Conflict Resolution

Another week, another new group.  My latest group is in the U.S. for a "Conflict Resolution" program.  I won't give too many details to protect the privacy of my visitors (we call them international visitors so visitors is a shortened version), but there are a few things I want to share.

And as seems to be the habit, I also had lunch with this group at Busboys and Poets.  I eat at many other places with my visitors, but I'll concede that perhaps the most noteworthy and certainly the most progressive dine with us at Busboys. We were dining in the Langston room at the 14th and K street location. This time Anas "Andy" Shallal, the owner, came around to meet us. There's a beautiful sort of mural on the wall in that room.  It's covered in images and quotes from great leaders in causes for civil rights.

Some of the visitors commented on how there were no current people on the wall.  Andy explained that those who are featured on the wall started their work many years ago.  Most of them are now deceased.  It makes me wonder how soon you can credit someone for making a change--especially as it relates to Civil Rights.  Martin Luther King, Jr. is rightfully on the wall, but he would have easily fit the wall criteria while he was alive for the waves that he was making.  If it will take 50 plus years to realize the leaders, I wonder if we can tell now who will have been the great social changers. Any guesses? It is no doubt that there are huge social changes happening in the U.S. and throughout the world, but will we praise these efforts in 50 years? When I'm in my seventies, will I be glad for the changes that are happening now?

Before Andy arrived, I tried to explain the wall to the visitor sitting next to me.  The interpreter was tied up, so I tried to use our common language of French and threw out words like "paix" and "progrès." I couldn't even spit out words like "essaient" or "efforts" which would have been much closer to the point. Those people made efforts and we can look back now and see that their efforts really affected a change.

The other noteworthy topic of discussion is not as deep.  One of the visitors asked me about my schooling background. I explained that I got a bachelor's degree in American Studies at Brigham Young University, a school in Utah. His response was..."Our city does an exchange with students from the University of Utah." Bah! As if this would impress me. I told him that Utah is our biggest rival school. Unfortunately I think the importance of that fact was lost in translation.  He didn't seem to care.

In two days...I get to see this gorgeous girl!

beck