A friend used to ask his children every single night: What did you learn today? He was not looking for lessons learned in classrooms either. Rather, he demanded that his kids learn from all sorts of characters in their city and life.

Lifelong learners can have an “ah ha” moment while walking down the street, reading a newspaper, or listening to the chatter at the bus stop. That’s because some truly terrific teachers have selected those venues to shine their lights.

 They are ordinary folk who share their mistakes, and air their grievances in ways that make us question our own positions. The best and brightest of them listen to us so we can unlock the answers inside our heart.

Now at age 53, my teachers and coaches are frequently younger than I. It’s a humbling experience. Still it keeps me on the ball and forces me to learn about youth culture and beliefs.

The New York Times has reported that many young people are taking Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, as their own:  Reporter Jodi Kantor found that many are informally adopting that name in an effort to do away with the unfortunate stigma that has been stamped upon it by biases gone wild.

“The result is a group of unlikely-sounding Husseins: Jewish and Catholic, Hispanic and Asian and Italian-American, from Jaime Hussein Alvarez of Washington, D.C., to Kelly Hussein Crowley of Norman, Okla., to Sarah Beth Hussein Frumkin of Chicago,” Kantor reported.

There is a sweet and yet bold logic to this youthful strategy. If you and I unite as one, no one can pull us apart.

In the past, our community has tended to address racism and bigotry by asking victims or targets to blend in and conform. It’s known as the melting pot theory. Stop wearing headscarves. Stop wearing natural hair. Stop using your Spanish. Stop “acting black.” Stop calling yourself African American. Here’s the pact: Be more like me, and it will be easier for me to accept you. That’s the deal. I’ll admit it is a good one if you don’t happen to be the one who is asked to give up your values, style, fashion or language.

Recently, some cultural communities have rediscovered what the Jewish people have known all along: Culture is a shelter that can keep us together when we are under attack. It is not something that should be dismantled easily, as it provides sanctuary during life’s storms.

Young people in Obama’s campaign have reversed that policy now, and shifted gears: If I’m more like you, then, perhaps, they’ll accept us. In other words, it’s OK to be yourself around me. Maybe I’ll change sometimes. And you’ll change sometimes..

To these young people: Bravo! Brava! Thanks for the lesson.

(Linda S. Wallace is The Cultural Coach. Her Web site is www.theculturalcoach.com. Her blog, Cultural IQ, is featured at www.tristatedefender.com)