When I was in 6th grade I had a black teacher. He was the only black teacher in the school and later became the principal. He talked about leaving the ghetto, (the word he used for where he grew up) going in the service and getting an education to become a teacher. He gave us more than lessons about science in 1966. He never had a problem with any of us and we respected him. He stressed how important it was to get an education and how we could do anything. He shared with us his efforts to get out of poverty and he genuinely cared about us. I have never forgotten him. He made a lasting impression on me.
I assumed for a long time that the 60's fixed everything for black people. I was wrong and it has been though friends I made when I lived in a predominantly black neighborhood in the 80's that I have learned how ignorant I was for so many years. We just ignore the problem and go on in our lives.
How do you convince a child that it is better to toil at an education to enter a market where their opportunities are less than their white counterparts and making a certain wage when the dealers on the streets make so much more? How do you convince a child that he can achieve and be respected when he and his family have to live a limited way because of their race? How can people get out of poverty when they have no hope that life can be different for them? It used to be that the rules of the 50's were that black people "knew their place", do you think the way they are treated now isn't to achieve the same end?
It is depressing that people get pulled over in this day and age for DWB. It just is outrageous what happens in our country. I remember on the news a black man convicted of a crime and he was working at the time with many witnesses of all colors. The court ignored his iron clad alibi because he looked similar to the culprit. I wonder what the statistics are of the crimes vs the punishments given to black people vs white people?
All people need to face that we need more change in this country when it comes to racism. It is not someone else's problem it is our problem. Until we change our society, these obstacles will be hard to over come.
I think the best thing that could happen is for Barack Obama to be elected president. If Barack can make it to be President of the United States, black children any where can believe they have a chance to become someone. Maybe, just maybe it may change the face of America! The man who is the most powerful leader in the world would have ties to both races. I believe there would be radical change in America. If he is elected it would say to the racists, this is the man Americans choose to be their leader. How could racists feel in the majority then? How could you continue your delusions of superiority then?
It may sound funny, but I believe every passing year more and more racists die and their numbers are lowering. It may take some time but I don't think the parents of today are quite like my parents generation where many were racist and were so wrong. I applaud the famous black people of yesterday for influencing my generation to reject what their parents taught them. I applaud the famous black people of today because they are in a position to be hero's to children of all races and change the attitude towards racism that is being passed down generation to generation.
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Comments: 22
I hear get a job, go to school, and stop begging from those who foster racist attitudes. Neither ever address the real issues nor give it enough honest thought to move the issue to front page so it can be dealt with. Horrorable sound bites promote disgusting reactions from the media yet, rarely present an honest image of the problem.
How often have you seen a news article which blast the face of a black man "suspected" of a crime and wanted for questioning yet, a day or two later the real culprit was apprehended? If there is a retraction it is buried in a half paragraph in the back of the paper someplace. That image is stuck in our minds as the face of crime. Subtle, yet highly effective in keeping a negative image in our faces. Racism lives and is deeply engrained in our society no matter how often loud mouths like me point out such unfairness. In fact the automatic response from many is that "people like me" are always defending the crook. The face of crime as a person of African descent is so deeply entrenched until the innocent person was charged and found guilty before the case ever developed. That situation is tolerated by our silence.
It matters not what our educational background might be nor our financial status some will place us at the forefront of illegal activity using some of the most ignorant of excuses. A highly educated professor from Washington University in St. Louis, while waiting for his wife to complete her shopping at one of the high end shopping centers was caught "loitering around." He was a lot like me while waiting for his spouse to shop he simply walked around looking in store windows to pass the time.
Someone called the police to report a "Big Black Man" casing the area. He was pounced upon, thrown to the ground, handcuffed while having racial slurs yelled at him. When they asked what he was doing there they called him a lier, a thief, a crook and all sorts of negative labels. Even to the point of accusing him of having someone elses ID in his pocket. By morning some intelligent soul realized the man was not a crook and let him go. No apology. No sorry. No nothing until Washington University demanded one. His doctorate and position at the university meant nothing to the racist attitudes of those who so willingly labled him as negative.
I could go on and on with stories like this and could even explain how I was simply sitting on a park bench reading poetry when I was harrassed by a ranger for being there. I was told no "N..." reads poetry which means I must be up to something no good. But I won't bore you with such trivia.
I applaud your positive attitude about racism in America but I must admit I do not concur. I do not see America being ready to elect a person of African descent at this time. If it were ready there should be more open and ruthlessly honest racial dialog. Too many carry huge racial bias no matter what the origin. Too many need that feeling of superiority to satisfy their lives. Too many will not address issues of employment or contracting in an open forum. They ignore the fact that 1000s of unemployed construction workers with decades of experience in the St Louis area are not working while they are bringing in young whites or immigrants from counties far removed from the area to work. Then "they" complain when we form our own little companies to bid on jobs. They then form companies with their wives, girlfriends or relatives as the head to compete with us. That system continues on unabated yet I keep hearing those hollow words from racist," what else do you want us to "give" you? Don't give me a damn thing just allow some tid bit of level playing field to exist so I can live too.
No, dear lady, I do not see any real progress coming from a society which remains silent in the face of disgusting excuses. Unfair pre-conceived notions about who I am and what I do. All the love in the world is ignored by such deeply engrained racist attitudes and will remain as long as the bigger part of society keeps silent.
Be blessed. Hugs
I have known supposedly "tolerant" people who always claimed that they didn't care what race their daughter's boyfriends were ... actually disown both daughters because they married outside of their race .....
one married a black man and one married a norwegian man ........ and neither man was considered "acceptable" .... go figure ........ I'm just glad that I don't have anything to do with that crazy family any more ...
OH ... and after 27 years, both daughters are still happily married to the same men, with families of their own .... that is the most important thing
Thanks Toni! It is a slow process and as Spencer pointed out still very much a painful present with ignorant people continuing to hurt others for no reason.
Thanks William! It is not as bad, but it is still bad. As a white woman I don't live it but life in America is certainly much different experience for non-whites. It is not where it should be by now. The 60's were almost 50 years ago.
Thanks Cheryl!
Too many people don't know what goes on and think that it was fixed years ago. It wasn't. We often don't understand what it is until we walk a mile in another's shoes!
My dad was not as racist as my uncles but he was some at least he pretended to be around them. But he also liked a lot of people from many nationalities. They liked him as well.
I grew up though in a home that had multi-cultural marriages My moms brothers were not racist and married women from the Philipines and Korea and one married a Black lady. All lovely women and great aunts to me and my siblings. It was my dads brother and his brother in law that were the racists.
I remember once after one of my moms brothers and wife left my Uncle D said something about Uncle J having married his wife and called her a derrogatory name. My mom had a hot cup of coffee and thew it in his face and man she was raging at him. He never said anything again around my mom about it.
My dad and mom were a lot more open and friendly to all races than Uncle D or G were. I don't know why they were that way because my grandma and grandpa weren't.
"God never look to your colors, but He look to your hearts", "Mankind is equal like the comp teeth", "There is no difference between an Arab and a Foreigner except by piety (in heart)" Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
I disagree with you in this Heather... Although, all Religions fight racism, the racists will increase in the coming years "I believe they will".
Great Article...
The sad part for me is that racism is not only a caucasian problem. There is Black against White racism, hispanic racism, and other prejudices too numerous to mention. This too needs to be acknowledged, cleansed, and much can be done by the minority populations admitting its own prejudice against itself and others.
The sooner people accept that racism is slowly vanishing and that continually playing the victim game is a poor way to make progress the sooner everyone can relax and learn to accept each other without this parade of guilt.
I'm going to relate a true incident now that happened about 20 years ago:
I was downtown late at night in Louisville, Kentucky when I went to a banking machine. As I approached it I saw a black woman using the machine inside the enclosed bank foyer. When I walked up to the door she looked around with obvious fear in her eyes, which vanished when she saw me. I mean she let out a held breath. She smiled and then finished her transaction with obvious calmness. As she opened the door and passed by me she remarked, "I was so happy to see you. This is a terrible neighborhood."
So much for the commonly preached prejudice of white against black. I know it's there, but I also know in many ways it's amplified and sometimes undeserved.
I just have to relate one more story:
I was just out of college and searching for a job. After testing very high on a medical sales exam taken by about 30 people, I was informed I easily had the job and was told to report to the main office the next day. Upon entry into the manager's office she took one look at me and said, "You're not black!"
I said, "Obviously not, but I got the highest score in the room."
She said, "Well, I guess they missed the memo. We have to hire three blacks no matter what their score... to fulfill our federal quota."
Although I was surprised, I found a certain justice in our attempt as a society to bring fairness to all by offering a hand to some who may not have had the best education.
I wonder how many black basketball players would say the same if a less qualified white player was selected over them simply to even up the racial mix? When it happens I will know that the victim card has indeed been put away.