Deep in the Heart of Texas!
This weekend, I attended the Arts for Rural Texas Gala in Fayetteville, Texas (four-hour drive from Dallas) and experienced something truly beautiful.
On the heels of our recent election results and in a time of deep division, where urban-rural, Democrat-Republican lines often seem insurmountable, I have been thinking hard about finding common ground. While this trip had been planned some time ago, no matter who won the election, we knew it was going to be a unique experience with opportunity for deep reflection.
Our first stop on the drive from Dallas to Fayetteville along 35, was in West, to pick up some kolaches for our hosts. The store was full of items from pajamas with images of guns on them to interesting Texan trinkets. While many items were not what I would adorn my home with, I enjoyed conversations in the long line as I waited to order my kolaches. These were with individuals who I am quite sure voted differently than I did, but we bonded on discussions about how to experience the beautiful weather that day, our choice of fruit kolaches and general plans for the weekend. A dozen kolaches in tow, we drove a bit further and got off the highway near Temple and started making our way to Fayetteville through many ranch communities. We observed that all homes or ranches bore a Trump-Vance sign (except one that had a Harris-Walz one). I almost wanted to get off and go speak to them and give them a hug.
There was no mistaking the deep divide. 20 minutes outside of Fayetteville, we stopped at Kooper Family Whiskey in Ledbetter. We had tried their whiskey before (gifts from our friend who own a country home in Fayetteville) and wanted to bring some back for our friends and us. It was a beautiful whiskey tasting room and we were greeted by two young super nice women who helped us pick out six bottles of different varieties. Not sure how many people who look like us walk into that place, but we experienced good old southern hospitality. I highly recommend them.
After reaching Fayetteville and getting settled into the cozy country home of our wonderful hosts, we stepped out for lunch at this charming place in Round Top. I realized this was going to be 24 hours of being the only people of color for the most part (except for the servers in some places). But we were treated most lovingly and respectfully everywhere. My casual conversations in the restroom with complete strangers had a lot of ‘Yes ma’am, No Ma’am, Thank you Ma’am’s.
In the evening, we headed to the event supporting Arts for Rural Texas, an organization that runs afterschool programs in Fayette County. The room was packed with 300-400 people, three of us were the only Indians or people of color. In a room full of folks who might (this is an assumption but I don’t think I am way off) have voted differently than us, I wasn’t sure what I would expect especially with so many raw post-election emotions. Instead, I discovered shared passions around - Artistic expression - Community pride - Respect for tradition We celebrated the importance of arts and how it can support critical thinking, confidence, and creative expression, how students from these rural counties now had opportunities to study at institutions anywhere in the country. We cheered for local artisans during the silent and live auction. I brought home a deer painting, savored some Texas cuisine (they even made me a special vegetarian plate) and celebrated the beauty of rural America. It was a wonderful event that ended up bringing out so much more for me.
In that moment, I experienced our shared humanity which shone through. I found some healing through this experience and have returned with a desire to engage with rural communities and understand where we are alike and how we come together and bridge the divide. Here are some baby steps I plan to take: - Frequent travel to rural communities near us - Supporting rural arts and finding ways to engage with rural community efforts And the bigger steps may include - Not living in a media bubble and do my little part to ensure factual unbiased storytelling - Deeply understanding and respecting diverse perspectives and the underlying reasons behind them.
Yes, we are divided on many issues that we feel very passionate about. But I know that we are also more alike than we think. It will take time and patience and deep breaths. I just don’t want to come out of the next four years more distant and more fractured. When we adopted this country as homeit was because of its promise, and we are deeply passionate about the community and people that live in it. I have lived here longer than I have in India and while my work is currently India-focused (because I love India, too), I am still consciously engaging in the local community here. I now want to broaden what community means to me.
Hold me accountable. Look forward to hearing from you.
Sejal Desai has been a Dallas resident for 26 years. She is the Executive Director of Akanksha Education Fund, a non profit that supports a holistic education (including the Arts) for children from low income communities in India. She previously worked at the Communities Foundation of Texas based in Dallas..