I remember talking with an older white man in front of Homewood village hall about five years ago. He had just tried to persuade Mayor Rich Hofeld to include in the village 4th of July festivities a reading of Frederick Douglass’s famous 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” (The Chronicle posted video that year of local actors reading excerpts.)

“We have got to give up our white privilege,” he told me. I thought that sounded like a good idea, but the first question I had was, “How?”

I can’t remember what he said, but it wasn’t a simple answer tied up in a neat bow. There is no such thing.
The answer, it turns out, is less a how-to and more an endless inquiry. It took generations to develop the system of white supremacy and privilege and it’s had four centuries to solidify its hold on us. If we want to be part of the solution, we have to understand the problem.

I didn’t then, even though I have thought often over the years that I did. The more I learn, the more I realize there is much more to learn. While that might seem daunting, it’s also simple in a way. Start learning. Then keep going.

It helps to have a community of people who are also eager to learn and willing to create a safe place to discuss what often feels like a risky subject.

A new book club started by Jackie Riffice of Flossmoor will hold its first meeting from 6:45 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, at The Rock Shop, 18109 Dixie Highway in Homewood.

It’s not too late to join. The first book, “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo, has been available at The Rock Shop and at area libraries.

Start there. Keep going. Fight racism.

Fortuitous meandering

One of the best parts of my job is the regular meandering it requires. Every day, I bike around Homewood and Flossmoor, checking the Chronicle’s post office box, getting progress photos of construction projects or sometimes delivering papers to businesses. Meandering increases the chances of chance encounters, those charming little moments that can’t be engineered or replicated, only appreciated.

Recently, I had two such moments with local artists.

On Aug. 2, I stopped by Homewood village hall during Mayor Rich Hofeld’s office hours. Eugene Vinyard was there and had brought his tenor saxophone. He proceeded to entertain everyone in the lobby with variations and improvisations based on several standards, including “Misty” and “A Closer Walk with Thee.”

At 80, Vinyard has had a long career as a musician and teacher, and he’s still going strong. As recently as last fall he was playing with other musicians at The Bistro on Sterling.

He’s become a fairly regular visitor to village hall on Saturday mornings. He doesn’t always bring his sax, but when he does, it’s a treat.

On Aug. 6, I stopped by Thomas Photographic Servicesto drop off a few copies of the paper. Elloren Thomas, daughter of owners Colin and Angela Thomas, immediatedly invited me to visit her rock sale set up on the sidewalk in front of the store.

It was no ordinary rock sale. For one thing, the rocks were free, so that was a pretty good deal. For another thing, each rock was a work of art, serving as the canvas for an original design by 6-year-old Elloren herself.

I left with a cool rock in hand, a face painted on one side and a heart on the other.

Meandering. I recommend it.