Listening

I had one of the most interesting classes today than I have had probably since I have been here. Maybe it was the most interesting for me because I made the students speak the whole time, and I kept my mouth shut and listened. (It probably also made it one of the most interesting classes for them as well.)
Usually, my classes consist of giving the students either an article from a newspaper or an advertisement from a magazine and then talking about it with them. Most of the students, for their exams, have to speak, in English, for 10 minutes about an image or a document. Then, they have to respond to questions from the examiner. So, my classes mostly consist of replicating this kind of experience, except there is a lot more time and they don't have to speak for 10 minutes in class. Usually, the kids can barely speak for 3 minutes by themselves without me asking them questions, or them asking me how to translate a word (this is good for me though because I have learned a lot French this way. Actually, its more rare for me not to know a word then for me to have to look it up. That isn't to say I understand what everybody says perfectly, but at a snails pace, I am picking it up).
So, this particular class, the document was an image of 7 students standing in front of a wall all. All the students were different races, heights, etc. There was a line at the bottom that said, "embrace diversity." There was also a quote at the bottom from Jimmy Carter that said, "America is not a melting pot, it is a beautiful mosaic..." The quote went on, but I can't remember the rest and that was the gist of it. I had the kids to the requisite description of the image, its title, and stuff like that. Then, the interesting part came. I asked them how France was different from America in terms of its racism. Most of the students agreed that France was more racist then America. Also, without even asking them, they all told me that America has a greater culture than in anywhere in Europe, because it is more culturally diverse then Europe. (I should also note that there were 6 black girls, and 1 white boy). The white boy said almost nothing the whole class. All the girls basically adored American culture and wanted to go to America. I have found, being at a school in the suburbs and more predominately black, that blacks teenagers from France, love America the most. All the students watch American television and listen to American music, but the black students are especially enthralled with America, in its totality. One of the girls pointed out that in America, people like Jimmy Carter encourage diversity and celebrate differences, whereas this is not a social objective in France. I asked the class why this was and in return I received a fascinating testimony. The testimony was from a girl who family had immigrated from Mali in North Africa. She said that she was a French citizen but in her "head" she was still from Mali. She said that most black North African immigrants to France feel this way. In America, she said that most black people talk about America like it is their home country. For her, she doesn't feel like France is her home country, so she doesn't care as much about what happens to her while she is here.
As I reflected on this, I was thinking about a lot of things. For one, I don't think that this girl has any intentions on moving back to Mali. She said she has been there but she is a French citizen. She lives in the best place in France to get a job and receiving a good education (I mean come on she has me for a teacher!) Yet, she admires American black people because they fight against racism and are outspoken about its effects. In France, this is not common because of the indifference of the people. I wondered why, if she praised this so much in American culture, why she didn't make a stand against racism in her own country? She idolizes life in America without realizing that racism still exists there. And, without realizing that it wouldn't be her home either. If I could encourage her to do anything, it would be to make a stand where she is against racism, and make it her country. Why don't these people from other cultures who live in France permanently make it their home? Or, at least, expect to be treated like what they are, French citizens? If you are not going back to Mali, and you are going to live in France, why not take a stand? I can understand wanting to keep the culture of your roots, but still France is now part of your own personal citizenship as well.
One girl pointed out that oftentimes racism exists out of fear from white people, or people of a different culture. This is almost cliche, but it instantly I recognized it in myself. It is much easier for me to resort to fear because I don't understand the culture. I made some effort growing up to get to know people from other cultures, but it is quite difficult to do so in West St. Louis County. Moreover, it is much easier to just stay put where I am comfortable than to venture out and see what exists in other areas of St. Louis and the world. This is something I would like to change in my future existence in America, or where ever it is that I live. I want to continue to seek out people who are different because there is so much that I can learn from them about the vast differences of God's creation and even about myself.
I realize this was a long one but, as selfish as this sounds, this one was important for me.