One of the great aspects of my career as an opera singer is that I get to meet and work with so many different kinds of people from all over the world.  Many of my friends and followers know that I have an overwhelming sense of pride for my country and everything it has given me. I believe that my country is a beacon for so many others around the world; for freedom and productivity, and in it, we ought to have so much pride. Knowing this, Americans continually fall in the trap of the discussion of race relations and how words and actions against some can affect the whole sum of us as a nation. It’s a troubling issue that I feel compelled to write about.

Before I look at it through our American prism, I’d like to step out and think from a worldly position. In all of the conversations I have had with my non-Americans colleagues and research from international resources, the commentary I have noticed most often is that for the level of diversity of race that exists in America, we should be one of the most race-tolerant countries on the planet.  Instead, the prejudice and stereotypes against all racial groups, in various manifestations, are uniquely American and only fuel more racism. This is appalling. As that beacon of freedom, prosperity, upward mobility, and productivity, it is necessary for us to demonstrate to the world that we are a nation that values all humanity equally, from conception to death, in every form. With respect to race in particular, we are not that beacon today.

The fallout from the Zimmerman trial over the last few weeks has exposed a lot of prejudices and stereotypes.  Regardless of how you feel about the outcome, I think the silver lining of the entire situation is the very necessary discussion the trial has spawned about racism in America. It seems that acknowledging the problem is only the first baby step and what I have found frustrating is that not many people are talking about constructive solutions. Instead, all sides of this narrow Zimmerman debate and the broader issue of racism that keep being discussed ends up being reduced to the lowest common denominator of dialogue: hyper emotionalism to the point that cognitive and reasonable thought can’t even enter the national discourse. Our media sensationalizes race, pits certain groups against others, and we as citizens are forced to clash on a rudimentary level and take sides in something where there shouldn’t be more than one side. In the interest of continuing a dialogue, what is the best way to break down racial barriers?  How can America as a whole move away from division and become more unified? These are questions that we as citizens have to ask ourselves, our families, and our friends. We are better than this. It starts with all Americans doing their best to interact with various people of different backgrounds. Take foreign language classes, enjoy new cultural events that you may not have experienced before, visit museums that feature art from parts of the world that you don’t know, even try new foods from different continents. These sound like inane solutions but they’re not. Because in these very basic pathways of social interaction, we meet people, we build bonds, and we get to see first hand how communication between people of different stripes works.

The fact is, no one is perfect. Prejudice and racism hide and come in many forms. Being oversensitive to it and simply lambasting people who have the proclivity to it won’t solve the problem; in fact, it’ll draw it out more and breed even more social disarray. Being proactive about how we run our lives in reaching out to all is where we solve the issue. Swinging the pendulum on racism so it doesn’t exist is an extremely difficult proposition. But, it’s our mandate as Americans to try now, harder than ever, and it requires us to do interdisciplinary activities, learn about other cultures, and be open emotionally and humanly to each other. The world is watching and we must always be that shining star that everyone else looks up to.