BLACK OR WHITE
Dale McLean
I’ m from Kingston, Jamaica. My family decided to come to America when I was a kid. I was excited, because I’ d heard so many great things about America. Before I got here, I thought the only cereal in the world was Corn Flakes. Then I came, and there was an entire aisle of cereal like Cocoa Puffs! When I first arrived, I had a strong accent. I was 12, and I didn’ t want to stand out. No kid wants to stand out, whether you’ re tall, short, fat, skinny. So, I tried my best to hide my accent. Then in 9th grade, I felt this pressure to decide whether I was going to hang out with the black kids or the white kids. I didn’ t understand the history in America. I didn’ t know there was a black or white. People don’ t realize, but there are black Jamaicans, white Jamaicans, Spanish Jamaicans, I mean a whole melting pot. But we’ re taught that we are all the same. I learned about racism in America. The funny thing about it was that I was accepted more by the white kids than by the black kids, because of the difference in cultures between black Americans and black people from the Caribbean. It took a while for me to realize I just had to be myself. Nowadays, one of the things I do is coach young kids at a private school. The school is predominately white. A lot of times, most of the interactions the kids have with black people are with housekeepers or gardeners or something like that. When they meet me, it shows them that a black person can be something other than a nanny or a chauffeur or whatever. It’ s nice to break down those barriers. I may change their minds on how they view others. I can help them learn that we can’ t focus on whether we’ re black or white. We have to look at people as who they are as people, and forget about the color. Are you smart, or are you dumb? Are you doing the right things? Are you helping others or not? I recently started something called # mitzvahmondays, because I think people need to give back when they can. A“ mitzvah” is a good deed. So, every Monday, I try to do something nice for someone. It could be something as simple as holding the door, or donating a pair of shoes to someone who needs them. I may even pay for the car behind me in line at a fast food joint. I’ m not saying I’ m Ghandi, but when I see things I can do in my little corner of the world, I try to do them and do them differently.
People forget that it only takes one act of kindness to start something great. You don’ t have to climb out of a burning building to save someone, or do a crazy heroic act. You just have to think of others for two seconds. If you see someone walking by and they’ re struggling because they have their hands full as they’ re trying to open the door, open the door for them. It can strike up a conversation, and change your world. It was one act of kindness, almost 25 years ago, that afforded me the lifestyle I have today. After I graduated high school, I went to the University of Miami. One Friday, while everyone was hanging out at the frat, I started dancing on a table. A woman happened to be walking by and came over to me. She asked me if I was a dancer.“ No. I mean, I have rhythm, but I’ m not a dancer,” I said.“ Well, how would you like to dance at parties for money?” she asked.“ I don’ t think my parents would like that very much,” I said.“ No, no. Let me explain,” she said.“ Have you ever heard of a Bar Mitzvah?” I had no clue what that was. She explained that she’ d just moved down to Miami from New York with her fiancé. They’ d recently started a company in Ft. Lauderdale that did events, and they were looking for dancers. I checked it out, and found out that I loved it. I discovered that I’ m a natural entertainer, and I wanted more. I wanted to be the MC of the party. I ended up becoming the general manager of the company, and eventually a partner. Now, I work for the Miami Heat while owning my own company with amazing clients, and it all started with that opportunity given to me because I was dancing on that table.