FORUM: To overcome fear, we must expose and acknowledge it

Editor’s note: In a series of stories, USA TODAY and the Courier-Post have explored increasing diversity in the United States and in South Jersey. In New Jersey, the chance of meeting someone of a different race or ethnicity in 1960 was 16 percent. Today, it is 60 percent and rising. As recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, have reminded us, change does not come easily or all at once.

As part of the Courier-Post’s coverage on the changing face of our region, we have invited a number of community leaders to participate in a thoughtful in-person discussion this week. In advance of the meeting, we asked them what South Jersey needs to do to prepare for our increasing diversity. Wayne Glasker’s response follows.

Demography is destiny. But the future belongs to those who prepare for it. Census data and other research compiled by USA TODAY show that South Jersey is more diverse today than it was in 1960, and by 2060 will be much more so.

We cannot assume that if we merely throw people together they will automatically get along well or harmoniously. Racial, ethnic and religious diversity must be managed.

A good outcome requires preparation. Religious, civic and educational institutions can play a crucial role in helping communities to understand change.

Often, people fear change, especially change that they fear or do not understand. When people fear that they will somehow “lose” something, they naturally feel threatened by change. For some people, the notion that the ethnic/racial composition of the neighborhood or the community or the school will change to become more African-American or Hispanic may feel uncomfortable.

If one subscribes to stereotypes, there may be imagined fears of declining property values, a lower SAT profile at the school or more crime. It is not polite to say these things. That doesn’t mean that the fears aren’t there. The only way to combat fear is to expose and acknowledge it. Otherwise we live in a make-believe world where we pretend that we don’t know what “everybody knows.”

These become open secrets that we refuse to talk about.

If the population of South Jersey is going to become more racially diverse, we need to prepare now.

We will become more multicultural and multilingual rather than monocultural and monolingual. We will need more bilingual teachers, doctors, dentists, nurses and police officers. We will need more translators and interpreters. We may need more services for limited English proficiency. The curriculum will need to reflect the changing composition of the student body.

If the population is more Hispanic, and we don’t know about Puerto Rican Heritage Month or Cinco de Mayo or quinceanera, we need to learn. We must challenge old stereotypes that perceive all Hispanics as illegal Mexican immigrants, when there are many Hispanics who are hardworking, highly educated professionals.

Diversity enriches us all. We should value the contributions that all ethnic groups have made to American society. We can and should learn to embrace change rather than to blindly fear it.

Wayne Glasker is associate professor of history at Rutgers University–Camden.