Blanc, Blanc

An All Our Fullness story about encountering difference.
By Shelley Butler
 
"You say you love the poor? Name them." – Father Gustavo Gutiérrez
 
I knew when I joined the working board of a non-profit several years ago that served a so-called third world country, that one of the pitfalls was developing a savior complex; “we” save “them.” Easy enough to avoid, I thought. Yet, as the writer on the board, I found it difficult to prepare fundraising letters and grant applications to persuade people and orgs to give money without some version of us/the haves vs them/the have-nots.
 
And then I went to Haiti.
 
To say I experienced difference is an understatement, as days went by when the only other American, white, or English-speaking person I encountered was my traveling partner. Children, who rarely saw white people, yelled, “Blanc, blanc,” and reached to feel my smooth hair. The difference in privilege was even more pronounced than race, language, and hair texture.
 
As a guest, I ate the same food, slept in the same beds, and literally walked the same paths next to and often behind our Haitian hosts. The difference experiencing this difference was a change in me. Sure, I would still raise money, but not to save anyone, only to convince others to walk beside our Haitian friends, as one neighbor helps another.
 
I understood Father Gustavo Gutiérrez really for the first time, “If there is no friendship with and no sharing of life of the poor, then there is no authentic commitment to liberation, because love exists only among equals.”

Shelley has been involved in Unity Church for several years as a Library-Bookstall Team leader, a Spiritual Practice Packet Gleaner, on the Beloved Community Communications Team, and other programs and projects, such as Cafe Unity. She recently retired as Cairns editor. She says, "Giving back to a church that has given me so much is my honor." Shelley lives in Shoreview with her family and their lovable pooch, Gracie.