Apr/May 2020 Letter from the President - Celebrate Diversity

 Nationally, April is Celebrate Diversity Month, started in 2004 to recognize and honor the diversity surrounding us all. I’m happy to say that we have a diverse group of professionals on the HOA board serving alongside me. We sincerely value each individual point of view and feel an obligation to serve, support and advocate for our entire community. We understand that every family who lives here seeks a sense of community so much so that they literally buy into it.

In large part, each board member has come to the conclusion that bad things can happen when good people stand by doing nothing. By way of example, Alfonso Jones was one of the most pure and innocent students known to the Reagan H.S. community that we live in. His friends say that he was a ray of sunshine that would always greet you with a smile whether he knew you or not. The news reports all indicate that he had a bright future and a parent that taught at the very same school. Though school officials do not agree, students also say that he was constantly bullied for the clothes he wore and racial slurs were directed toward him until he eventually took his own life.

This is why we must show our children by our example how to disagree but maintain civility and respect our neighbors. Since we live in this neighborhood, my 13 and 11 year old will end up attending the same high school. This is why what happened to Alfonso really resonated with me as a parent. When they eventually walk into their classrooms at that school, my wife and I won’t be with them. They will be alone and on their own but we’d still want them to stand up for others and themselves. Therefore, we have cautioned our children:

• Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
• Watch your words, for they become actions.
• Watch your actions, for they become habits.
• Watch your habits, for they become your character.
• And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Though my children are minority based on their genetics, they have money and privilege based on their hard working parents. If you have enough money and privilege, you may be to be able to look past these concerns because they may never affect you or your children. But many Americans do not have the resources or power to shield their children against intolerance and social discrimination. If we truly believe in an individual’s right to liberty, protecting children like Alfonso within our community is our collective responsibility.

In conclusion, teaching children to value diversity and inclusion is an important part of being in any modern community. Perhaps our greatest challenge going forward as a community will be respecting the individual rights of others, including those with whom we disagree or that seem different than us. My favorite quote seems appropriate: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – M.L.K.

Brian Kinlaw

Board President

Shavano RR Crosstimber HOA