You want me to eat what?
One of my fondest childhood memories is this little shop that sold bierocks.
I found it so random that a Bierock stand and ski shop was in my Black neighborhood.
At the time I had no idea what skiing was, and I definitely had not a clue about galuskies or Bierocks.
Nor was I willing to try them.
Fast forward 10 years and I attended college at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Ks.
And coincidentally Volga Germans had settled in Hays, Ks.
And what did I find myself eating,
Bierocks and galuskies.
LOL!
10 years later, I found myself in Breckenridge, Colorado on a ski slope.
D!versity is SO important in many ways.
We must move the conversation beyond saviorism.
Beyond, me and my privileges saving others.
Beyond I must be an ally because people need my help.
We need to get to a place where we co-exist.
Where differences are comforting.
These white businesses did not have a problem being in my predominately Black neighborhood.
I never had a problem with them.
In fact, I felt comfortable browsing around the ski shop and ordering a drink from the Bierock stand.
I felt comfortable that when it came time for me to try new things, I was willing to.
I was comfortable with these things that weren’t culturally relevant to me, because they were familiar to me.
And in an odd way, they were a part of my culture.
Because white shops were comfortable being in community with Black folks.
You know…
We need Black shops in predominantly white neighborhoods.
We need mosques next to the Lutheran church.
We need the artist next to the scientist.
We need to community.
Occasionally when I visit home, I make sure to visit the community that shaped me.
I drive by Central avenue and past a few of my fondest memories.
The Slope Ski shop that sits on the north side of the street. And the Bierock stand that sits on the south side.
What’s a fond memory for you related to difference?
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