If one were to attempt to suggest that the advances of the recent past 50 years; the changes in the attitudes of both Blacks and Whites, the economic and educational opportunities that, it has been suggested, serve all of our citizenry, the function of our economic model and the written, but not felt, constitutional rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, would act as a magic wand and remove all of the fears, distrust, hate, victimization, blatant and covert racism that has been continually visited upon the Black people of this nation, one would be suggesting an illusion.
Why do so many ‘intelligent, educated, entitled’ people want to sound off about black parents needing to prescribe to a list of behaviors that will make their child’s chances at getting a good, fair education more viable? And are doing so, so willingly, without drilling down to the real ‘cause and effect’ of what Blacks have yet to overcome, even in 2011? Why is there an expectation that a change can occur with the snap of one’s fingers or the wave of a magic wand or, wait…the news of some startling statistics that we act like we didn’t know?
Some perspective, please:
- Slavery from 1620 to 1862…242 years; some white people still carry that hate and disdain in their hearts, toward Blacks, and their behavior attests to it. Did you not hear the question that o’reilly (I refuse to capitalize his name) asked our esteemed president; “Why do people HATE you? They HATE you!” In what other instance have you ever heard that type of vitriolic speech directed at the President of our country during an interview by a, ‘supposed’ newsman?
- Southern Confederacy from 1861 – 1865…4 years of a behavior subscribed as a noble act of states’ sovereignty; a behavior that holds as its foundation, the enslavement of a race of people and it continues to be celebrated as proud Southern Heritage and Blacks are just supposed to ‘let it go’!
- The Holocaust from 1933 to 1945…12 years; always remembered and the perpetrators of those horrific acts were hunted across the world and eradicated.
- Jim Crow laws and practices…1863 to 1965…142 years; in truth some southern counties still get away with it even though all of those ‘Civil, Voters’ and Human Rights’ acts were enacted.
- Overt discrimination in hiring, education, incarceration, property ownership, business opportunity, law enforcement, treatment by the judicial system and respect, all based on color…1620 to now…392 years; yet we are encouraged to forget all of that and, miraculously, know how to work within the boundaries of our society with nothing to lift the burden of shame, mistrust, disbelief and ignorance that all of the years of atrocious treatment, heaped on Blacks as a people, has inflicted!
We’ve been wound so tight by what we have had to endure that we don’t even know which string to pull to unravel all of the damage we’ve incurred! And a school system that doesn’t even want to teach its country’s real history is supposed to elevate us? So what do you trust, who can you trust, when should you trust…all of this lip service or history?
In a weird kind of way, now is a tougher time than ever to be black, and to spot racism in America.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that subtle (sometimes invisible) racism is the toughest to deal with. Like carbon monoxide or radon that can seep into your home and kill you before you even know it was happening ... so it is to live as a black American with the "mist" of racism that exists today.
It is (thankfully) harder to get away with being an outspoken white bigot idiot now than in past decades. And that's good. There are so many more of us (whites) who see life through inclusive eyes where all men truly are created equal, and who know we are all part of the same beautiful, colorful tapestry that is the human condition. So, it's harder (though by NO means impossible) to "act a fool" as a racist.
The bigger danger (in my humble opinion) is the subtle racist. That person who smiles and acts nice, but who will continue to operate in discriminatory ways in matters of education, hiring, housing, etc. etc. etc.
In the evolution of this issue ... this problem ... this disease ... I am glad as hell we are past the horrors of just a generation or so ago. But I am not unaware that we still have "miles to go before we sleep" on things.
It is an incredible milestone that we elected President Obama (yes, I proudly voted for him) ... but I don't think for one minute that means "oh good, we've solved racism ... let's move on to the next issue."
I wish I knew the answer. I don't. Just acknowleging I am aware the question still hangs in the air.