Communities in Community

One of the first things I liked about Ann Arbor was the diversity of people. I had stickerbooks as a child that showed a selection of people from around the world each representing their culture through their dress and a brief paragraph with a line pointing to the part of the globe where they lived. I loved the idea of going all over the world and getting autographs and photographs to take my world people's stickers up a notch. Here in Ann Arbor it feels as if the world has come to me.

I see it most clearly at Meijer, Sam's Club and the mall. If you don't see two or more culturally driven styles of dress and hear at least two languages other than English then you wonder what's wrong. Sorting out what cultures and peoples are signified by all that language and dress has been fun. If it weren't such a touchy subject it would be helpful to have a guide to human beings with pictures and explanations--my sticker books for the Internet age. Each cultural group within our community has found ways of remaining themselves, but just as surely they have found themselves woven into the larger fabric, even if it is only that we all need to eat and we all love a bargain. 

One idea leads to another, and I began discovering other groups made up of those with common work and common interests. Medical professionals, bike clubs, student groups, churches, each is its distinct self, but they pull from the other groups to fill their ranks. These are becoming as easy to spot as saris and turbans. The more you look for anything the more you see it, and what I am seeing most is a community that makes valuing its differences a common value.

The "death" of "the American melting pot" was often bemoaned when I was young and multiculturalism was new, but here I can see that chunky beef stew is better than bland fondue. When no one has to apologize for existing, everyone finds new ways to coexist and the fabric binding us together changes our vision. For me it's no longer so much about the hijab, as it is about the young mom wrestling kids the way I used to. The gentleman's turban has been forgotten in appreciation for holding the door for me when my hands were full. I now see families, professionals, enthusiasts, and the peace that we are all being for each other.

I love Ann Arbor. My new home where I was born to live.