htothejizones

Today’s feature is a man that I am proud to say has been my manager, my friend, and my mentor on a number of things. I have learned many things from Ryan in the four years I’ve known him, mostly about how to respect others while still keeping your beliefs strong. He sets a good example in business and in life about how to be. This is his story:



Bio:
Ryan Wahl
34 years old
Father of a 2 ½ year old son
Born in Colorado Springs, CO
Currently in West Des Moines, IA
Sales Representative

When Heather asked me to write about Black History Month, I found it rather odd. Why me? I am a 34 year old white male, originally from Colorado Springs. I grew up in a middle income family, in a good neighborhood, located just down the street from my elementary school. It’s hard to explain, but I never broke my friends down into categories. I never said “I have Black friends. I have Asian friends. I have Hispanic friends.” It’s not something I did or ever thought about. They were simply my friends. They were good to me so I was good to them. The only color I really ever saw was golden, as in the Golden Rule, which is something I firmly still believe in. The concept and intention of Black History Month never really resonated with me until I went to college.

I attended Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska. It is a small liberal arts college with an enrollment, during my time, of probably 1,500 students. The campus was small and easy to navigate, but I could quickly see that the diversity I was so familiar with was not as evident. Coming from a city with a population of 400,000 to a city with one of 85,000, it should have been expected. I had friends who would joke that I was the “blackest guy on campus”, which I took no offense to because I didn’t understand that their intentions were from a negative place. You see, I was greatly influenced by hip hop growing up. I loved the style, the music, and the self-confidence I saw radiating from the people I watched. I launched Hip Hop Friday Nights on the campus radio station my freshman year. Honestly, I wasn’t very good, but I liked bringing a taste of that culture to the campus. I had a few people come in the years after that really helped the night become the most listened to night on campus radio. I thought this was all a great sign, that there was no ill will towards me and the way I carried myself. It wasn’t until a great friend of mine explained the negativity behind the comment that it really sank in to me that the lack of exposure and education on the Black community to these people from small, rural towns is what continues to perpetuate stereotypes.

What does any of this have to do with Black History Month? My years in small towns that lack the cultural diversity that larger cities offer are, in my opinion, in most need of exposure to the amazing contributions of Black people throughout the world. The only exposure they get is what is on the news, in movies, or music. That is such a small sampling of anyone and usually does nothing more than perpetuate stereotypes. This month can and should be used to explore, expose, and convey the amazing and beautiful contributions that so many Black inventors, artists, and everyday people have given to society.



I think the best thing that I can do as the father of a young son is continue raising my child in a home that does not see color and just love people for who they are. My son doesn’t see “Daddy’s Black friend Jeff”, he sees his Uncle Jeff; just like Jeff’s children see me as Uncle Ryan. Although a small start, teaching children not to see color is a beautiful thing. I believe it’s a step to fully integrating Black history into the full year, especially in schools. Why is it that when children are learning about the moon landing they can’t also learn about George Carruthers, whose work culminated in the camera/spectrograph that was placed on the moon in 1972? (Thanks to Marvin Lee Dangerfield for the link on this story.)