An impassioned letter

I have never written a letter to Voices, but I was motivated to do so after reading Bill Farrell’s letter. I applaud Mr. Farrell for writing such an unbiased and compelling letter.

I am presumptuous in assuming that Mr. Farrell is a Caucasian, but somehow the heartfelt tone and compassion of the letter led to my postulation.

However, it is not the ethnicity of Mr.

Farrell that compelled me to write this letter; rather, it is the message that he imparted, which is: America is the nation it is today because of the contributions of all ethnic groups, regardless of the majority or minority factor. Most importantly, the tone of the letter is seeing people as people, and engaging each other in meaningful dialogue in respect to our varied perceptions of one another. I gleaned from the letter that all of us, as American citizens, should try as much as is humanly possible to imagine ourselves in the skins of those in the minority population in this country and reconcile that America is not a “them versus us” nation. We are a nation of one and this would dispel the fears.

Being a member of the minority population in the United States is not a death sentence. In fact, it can be life-sustaining, if, as Mr. Farrell stated, in this nation, we “help each other. It is the American way.”

It is empowering to know that survival is not contingent on numerical factors. Rather, survival consists upon looking within one’s self and striving to become the best you can be and extending one’s self to helping others to do the same.

Thank you, Mr. Farrell, for speaking with clarity and veracity about the “rising concern of the current demographic makeup of” the United States and the possibility of a shift. Thank you for an impassioned and stimulating letter.

LINDA HAMMOND

Little Rock