Evergreen I know is a loving community

For 12 years I was interfaith chaplain and advisor to The Evergreen State College student club, Common Bread, the oldest continuous student organization at Evergreen. In our gatherings to share food, wisdom, fellowship and meditation, we welcomed black, white, Asian and Native American. We honored Muslims, Jews, Christians and Pagans. We embraced gay, straight, and transgendered students. We gently let go of “left” and “right” to become simply present to one another, as citizens of the earth, brothers and sisters in one human family.

This is the Evergreen I know and love, a place to meet open-hearted, welcoming, wise young people. What a shame if we let a very small group of angry radicals stereotype an entire community.

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Evergreen I know is a loving community."