Man, did anyone ever think we’d be here? I mean, really think so? But we are. I – a somewhat left leaning moderate type – have been freaking out on everything that’s been happening for awhile now, and it’s time to explain my own personal perspective.

Fact #1 about Marti Wukelic
I am the granddaughter of four refugee immigrants who I knew well and spend a lot of time with. One set of grands were educated, came as married adults with a child and (I assume) had a little bit of $$ and maybe knew a few words in English. The other set came separately – one as an orphaned youth along with his older brother, and the other as a teenaged only daughter of peasants, who had an aunt that could take her in. Neither of those grands were literate, had been to school or knew any English. Refugees/immigrants tend to hang out together, not because of a desire to segregate, but because their faulty language skills much interaction with Americans beyond learning basic words to follow the orders of their American bosses. Therefore, until I started school, nearly everyone in my life was either a Serbian immigrant (granparents’ generation) or First Generation American Serb (my parents’ generation).

Last week at the Columbus Serbian Orothdox church I had a wonderful chat with a Serbian woman, maybe 10 years younger than I am, who was a 2000 refugee from Yugoslavia (think Slobodon Milosevic). We talked about how different it was for my grandparents than it was for her and her husband and – to my surprise – how in many ways it was similar. Someday I’ll write about our family stories of my Baba’s adventures with the English language. But anyway…

Fact #2 about Marti Wukelic
I am 72 years old and for a variety of serendipitous journeys and personal choice, I have spent the majority of my life close to people of all races and ethnicities. Not just “knowing someone who is ____” I mean, people who do not look like me or sound like me have been woven into the pattern of my life. Everything from my taste in music to relocating to Miami to Colorado to California and ultimately to Hawaii has creating panapoly of folks who are important to me. White, Blac, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islanders … all comprise the people in my life – past and present. (side note: Hispanic and Asian are VERY broad categories – each a catch all for many unique individual cultures. Saying that so I don’t get lovingly scolded, lol)

From that vantage point I have frequently, FREQUENTLY witnessed friends and acquaintances being treated differently because of their race or ethnicity. Should I say FREQUENTLY one more time, to get my point across? Please know I was not an activist – haven’t protested anything since I was in my 20s, and that was basically aboutu nuclear power plants being on earthquake faultlines. Yes, I list to the left, politically. But not always. I repeat – not always. There’s likely to be something in my beliefs that’ll either piss you off if you normally agree with me, or might pleasantly surprise you if you don’t.

So no matter what you believe, if you look at our current situation through the lens I’ve just presented, it might help you understand why I am so alarmed, heartbroken and upset about what is happening. (another side note: I just deleted a whole rant on late 1930’s Germany because it’s not the point of this post)

Fact #3 about Marti Wukelic
I am white. I look white, I “talk” white. I sound like what people think White Americans sound like. I have never, not once, in my life have had to endure what my grandparent or my past/current/and probably future Black, Hispanic, Asian, Indian, etc friends have had to endure. Never. (side note #3: as a woman I’ve had to deal with some crap but not too much. Plus, making it as a female hotel restaurant manager in the 80s went a LONG way to learning to handle that)

So the point of this rambling post is simply hoping that you ask yourself this: “Okay, that’s how Marti’s experience has shaped her. How has mine shaped me?” And then, ask youself again, Only this time, be honest.

Thanks for reading. Comments aren’t necessary; this is just for you to think about.