As a social media and news junkie, I often get involved in testy discussions revolving around hot news topics concerning unfortunate scenarios of murder, assault, and other crimes against humanity. I’ve spoken several times on Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis’ deaths as situations that are questionable at best and unjustified. These cases and others like it consistently spark debate about racial profiling and, inevitably, about race, in general, in America. We can break down ethnic groups or nationalities all day long but I will jump right into the most prevalent and antagonistic in this nation’s history: White and Black.
I won’t thoroughly re-hash the slave trade and segregation, Reconstruction or Martin and Malcolm, or lynchings and KKK. Chances are those that read this who are African American will say, “talk about it! Preach it! We were culturally raped. We are still discriminated against socially, educationally and economically.” And the general White response may be, “it was a long time ago. I had nothing to do with it. Get over it. I don’t benefit from it. I work hard and you should, too. Black people shoot white people, too and the media doesn’t get upset.”
Clearly there is a disconnect between the two groups. The dialogue doesn’t want to occur, especially from many whites. Yup, I said it. You see, many of them have bought into the American Dream totally. It is a nation built for them. And they are quick to “claim” a founding forefather for everything that is American except slavery. “I had nothing to do with that,” many say. Think about it. Every thing that is apple pie, baseball, every war, standard of living, and lifestyle that is American is attributed to the great document and those that drafted and signed it. Most Americans conveniently don’t acknowledge that the expanse of time of slavery essentially lasted through 1965. Slavery ended in 1865 after having been “officially” in place in America since 1776. Of course during the building of the thirteen colonies, African slavery had been in place since the settling of the shores in 1619. Fast forward 200 years into 1965, the signing of the Civil Rights Act. It basically stated that descendants of former slaves or anyone that looks like them can no longer be treated any less of a citizen than white Americans. (It is a lot more encompassing than white and black but supporting the example). Wonderful. Move on. The playing field is now equal. No need for set asides or programs. Just work hard because, apparently, black people are lazy and don’t know hard work. Another perception. Maybe not said aloud but alluded to often. 1619-1965, 446 years. 1965-2014, 49 years. A lot for an entire group of people to get over in such a short period of time.
If a woman is raped as a child, consistently raped through her teens, then into her adulthood, and all of a sudden, the rapist stops raping her, do you think she will forget it and move on? Do you think her relationships with others who hadn’t experienced such trauma over such a long period of time would be normal? Slavery IS the psycho-cultural equivalent of rape. There is no, “forget about it. move on.” Ask the Jewish people world wide. No one ever ask them to forget about it and move on. They even got a homeland out of the deal that no one dare speaks against.
A homeland…
So what’s due to Black Americans? Anything? A homeland? Reparations? Forty acres and a mule? Cash settlement? Well, the truth is none of these things are realistic anymore. The scar is too deep and none of these things will make much difference in such a vast plight. But what about dialogue? What about an opportunity to sit down as sons and daughters of slaves and slave owners OR as persons who automatically fall into a category of either advantage or disadvantage due to the color of their skin? Let’s talk about “white privilege” and “black self pity”.
Now Black America, you aren’t off the hook because there is STILL opportunity to right the ship. As a community you have wasted and squandered some valuable messages from movements that would have you going in a different direction. Serious looks need to be taken at Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey and even W.E.B. DuBois 100 years later. With all due respect to Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson, they shouldn’t be the focus of “change” for black people in America. Nor should JUST Martin Luther King. The primary way to assimilate and integrate into mainstream America (if that is what is sought to be accomplished) is through economics (not through hyper-consumerism, either). And the stop the killing? That’s a few blog entries back for those that are interested in my theories with that.
There is a need for Black History Month and Latino History Month and whatever other group has contributed mightily the building and success of America. White History Month in America? Absurd. Just read American History and tell me what it is. But I will tell you American History is NOT all the others I mentioned. Education and exchange through history and dialogue can bring cultures and races together. It won’t solve major issues of racism because God made a certain bunch of us stupid enough to hate His own creations. (or Her creations 🙂 )
Soul Polis Times 