Beth
I want to congratulate you on wanting to expand your network of friends. I believe you can never have enough friends. These people you are working with are working in a poor area, and they are in a minority racial group, but you will find that everyone has a story to tell. There will be people who are tremendously involved in civic clubs, church groups or non-profit charities. There will be people who have family who have stories to tell about things you have never heard about. You say you are privileged, and I assume by that you mean financially, but there are so many other ways to be privileged. By talking with your co-workers and finding out who they are and what makes them tick, you’ll be comfortable enough to be yourself and think of others first.
Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences