“How the World Finally Changes”

“After a week that started with celebrity chef Paula Deen’s admission she’s used racist language, moved on to a Supreme Court ruling that renewed debate over affirmative action and locked the nation in division over the trial of George Zimmerman, it is cathartic – not to mention fun – to sit down with 13-year-old Lauren Lewis and Gloria Kammer…”

Thus begins a beautiful piece by Krista Ramsey of the Cincinnati Enquirer [June 20, 2013], describing a lifelong cross-racial friendship between Cincinnati teenagers Lauren Lewis and Gloria Kammer. At the end of the day, suggests Ramsey, “It’s the simple stuff. Stuff that never turns into headlines, controversies or lawsuits. It is also how the world finally changes.”

I read Ramsey’s article this morning while sitting across the table from my two daughters, Gracie (9) and Sophia (10), chattering and laughing and too excited about our pending summer vacation to eat breakfast. An hour from now they’ll probably be arguing with each other over which swimsuits to pack , or some other nonsense.

Two sisters – one black, Haitian-born, the other white, born in South Bend, Indiana – and the ordinary simple stuff that won’t spawn any controversies, save the next sibling battle (guaranteed to break out about three times a day).

I dare to believe and to hope that Krista Ramsey is right. And I say it with gratitude and wonder. This is how the world finally changes.