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November 19, 1999/10 Kislev 5760, Vol. 52, No.12
Diversity is a mosaic
MARTY LATZ
Special to Jewish News
The topic: Uniting a Diverse Arizona. The event: The 75th Arizona Town Hall, a gathering of 155 opinionated stakeholders from around the state, representing varied backgrounds and perspectives. The mission: Discuss, evaluate and reach consensus on how to unify a diverse Arizona and recommend concrete steps that will fairly and effectively help to achieve this goal.
We met in groups of 30 or so in separate conference rooms at the Grand Canyon National Park Oct. 31 to Nov. 3.
The first subtopic got our juices flowing: What shared values and concerns unify and bring Arizonans together? Conversely, what issues and concerns divide Arizonans? As our group delved into this broad topic, I began to more fully appreciate the remarkable diversity of our state.
Reaching consensus was going to be a real challenge. Fissures abounded: rural/urban; religious/non-religious; growth/no growth; ranchers/environmentalists; community-centered folks/individual rights defenders; Native Americans/Anglos; Democrat/Republican.
Yet these differences are a large part of what makes our state and our country so strong.
How did we reach agreement? By maintaining open minds and respectfully sharing our opinions. When disagreements arose, we communicated in a civil and respectful manner. And often those disagreements were accompanied by constructive suggestions about how to bridge the gap.
Sometimes, we were persuaded to change our minds. But we found common ground.
For instance, talking about issues that divide Arizonans, I shared a longtime internal tension. As an American Jew, I noted, I have struggled to find the right balance between maintaining our unique cultural and religious heritage, our strong and independent commitment to America, and our general support for our Jewish homeland in Israel - which is also a foreign power.
After I finished speaking, I listened carefully as some identified with my struggle and shared similar experiences. Others reflected more of what I perceived as an elitist "America for Americans" (meaning non-minorities) attitude.
In the end, though, the entire Town Hall found common ground, recognizing that "rather than a melting pot, diversity should be looked at as a mosaic, with recognition that unity among our citizens does not necessarily mean uniformity. Rather, unity is a compilation of unique qualities and characteristics."
We also reached consensus in recommending that we promote this type of diversity through education and communication about all our heritages - within the family, within the schools and throughout community-based organizations.
At the end, a remarkable feeling of camaraderie permeated the gathering. Despite our differing views, everyone seemed to understand that we all represented the incredible diversity in the state.
Another outcome was a series of public policy proposals focused on helping us unite to promote diversity across Arizona. The proposals ranged from ways to protect our state's most treasured open spaces, to ways to ensure our political system more accurately reflects our varied viewpoints.
These proposals may or may not make their way into the fabric of our communities and into the laws of our state. They're not perfect. But they're a pretty good start.
Marty Latz is a Valley attorney and negotiations consultant. Send comments to mlatz@negot.com.
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