As a veteran of the corporate workspace who worked to make it more diverse and understanding, retired State Farmer Art Taylor is now bringing what he calls his "norms for inclusive workspace" to the community dialogue.
One of his cardinal principles is to "accept others' perspectives as TRUE for them," even if they do not jibe with their own past experiences or views. That's important in comprehending the challenges and pain of racial, cultural, or religious bigotry and expanding dialogue aimed at reconciling differences.
That lesson came home to Taylor when as a teen he was forced to leave a Chicago college prep school for a Jackson, Ky., high school where a counselor argued that he, like other locally raised black students, should focus on ag classes. The young Chicagoan, who'd "never stepped foot on a farm," learned at that point how to deal with "someone trying NOT to understand."
"If people come in with an open mind, your experience can be accepted as truth," Taylor suggests. "Please recognize that someone else's reality is truth for them."
Taylor will help moderate a panel discussion on race and related issues following Normal First United Methodist Church's 7 p.m. Sept. 26 screening of Against All Odds, a documentary about the struggles of middle class blacks. The event is free and open to the public.
Taylor's offers several other norms to promote constructive social discussion:
* Use “ I rather than attempting to speak for the group -- “Speak for yourself," from your own experience. "Only YOU can tell your story," Taylor stresses.
* Be responsible for your own learning.
* Challenge yourself to be Inclusive.
* Take ownership for your learning and be honest with yourself.
* Be open to new realities.
* LISTEN, and be open to perspectives from others.
* Build trust.
* Say what needs to be said in the moment.
* Honor confidentiality.
* Give "grace" to yourself and others. In other words, Taylor says, respect a speaker's level of education, background, or other differences as they tell their truth.
* Focus on self-Improvement, not perfection.
* Make space for others to share and be who they are while withholding judgment.
* Work toward shared success.