Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Building diversity

[Michael J. Omogrosso (omo]

At 12:55 PM 3/13/97 -0600, you wrote:

>We of East Lake Commons, a project in Atlanta that is just getting to the 
>design stage (land has been purchased), find ourselves in a position of 
>needing to work for diversity.  In particular, we are interested in 
>attracting members of the African-American community and families with 
>children.  Two questions for the group:
>
>1) Would anyone with experience in trying to build diversity share with 
>us your successes, failures, and advice?
>
At times (talking of ethnic and cultural diversification) groups such as
African-americans which have been marginalized and oppressed by a dominate
group (Anglo-americans) have a few barriers of distrust which are
immediately raised when approched by Anglos.  KEEP trying--GO to their
churches--Ask all of your friends if they know a member of the target
group--Advertise in a local ethnic paper--conntact local chapters of
representative groups such as the NAACP.  Contact an African-american
realitor--BUT ABOVE ALL ELSE, everyone should attend diversity workshops so
you are ready to acceot them as friends, as partners , as neigbors and not
as tokens to diversity--IMHO;) 
Michael Omogrosso
864 W 4th Ave. #3
Eugene, Oregon, USA             "Trust in the land
97402                           and let the land have trust in you!"
omo [at] darkwing.uoregon.edu                   OMO, '96
1-541-344-8444