It began to seem that one would have to hold in the mind forever two ideas which seemed to be in opposition.  The first idea was acceptance, the acceptance, totally without rancor, of life as it is, and men as they are: in the light of this idea, it goes without saying that injustices are commonplace.  But this did not mean that one could be complacent, for the second idea was of equal power: that one must never, in one’s own life, accept these injustices as commonplace but must fight them with all one’s strength.  This fight begins, however, in the heart …

James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son

During the Fall quarter of 2016, I had the honor of teaching the seminar component of the Film Studies FIGs Cluster at Western Washington University. The foundation of this course was built on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ recently published memoir, Between the World and Me, and from there we spent the quarter studying and discussing various films, works of art and music, and other texts that connected to our overarching theme of “Diversity and Diverse Voices in the American Cultural Landscape”.

We undertook this journey as a group of scholars who were interested in expanding our understanding of the rich diversity that is at the core of the American experience. We also examined many of the systems of privilege and power that sit behind the racism that persists in our nation. We did not shy away from the harsh light of reality, but also did not lose ourselves in the apathy of despair — and we walked away from the experience with an expanded sense of where we all stand as individuals and in groups, with the mutual agreement that one can never stop learning when considering the topics at hand.

The scholars who undertook this course recorded their reflections of each week’s content in a journal, and a small group elected to spend the last half of the quarter perfecting a set of creative entries that address both their individual and shared views of this journey.  And so what started as a small assignment grew into the anthology at hand — a collective set of reflections that are raw — that are honest and compelling — that are full of righteous anger and compassionate love — and that above all, reflect each individual’s desire to embrace the rich diversity that makes up the backbone of America and sits at the very core of the human experience.

And so for you, our readers, we bare our souls — we give you our hearts – we give you our hopes and our desires for a world that is shaped by love and understanding — and a world where the expansive exploration and listening of deep learning pave the way towards the empathy needed to recognize and address the injustices that cloak our daily lives. For as Coates so aptly states: “The struggle to understand is the only advantage over this madness.” Through this we can find strength — through this we can find peace.

Susanne L. Seales — anthology editor and FIGs instructor