We’re better than this

America, we’re better than this; Arkansas, we’re better than this! Allow me to explain why.

Born in the 1950s, a child of the ’60s, I was raised in Little Rock with essentially no prejudices, attending public schools and community church. The first that I saw of separate facilities, etc., other than for gender, was in televised news accounts of civil rights protests. The images were astonishing to me. I had no idea of what had happened earlier at Central High and had observed nothing to suggest of these problems.

The students at my high school, Hall, did favor personalities based on what you would expect from young people, but not race. Leotis Harris and Sidney Moncrief were loved for obvious reasons. But other people were appreciated for other reasons, race not being a factor.

Children were first bused to my high school during my senior year, ’71-’72. I felt sorry for the people who had to get up so early to travel to a strange school across town, and not one attended in the past by friends and family. But I had no opinion about the decision to do so.

My children also attended Little Rock public schools, graduating, by choice, from Hall High in 2003 and 2005. Throughout their school years they made and maintained cherished friendships with people from a variety of backgrounds, truly the “spice of life” which, if you haven’t experienced in your own lives, you should try. Once you branch out, you will doubtless never return to same ol’, same ol’.

People are fascinating. The world is fascinating. We limit ourselves to our own detriment. And it’s not necessary to maintain life in a bubble. It surely doesn’t make America great.

We can do better than promote hatred, suspicion and intolerance. We can do better. And should.

KAY CARPENTER

Little Rock