I think this is an interesting graphic....
A fascinating image from Patrick Moberg, via joshooahlove, on second_lifers,. Thanks.
I think this graphic, in its exaggerated simplicity says volumes. I like the unity of Obama being number 44. An even number forming a nice cap to that long line of European American faces.
An African American friend of mine recent expressed disbelief in the ability of the American people to elect a person of color to the office. He believed, with legitimate reasons, that behind the privacy of the vote, many white Americans would let their centuries of bigotry and racism take over and note vote for Obama merely because of the color of his skin. I am pleased that many of the citizens of this country showed that they were made of sterner stuff. I am not delusional. I know very well that the issues of biological ancestry and the ridiculous ideas that someones skin color makes them less able to participant in society is far from gone in this country and world. But hopefully, we have turned a corner.
Yesterday, in the midst of our marathon of news and returns, our little girl, very five and very open to the world, saw something that bothered her on the news. She saw black and white images of fire hoses and dogs being used on the marchers during the Birmingham, Alabama campaign for civil rights in 1963.
She asked, "Why are they spraying them and letting dogs bite them?"
These were truly terrify images for a little girl who is entirely depended upon adults for her safety. Adults doing bad things.
"Are those bad people that they are spraying?"
You can see that this is the way to see this. After all, those were firemen and police officers. She has been taught to trust and idolize them. If they were hurting someone, the people they are hurting must be bad in 5 year old logic.
"No dear, they aren't bad"
I tried, as best as a loving father can, who wants to shelter his daughter a bit longer from the horrors of the world, to explain the uncompromisable. That just because those people's skin color is different, and their hair, and because their ancestors came from Africa and ours came from Europe, people thought that they weren't good enough to eat at the same restaurants, or use the same restrooms, or go to the same schools, or even vote. And that some people then thought it was OK to do bad things to them because of their skin color. Naturally, this was very hard for this little girl to understand. At the time she had a little package of sugar babies candy from Halloween, and realized a lesson I could use. I took her candy. I told her that from now on, because she has blue eyes, for my daughter is the only blue eyed and blond haired one in the family, she couldn't have anymore candy. That because of her eye color she couldn't eat at the same table with the rest of us, and couldn't play with the rest of friends any more and that everyone would think she was dirty and nasty and not as good as them. Of course she thought this was very silly and giggled. Of course she could have candy and that she wasn't dirty because she has blue eyes. She was only dirty because she was a little kid and like to play in the dirt and get messy. And then I think she got it. Yep, this is silly, perhaps the sillyest thing ever.
I am sorry dear, sorry you had to be shown this so early. Sorry that your ancestors, my direct family members, were slave owners. That to this day, I know there are folks out there cursing the election of a man of African descent to the office of president. And that you won't grow up in a world were you will never observe the conditions and experience of those brave marchers in Birmingham. You will see this in your life. You will see violence and hatred based on someones genetic inheritance. You will see racism.
But hopefully, just maybe...your children, or maybe your grandchildren. Maybe one day they will explain the past to their children. And it will only be the past.
I think this graphic, in its exaggerated simplicity says volumes. I like the unity of Obama being number 44. An even number forming a nice cap to that long line of European American faces.
An African American friend of mine recent expressed disbelief in the ability of the American people to elect a person of color to the office. He believed, with legitimate reasons, that behind the privacy of the vote, many white Americans would let their centuries of bigotry and racism take over and note vote for Obama merely because of the color of his skin. I am pleased that many of the citizens of this country showed that they were made of sterner stuff. I am not delusional. I know very well that the issues of biological ancestry and the ridiculous ideas that someones skin color makes them less able to participant in society is far from gone in this country and world. But hopefully, we have turned a corner.
Yesterday, in the midst of our marathon of news and returns, our little girl, very five and very open to the world, saw something that bothered her on the news. She saw black and white images of fire hoses and dogs being used on the marchers during the Birmingham, Alabama campaign for civil rights in 1963.
She asked, "Why are they spraying them and letting dogs bite them?"
These were truly terrify images for a little girl who is entirely depended upon adults for her safety. Adults doing bad things.
"Are those bad people that they are spraying?"
You can see that this is the way to see this. After all, those were firemen and police officers. She has been taught to trust and idolize them. If they were hurting someone, the people they are hurting must be bad in 5 year old logic.
"No dear, they aren't bad"
I tried, as best as a loving father can, who wants to shelter his daughter a bit longer from the horrors of the world, to explain the uncompromisable. That just because those people's skin color is different, and their hair, and because their ancestors came from Africa and ours came from Europe, people thought that they weren't good enough to eat at the same restaurants, or use the same restrooms, or go to the same schools, or even vote. And that some people then thought it was OK to do bad things to them because of their skin color. Naturally, this was very hard for this little girl to understand. At the time she had a little package of sugar babies candy from Halloween, and realized a lesson I could use. I took her candy. I told her that from now on, because she has blue eyes, for my daughter is the only blue eyed and blond haired one in the family, she couldn't have anymore candy. That because of her eye color she couldn't eat at the same table with the rest of us, and couldn't play with the rest of friends any more and that everyone would think she was dirty and nasty and not as good as them. Of course she thought this was very silly and giggled. Of course she could have candy and that she wasn't dirty because she has blue eyes. She was only dirty because she was a little kid and like to play in the dirt and get messy. And then I think she got it. Yep, this is silly, perhaps the sillyest thing ever.
I am sorry dear, sorry you had to be shown this so early. Sorry that your ancestors, my direct family members, were slave owners. That to this day, I know there are folks out there cursing the election of a man of African descent to the office of president. And that you won't grow up in a world were you will never observe the conditions and experience of those brave marchers in Birmingham. You will see this in your life. You will see violence and hatred based on someones genetic inheritance. You will see racism.
But hopefully, just maybe...your children, or maybe your grandchildren. Maybe one day they will explain the past to their children. And it will only be the past.