Puzzled by the ‘Us’ Designation
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As All America City, Inglewood should indeed take the opportunity to extend her successful sister city program to other locations in other countries (Times, Sept. 24). We all will be richer from a multicultural and educational exchange.
Nonetheless, as a European immigrant, naturalized American citizen and longtime Inglewood resident, I am puzzled by Frank Denkins’ statement: “A whole lot of their folks look like us and we look like them.” There was a time when “us” and “them” had a special meaning. To some extent the image of Inglewood still suffers from traces of this “us/them” classification.
Today’s Inglewood residents are made up of Afro-Americans, Anglos, Asians, Hispanics, Middle Easterners and many others. Which ones are “us”? Should “us” not be all citizens of Inglewood? I like to believe that Mr. Denkins’ comment only shows his insensitivity and is not an intent to lead us back into the past.
Let me repeat the remark in the same news story by Stephanie Sullivan regarding the ethnic diversity of Jamaica: “Out of many people, one.” This sounds like good advice to live by.
HERMANN FAE
Inglewood
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