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Almost 30 years ago, my father died suddenly in his 40's, and my mother, desperate to find a job, decided to join the Peace Corps! Not only were we incredibly proud of her, but the long-lasting benefits could not have been foreseen. She had been raised by a rather bigoted Southern mother, and my mother had been notibly prejudiced herself. As she began teaching in her assignment in Antigua in the Caribbean, we noticed an amazing change in her. She was sending home pictures of her new Black students and friends, she was sending little Black dolls to my children, she was embracing Caribbean music. As I look by now, as she turns 84 this week, I see the Peace Corps as a gift not only to the world but to each family involved. The experience created a new legacy for our family, breaking a long-held tradition of bias and bigotry and instilling in us all an unbreakable determination of acceptance, curiosity in the new and unexplored, and bigger, broader view of our ever-shrinking world.

posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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