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Getting to Know You
"IT
SEEMS SO OVERWHELMING to try to do away with racism one person at a time,
but it's a beginning," says Katie Spiller, mother of 6 year old Drew, and
Craig, 2. In February 1995 Katie and her husband Curt, joined Community
Cousins, a nonprofit program dedicated to bridging the racial gap in one
California town.
"I
wanted my kids to have a more multicultural experience," says Katie. Community
Cousins pairs up families of similar makeup (number of kids, ages, etc.)
but different racial backgrounds. Founder Diane Bock of Leucadia, California
started the organization in response to the 1992 Los Angeles riots. "That
devastation took place far from my home, but watching it on TV...it hit
me that violence and rage respect no geographical boundaries," says Diane.
"I felt I had to do something." Community Cousins families spend time interacting
with one another at birthday parties and other social events. Currently
186 families are participating in the program. The results speak for themselves:
"I've met some of the best families," says Katie Spiller. "Racism is about
hating a particular group of people," she continues, "but through Community
Cousins you come to see that the individual is not the collective." For
more information, call Diane Bock at 760-944-CUZZ(2899).
