It's a lightning rod issue in the presidential race.
Our governor can't stop talking about it – in part because the polemicists won't let him.
And now it has emerged as a fire-breathing focal point of elections in North Texas – from municipal campaigns in Irvingand Farmers Branch to the race for DallasCountysheriff.
If you want to see political pyrotechnics at any level, just bring up two words – illegal immigrants – then stand clear.
"It's definitely a hot-button issue," said Julie Ann Turner, founder and chief executive of Orbits of Influence, a dialogue and leadership initiative designed to help find solutions to problems.
Given the volatility of this particular issue, I was a wee bit surprised when Ms. Turner told me that she's organizing a community forum next Monday focusing on illegal immigration.
"I just think it's time that we had a different kind of conversation," she explained.
"All we see are the protests and confrontations and the divisive comments in the news. What we're trying to do with Orbits of Influence is have a new dialogue that essentially asks, 'What do you want to see?' "
Even that is a risky question because we already know that a lot of folks want to see all the illegal immigrants rounded up and sent home.
On the opposite end are those who think the send-'em-all-home hard-liners ought to shut up and leave immigrants alone, regardless of their immigration status.
And in between those two extremes lie many more compelling and often conflicting ideas about how our nation, not to mention our region, ought to tackle illegal immigration – from streamlined paths to citizenship to innovative guest-worker programs.
"Immigration calls for a crucial community conversation – about the future of , and about what kind of nation we will be," said Ms. Turner.
"But nobody is holding an open, honest dialogue about it."
That includes talking about some of the problems that have surfaced with the influx of illegal immigrants, from the strain placed on local institutions to reported spikes in crime.
"We'll acknowledge all of these things," Ms. Turner said.
But we also must discuss the positive flip side.
Ms. Turner astutely points out that everyone caught up in illegal-immigrant debates would be well-served in remembering that our country is "a nation built on the dreams of immigrants."
The historical reference is not an excuse for those slipping into the country illegally, but rather a sobering reminder of how immigrants still long to land on our shores.
We can't let that dream die. More importantly, we can't extinguish it in our bid to put a lid on illegal immigration.
"People need to be able to see [and understand] different points of view," Ms. Turner said.
The presidential contest alone underscores how tricky that can be.
The two Democratic front-runners part ways, for example, on the issue of whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to get a driver's license.
The Republican front-runner is often booed when he even mentions illegal immigration because some die-hard conservatives describe his stated willingness to support a guest-worker program and perhaps a streamlined path to citizenship as being "too soft" on those who entered the country illegally.
As I said, it's a sticky debate. And I've also said that our federal government gets the lion's share of blame for failing to secure our borders and then dragging its feet in the face of mounting criticism about our nation's lax enforcement of immigration laws.
So here we are, with local cities such as Irvingand Farmers Branch crafting their own policies to stem the tide of illegal immigrants in their cities, and Dallas Countysheriff's candidates arguing about whether the department is doing enough to identify and detain illegal immigrants in the jail.
On the jail issue, I agree with Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who said, "That is the duty of the federal government."
But I also agree with critics who say the federal government needs to get on the ball. Pronto.
IF YOU GO
What: Orbits of Influence, community forum on illegal immigrants
When: Monday
Where: Jewish Community Center, Zale Auditorium,
7900 Northaven Road, Dallas
September 11, 2007 (Unity Day 2007) - Orbits of Influence and Founder/CEO Julie Ann Turner were given the Pluralism Award, an honor awarded annually by the Foundation for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress to individuals and organizations who affirm the value of diversity and encourage the acceptance and appreciation of different points of view.
June 7, 2007 - ORBITS OF INFLUENCE®Founder/CEO Julie Ann Turner speaks at Central Dallas Ministries' Urban Engagement Book Club, with a special presentation on James Surowiecki's breakthrough book, The Wisdom of Crowds.
Robert Miller
is Business Columnist for The Dallas Morning News.
Orbits of Influence, Texas Instruments and Cedar Valley College will convene a dialogue of diverse voices from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday that will discuss issues impacting Dallas County's southern sector.
Topics at the event at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster will include the Trinity River project, the proposed city of Dallas bond issues, regional transport issues such as the new Inland Port southern sector trade hub and the pending DART Southport extension, and upcoming mayoral and Dallas City Council races.
"Orbits of Influence's existence is based on the belief that everyone has a valid – and valuable – voice in creating a community," says founder and chief executive Julie Ann Turner.
The initiative enables diverse leaders to come together to expand their thinking beyond traditional "spheres of influence," and initiate and facilitate meaningful civic discourse " spanning the spectrum of race, culture, belief system, background, age and political affiliation."
"Inclusiveness and diversity impact these pivotal issues – and will largely determine the success – of Dallas County's southern sector," said Dr. Jennifer Wimbish, president of Cedar Valley College. "Civic leaders are recognizing that it is only by leveraging the resources of all of South Dallas County that its highest potential – to be a vibrant, multicultural model for the nation – can be realized, and this calls for diverse leadership and new vision."
Principal partners are: • Lead Initiative Partner – Texas Instruments. • Global Leadership Circle – Logisticorp and CARCON Industries. • Leadership Alliance – Asian American Forum, American Muslim Forum, North Texas Business for Culture & the Arts/ Leadership Arts, Dallas Dinner Table, Dallas Peace Center, Dallas Weekly, Foundation for Pluralism, FunAsia, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Dallas and the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce.
Orbits of Influence received the 2006 Destiny Award, an honor given annually by St. Philip's Episcopal School & Community Center to organizations who "have demonstrated exceptional commitment and effort toward bridging relationships between racial communities," whose "work exemplifies the importance of embracing a belief in the 'oneness of human kind' in which the destiny of the world is linked." Above, Orbits of Influence Founder/CEO Julie Ann Turner accepts the Destiny Award from Dr. Terry Flowers, Executive Director of St. Phillip's.
Norma Adams Wade
is a columnist for The Dallas Morning News.
Orbits Wins Destiny Award
ABOUT TOWN:Dallas Cowboys consultant Calvin Hill will speak at this year's Destiny Awards Luncheon sponsored by St. Philip's School and Community Center.
The luncheon will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the BeloMansion, 2101 Ross Ave. in downtown Dallas. The luncheon will honor Mavis Knight as an unsung hero, J. McDonald Williams for individual service, Bank of America as a corporate leader and Orbits of Influence as an exemplary community organization. Tickets are $65. Call Michele Rochon at 214-421-5221.
Morning News Columnist James Ragland featured the Orbits of Influence Global Leadership Dialogue initiative in his Metro column (02/05/06; view article below, or online).
James Ragland
writes Building Bridges for The Dallas Morning News.
James Ragland: Are Race Relations Better? Let's Talk
05:58 AM CST on Monday, February 6, 2006
A fellow called me the other day with a disturbing question.
"Do you think race relations have gotten better in this country?" the elderly sounding voice intoned on my answering machine.
Had I the chance to speak with him, I would have posed a question of my own: "Uh, since when?"
Of course relations have gotten better than they were four decades ago, at the height of the civil-rights movement.
Haven't they?
Yet, since that call came this week shortly after the death of Coretta Scott King – the first lady of the Civil Rights Movement – I'm assuming that's what the caller meant.
Have race relations really gotten better since the turbulent '60s?
The answer seems like a no-brainer in an age when young white kids buy Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent records like candy and the most admired (not to mention the richest) woman on TV is Oprah.
Need I say more? Sadly, yes.
Because we still live in a world in which people keep saying and doing stupid things – things that are racially insensitive or intolerant. Like the (now former) Farmers Branch police chief who used a derogatory term in referring to a Vietnamese police applicant.
And how about the Dallas City Council member who stereotyped her Jewish colleagues?
Or the recent ruckus about two young white girls carrying purses adorned with rebel flags to BurlesonHigh School ? And don't forget last fall's incident at Highland Park , where some seniors wore fake gold teeth and Afro wigs to mark "Thug Day."
More seriously, even the current race for DallasCounty district attorney has taken on a nasty racial overtone between black and white candidates.
In the midst of all these racial and ethnic flare-ups, it's easy to see how someone might forget that we don't have to sit at separate lunch counters or drink from different water fountains anymore.
The bottom line is that we've all got to work on how we talk to and about one another.
That's why I was delighted when Julie Ann Turner called me with a special invitation. At the end of 2003, Ms. Turner started a leadership and dialogue network called Orbits of Influence, designed to get folks to talk about critical community issues such as race relations.
Next week, Orbits is hosting a screening of the movie Crash, a film that takes a head-on look at how our ethnicity and culture can shape our worldview. (Go to www.orbitsofinfluence.com for more details and to register).
I'll be on hand as master of ceremonies for the event, which will involve people getting in small circles to discuss the movie. Hope to see you there.
"Crash provides a multitude of perspectives across a community or city," Ms. Turner said. "I think it shows how our prejudices affect how we interact with people, even unconsciously. What results from our interactions can be unintended."
It reminded me of something that my friend Clarence Page, the nationally syndicated Chicago Tribune columnist, recently addressed.
In discussing a controversial remark made last fall by AirForceAcademy coach Fisher DeBerry, Mr. Page drew a distinction between "racial" and "racist."
A little background: In explaining a loss to TCU, Mr. DeBerry, who is white, said: "The other team had a lot more Afro-American players than we did, and they ran a lot faster than we did."
Mr. DeBerry later apologized for being racially insensitive.
But Mr. Page coolly and calmly pointed out that this was much ado about nothing, really.
"I am not surprised that quite a few white people have been confused about how much they should call attention to certain racial stats in sports since they have become widespread material for jokes among black folks," he wrote.
"Hang around black athletes much and you'll hear about poor runners and jumpers having 'white man's disease' or how the three-point shot in basketball was invented to give a boost to white players."
Basically, he said, the comments were blown way out of proportion. "If we Americans can't find some reasonable ways to talk about these relatively trivial matters without pointing accusatory fingers at each other, we don't stand much of a chance to talk about the really serious problems of race in America," Mr. Page said.
Race relations have gotten better in America. Which is not to say there still aren't some deep-seated problems, far too many to list here.
But we need not keep colliding over petty issues. And we can't let every slip of the tongue or misguided dimwit cause us to cry racism.
We've got to learn how to talk to one another. How to ask the right questions. And listen.
Dallas Morning News Business Columnist Robert Miller featured the Orbits of Influence Global Leadership Dialogue initiative in his column (02/05/06; view article below, or online).
Robert Miller
is Business Columnist for The Dallas Morning News.
Discussing the November vote
Dallas charter proposal among issues to be addressed at dialogue
12:00 AM CDT on Monday, September 26, 2005
Robert Miller
An exchange of views – open to the public – will be held Tuesday evening on key issues that will be on the Nov. 8 referendum.
The issues involve Dallas' strong-mayor charter proposal and funding for the homeless center, and the statewide vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages.
The venue is the 2005 Orbits of Influence Global Leadership Dialogue that will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Road in Dallas.
Orbits of Influence is based on a dialogue model, created by initiative founder Julie Ann Turner, to enable diverse leaders to come together to expand their thinking beyond traditional "spheres of influence" through discussion of issues and ideas.
"Orbits of Influence is based on the belief that everyone has a voice in creating community," said Ms. Turner.
The idea for the initiative resulted from her nonprofit board experience and community work with groups such as Leadership Dallas and Leadership Texas, as well as from her strategic planning firm's work with area corporations and nonprofit agencies.
"From ancient times, leaders gathered in circles to consider crucial decisions, and everyone present was given the space to share their viewpoint," she said. "Each voice was seen as valid, and valuable."
