so racism is still very much so alive...
Today as i listen to the radio and hear about the noose that was placed in a tree between the multicultural center and another building on College Park's campus
or i read about a couple torturing a young black women by a racist white couple-i mean mentally and physically abusing her, raping her making her drink from the toilet and eat dog/rat feces more information here
as i sit back and listen to a lecture on health disparities in vulnerable populations, with not ner members of said population on the panel...
and we must not forget the young men of Jena Six
as i sit and have all these things come to me and i think, man racism is still very much so alive...its actually saddens me quit a bit...a lot of us are products of our environments, and what we were raised in or as, but at what point do we begin to take responsibility for our actions...
hanging nooses, torturing innocent people, when will this madness stop!!
I mean do i really want to have my kids raised amongst all of this madness, I mean i know that i will teach them that they are strong African American people apart of a much larger human race and a much larger race of GOD's people...you know...
i don't know people, talk to me, what can we do as a people??? what can we do??? outside of the education and economic development, exercising our right to vote and democracy what can we do???
7 comments:
Racism is a learned behavior, even though majority of the time, it's not African Americans that show obvious racism tactics, we still need to raise our children to accept all races as equal and not to feel inferior to anyone. But it is hard to do when you are raised in a community where blacks are suppressed and have no voice. As young educated individuals (public policy degrees and what not), we need to find a way to use that and empower our people. Tiff, I believe you have already began with all the volunteer work you do with our next generation.
Kiana
As a people I will still not understand what can be done. Apart of me feels like--you cannot change what's destined to be. But then again--everything is a cycle if you can break the cycle you can change..problem is..who breaks the racism cylce?
I've traveled internationally and within the US and racism is alive worldwide; unfortunately.
since i currently live in the US, i can only speak of what i see and have experienced here. i've had more instances of racism from other blacks than whites. i've been told i'm not black enough because i speak standard english and dont have thick lips or a wide nose. my choice of college or even the way i dress has been cause for conjecture. we have to change who we regard ourselves and other blacks before we can insist others even attempt to treat us differently. we demean ourselves in so many ways and do so little to uplift ourselves and then demand others treat us with courtesy or respect, but we can't have it both ways.
this subject is one that has and will always be an unanswered one; so sad!
I really wish I had something on top of what you've mentioned TC. The only thing I could say, is that we just do our best to break down the stereotypes.
At the end of the day, on some twisted level people think that they are doing what's right. They think that certain things should be a certain way and they feel good about themselves for doing them. Turn on BET and you're looking at about 50 reasons that the head of the KKK can sleep at night. It's not everything on there, but you know some of what I'm talking about.
But can they feel good about themselves when we're the bigger people? Why did the civil rights movement work? Because we weren't reacting like they thought we should. We surprised them. We took their moral highground and threw in some class to really stick it to them. Drugs and the jail system have done horrible things to our community. So what do we do about it? All I can say is what you always tell me:
Lead by example.
Peace,
Kep.
I feel like Kep. We know the problem, but what is the solution??? Where do you start. You attempt to fight racism among individuals, than institutionally... schools, government, housing and development. But then, how can we unite to fight the system and others and we can't even solve problems within our own race because we are so screwed up that we tell others, "they arn't black enough" and then others fail to see the neccessity to identify with their black culture. Then, we have the problem of inactivity and passivity among young black culture. If it doesn't affect us individually, we don't get off our butts. You can't force someone to care. It's like a big knot and everthing is attached. You can pull one string but by doing so, you've made the knot tighter.
Yea, I know the problems. But I can't help decipher a man made solution. Racism will only end with the power of God.
I SUPPORT THE JENA 6
i have the same concerns as you when it comes to rearing children. do i really want to birth children into this sort of madness. and to think..it's only going to get worse. =/
amen all. i feel like kep. we have to do our best to release the stereotypes. i am a member of a buddhist sangha that is dedicated to breaking down the differences among people of color and white folks. it is an interesting journey so far. we can start with ourselves and move into one person at a time .... it is an inner revolution first. thanks for the post.
dear sistalove golden time of the day, i really dig your blog. i just discovered it today and will visit regularly. keep living in the light. also i love frankie beverly's song... golden time of the day.
peace, ananda
Post a Comment