Susan O'Halloran » Irish Art

Taking Time to Create Community

Susan — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:34:34 +0000

To me, one of the most serious causalities of our polarized election season is the lack of community. I spent a couple of months in Bali, Indonesia several years ago and I envied their village life. Families and neighbors lived in close proximity – near to each other for sharing chores, watching babies, and just plain visiting. I’d walk the streets of Kuta in the evening and hear families laughing, singing and playing instruments from within their compounds. Some of you know my stories about growing up in a front porch society on the south side of Chicago. Having had a place when I was younger to “hang out,” I find myself longing for those drop-in, spontaneous happenings as an adult. I am lucky that as a storyteller I work at storytelling festivals that often turn into pajama parties with my colleagues and friends. But I hate that I so often have to hop on a plane to get that kind of simple camaraderie.

So many people tell me they feel a sense of isolation, that we all say that being with the people we love is what matters the most, yet they’re the very ones with whom we spend the least amount of time.

Especially for anyone doing social justice work, community support is essential.

Opening our hearts to the suffering in the world is not for sissies. All of us are stronger and braver with the right group of fellow travelers. I have to constantly remind myself that spending time nurturing my community is as important as “doing my job.”

Susan O’Halloran is a diversity speaker who uses powerful and engaging stories to grab her audiences. She is an author of four books plus diversity curriculums, CDs and films. The Chicago Reader says O’Halloran “has mastered the Irish art of telling stories that are funny and heart-wrenching at the same time.” For a FREE GIFT go to: www.susanohalloran.com or by calling 1-866-997-8726. This article may be reprinted when this full byline is used.

Community = Strength

Susan — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 15:27:57 +0000

There was a Rabbi who saw the same woman sitting in the same seat for services year after year after year. Then, suddenly, one winter’s day, she wasn’t there. The Rabbi went to the woman’s home to check on her.

The woman told the Rabbi that she was fine. She said, “I like everything you say during the services, but I’ve realized that I pray just as well at home on my own. But thank you for checking. You’ve come a long way. Come sit by the fire and have a cup of tea.”

It was cold outside. The fire was roaring. As they sat and talked, the Rabbi took the poker and picked off one sliver of wood from a burning log. He set the sliver off to the side. While the rest of the fire blazed, this one little ember of wood flickered and finally died out. The woman looked up at the Rabbi and said, “I’ll be there next week.”

The woman realized that she was just not as strong on her own.

Learning from Children

Susan — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:24:55 +0000

I’ve met children as young as four who have chosen to fight discrimination. Take an example from years ago: it was a preschool class who asked their teacher to write the Crayola Company and say, “These crayons you call ‘flesh’ aren’t the color of a lot of our skins. Why don’t you call this color something else?” Today, if you open a box of crayons, because of many children and adults asking similar questions, you won’t find a light colored crayon (or a band-aid), labeled “flesh.”

Another group of pre-schoolers was taking a walk and saw a sign in a store window that said, “Men wanted.” They asked their teacher if they could stop and talk to the store’s owner. They told the man (who as you can imagine was surprised to be visited by 15 four-year-olds) his sign was unfair to women. The owner changed his sign to read: “Job available.”

When did we lose that ability to speak up and to believe we could make a difference?

This article may be reprinted when this full byline is used:

Susan O’Halloran is a story artist, workshop presenter, television personality and keynote speaker whose work explores the complex issues of social justice. She is an author of four books plus diversity curriculums, CDs and films. The Chicago Reader says O’Halloran “has mastered the Irish art of telling stories that are funny and heart-wrenching at the same time.” For a copy of a free teleseminar with Susan, go to www.susanohalloran.com

Geographically-Correct

Susan — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:22:10 +0000

Geography is a dimension of diversity we often forget about, but it really can influence our perspectives. Recently, I was teaching a diversity workshop in a small town in Indiana. I’d been to this bank building several times before and always found the signage in the town particularly confusing.

“I always get lost in this town,” I remarked to some of the participants. “But, then, I figure it’s because I’m a big city kid and expect more instruction. Maybe because it’s such a small town, they just figure everyone knows where they’re going.”

A tall woman with long brown hair began to laugh. She had driven sixty miles to the workshop from a farm community and had gotten lost that morning as well.

“I always get lost, too, when I come here,” she said. “But I always figure it’s because it’s such a big town.”

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* Photo purchased from istockphoto.com