ST. PAUL, Minn., (Rhodes Media Services) -- White Americans need to start collecting minority friends, according to an organization dedicated to improving race relations in this country.
A Reuters poll conducted back in August found as much as 40 percent of white Americans are surrounded by acquaintances comprised almost exclusively of their own race.
Minnesota Public Radio this morning dedicated a portion of their broadcast to exploring why such a disparity exists, including opening the lines up for listener feedback.
One organization, however, believes such discussions simply aren't enough, and that a concerted effort and ongoing action is necessary to ensure white Americans keep an adequate number of non-white friends on hand at all times to prove their commitment to racial diversity in their personal lives.
Sharon Ogilvy, executive director of the Society to Lift Acquisition of Vital Emerging Racial Yields, explains that promoting diversity requires establishing minority quotas in our daily lives.
"White Americans need to look at their social circles and determine where they can include a minority," she says. "Then, go out and specifically select a minority person or people to keep in their lives. Once you have minorities in your life, you should take special care to keep tabs on those racial acquisitions. Maintain detailed spreadsheets on all your minority friends, including any identifying characteristics. You should do your very best to make it extremely difficult for your minority acquaintances to leave your social circle."
To accomplish this, Ogilvy suggests regularly inviting minority acquaintances over for barbecues, and then segueing the visit into assisting in minor household tasks, such as gardening or general yard work.
"I've found that my minority friends appreciate being thought of as useful to me," explains Ogilvy. "My black friends, particularly, seem to thoroughly enjoy doing modest housekeeping work, like cooking and cleaning. It makes me feel good to know they feel good, and I'm promoting diversity in my daily life while being able to get off my feet for awhile, which is nice."
Ogilvy maintains an impressive collection of several dozen minority acquaintances, comprised of Latinos, African Americans, Asians and even some Indians and Middle Easterners.
"My Indian friends--dot, not feathers--are just excellent about answering my phone, and you can't beat the yard work and landscaping my Latino friends are capable of," she says. "My Asian friends are great for tutoring my children in math, but I would NEVER allow them to drive my kids anywhere. I keep my Middle Eastern friends at a bit of a distance, but they make the most AMAZING rugs."
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