As a Livingston fellow, I recently had the honor of joining a small group of Kellog, Eisenhower and Harvard fellows in Ireland and Northern Ireland to study approaches to building communities across differences.
Belfast is an excellent example of a community struggling to rebuild its social fabric after decades of violent conflict, known as the “Troubles.” This conflict was between those claiming to represent nationalists (predominantly Roman Catholics) and those claiming to represent unionists (predominantly Protestants).
Unionists wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom, while nationalists wished it to be politically reunited with the rest of Ireland. Since the signing of the “Good Friday Agreement” in 1998, the violence related to the Troubles has ceased.
While the Troubles may be over, its remnants are still evident in the physical and social makeup of Belfast. Protestants tend to live in Protestant neighborhoods and Catholics tend to live in Catholic neighborhoods. There are separate schools and hospitals funded by the government. Children generally play on informally segregated playgrounds.
I was particularly struck by the more than 20 walls throughout the city that separate the two populations. These walls, referred to as “peace lines,” were built in the 1970s as a way to separate the two groups and to provide a level of perceived security. Some of the walls are nearly a mile long and 20 feet high. The more modern ones have been made aesthetically pleasing with nice brickwork, trees and shrubs, but they are, in fact, walls.
While many locals barely notice the walls these days, there is a sense that they are uncomfortable with their removal. As hard as the Belfast community works to come together, these walls physically divide it.
There are, however, examples of bridges between these Irish communities. Buffer zones exist between some of the peace lines. In one area, a community center was built that focuses on bringing the population together. These are places where the individuals within the community are sharing their backgrounds to foster a level of mutual empathy.
The past is an underlying component of everyday life in Belfast. There are striking yet controversial murals throughout the city which reflect the myriad views of the nationalists and unionists. The community is asking if it is time to remove these murals. The decision, steeped in both history and artistry, will not come easily.
In the end, government, religion and business cannot alone rebuild a community. It will be people sharing their stories, seeking understanding and bridging their differences one conversation at a time. It is an excellent reminder of the power of the voice of the individual.
These days, I’m looking at our Denver community through my Belfast lens. What walls have we created in our own community? In what ways do we deal only with those on the side which reinforces our views? Can we let go of the past’s hold on our perceptions to build a common vision for the future? Are we, as individuals, prepared to listen as well as be heard?
I recognize that there will be differences throughout the process of building or rebuilding a community. My Belfast experience has reinforced my belief that we have the opportunity to leverage differences to create greatness or ignore differences and create conflict. The choice is always ours.
