. The Armenian-Georgian youth admitted to Kaigler, another Peace Corps Volunteer, that her negative opinions of Georgians softened. She felt that the Georgians were kind and were receptive to her. These kids were growing in front of our eyes and it was wonderful!
At the end of camp, we felt all the positive vibes. I had so much fun with kids and I bragged about them endlessly to Justin when I got home. I truly appreciated the kindness all the campers showed me. I felt that, maybe, my corner of the world is getting better to include minorities and appreciate the differences.
But the fuzzy feelings only lasted so long.
Three days after the camp was over, I watched some news of what was going on back in America. I saw Neo-Nazis and the KKK take to the streets in Charlottesville. I read that a heroic woman, Heather Heyer, was murdered while she was protesting hate. I saw a picture of a black police officer defend and protect the very people who wanted to turn him down. It is chilling. It is terrifying. The juxtaposition of my experience at DREAM Camp and what is going in America is perplexing to me. It is hard to believe that both events were occurring almost concurrently! I couldn’t sleep last night knowing how much hatred is filling out streets back home.
Thus, I find it hard in my mind to preach love and inclusion to Georgians when we clearly aren’t doing such a good job ourselves in America. I cannot tell the Georgian youth to advocate for the minorities in their communities if I cannot do the same. Of course, my small actions every day speak volumes in the community. However, no matter how hard I try, I cannot overshadow what is shown on the media. I cannot fight the xenophobia that some of the politicians publicly state.
My job to advocate for peace and friendship, the very goal of Peace Corps, is sometimes hard these days. I am a representative of America and I am supposed to represent peace and friendship. Yet, my own president cannot even publicly denounce these hate groups.
I told my youth at camp that when something doesn’t sound right, the least you can do is just say something. You can ask questions to make the person think twice on why they said something so hurtful? Staying silent only helps the oppressor. This is me saying something. This is me trying to reconcile the facts that my country has a lot of hate in it (and always has); however, many of us are trying to do the right thing.
Therefore, no matter how small this acknowledgment is, I still want to acknowledge it. I want to publicly say that I do not agree with the actions of the KKK and the Neo-Nazis back home. In building a positive relationship between Georgia and America, I have to acknowledge the hate in the country while trying to advocate for inclusion. Most importantly, we have to continue to fight the war against hate. I feel such sadness that Heather Heyer was murdered. I don’t think she has died in vain because there are so many of us that believe in her message and supported her last heroic act.