The power of a question

Keith Woods (second from left) talks to Scholars (from left) Jose San Mateo, Erica Walters and Jeannette Ceja. (Photo by Sam Kittner)

Seattle, my hometown, for all of its progressive “do-gooderness,” is not exactly what one could call diverse. At times, it makes for awkward conversation, resulting more from a lack of dialogue as opposed to malignant opinions. Still, the precipitate is a lack of understanding. This is why I found the lecture by Keith Woods, dean of faculty at The Poynter Institute, valuable. Asking the question “why did you say that?,” as opposed to assuming why someone said it; thinking about the context and history of a situation, especially when race and gender are involved; and acting with tact before saying it are a few simple ideas for improved understanding.