TWO CITIES IN USA

John Jairo Viáfara

Publicado en Capital Letter No. 2

Octubre de 2002

"You are going" they announced, and I was not sure I wanted to go, so far I have heard so many stones about the United States that I did not know what to believe. Most of all, I was especially concerned about the racial issue and the shootings and ...what about my nationality and origin? Mine was a unique experience and a great opportunity to learn and grow... I was immersed for a year in a high class, quite conservative suburb in the Midwest of United States. 

The name of this town was Rocky River, located in Ohio, and next to it, was Lakewood, a middle class city, very close to downtown, which was racially, economically, and sexually diverse. Two places which were geographically close to each other but absolutely distant in what they were. These two cities can perfectly show two different experiences one can face in the United States. "Do not worry, you will be sent to a place where you are safe", some people who have gone through this teaching exchange experience told me, so I just calmed down. 

Unfortunately, when I arrived in Rocky River, and I saw Caucasians, "White" all over the place I had this feeling you do not belong. More than that, I was the only black in town so it was impossible not to think of such things as the famous Ku Klux Klan. By the way, there was by then, a meeting of this charming group and I panicked. How come these people, use read about in history books and are supposed to belong to the shameful history of this country, were part of such a civilized place in the twenty first century? Danger, should be the word to describe how I felt at that point.

I should add anger and I am talking now of situations as being followed couples of blocks by cars or being treated meanly by Caucasians or Blacks just because I was associ­ated with someone who did not belong to my own racial group. Those were tough moments, however there were nice people too and everywhere we go. Anyway, whenever I had some free time, I walked for a while to get to the next city. Being black, Colombian and Latin I loved Lakewood, Ohio. There it was great to see this magic concept of racial mixture so much associated to United States. It is like the whole world in a single geographical space, Asians, African American, Hindus, Latinos. Diversity was not only about ethnicity. 

This city had these gorgeous buildings, but somewhere hidden be­hind stores and parks there were these old slums. It was also quite notorious in Lakewood the big political and social activity of gay people, they have a newspaper and their own set of places offering support and entertainment. All these people have come to live together in this city despite racial, economical or sexual differences. Places like this in the United States, make you think if what you are seeing right then.