I've been thinking a lot about the question that was asked in class about racism and what do we do now. I pondered a lot about that, and how slavery combined with the civil rights movement has left an indelible mark on our psyche. How do we move on from that?
I don't think there any easy answers. I do know that the guilt experienced by many whites and anger that I feel black-and-white both share, may be motivators for change but ultimately slow down progress. Below are a couple of interesting resources that I found when I went to Google to add to the Richard Smith essay entitled The Personal is Political.
Smith suggests 10 steps to take in order to improve race relations, and many of them I feel we are doing collectively in class. We have become aware of privilege and internalized oppression, we are studying and discussing the history of peoples of color and white working-class, we are talking about the fact that white supremacy exists all around us. This has become a popular topic for me at home, and he suggests exploring and challenging white supremacy within one's own family-- this I’ve been doing most of my life, and will continue to do so.
The essay ends by respecting the fact that many people may be too busy or feel overwhelmed and unable to make a real difference. However, he says that you don't really have to “do”; you really just need to be. By that he means being open to having a conversation about race and explore the true history of our culture, and see that it is a multiracial history. He also says to "keep one eyes and ears open -- along with one's heart and mind -- and see what happens." The seed of openness has already been planted in each of us, and I feel that as we move forward, we will be able to share what we have learned with others; thus, planting new seeds of equality and change in those around us.
Are Race Relations Any Better In America Today? MSNBC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbZDU6I04fw
Tulsa Race Riots, and what the community is doing today: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20091117_222_0_bNegie9013&allcom=1
Thank you for sharing Smith's article.
ReplyDeleteI like his comment about how the history of our culture is a multiracial one. I wish this could've been reflected in the polls that the MSNBC feature covered, as they only showed responses from whites and african americans.
I also like the part about being, rather than trying to figure out what to do. I think that this encourages a true changed response from peoples' hearts rather than people simply doing something impulsively out of guilt.
Carol,
ReplyDeleteI find myself often becoming discouraged in class because like you said in your post, I am so overwhelmed with these issues. I would like to make a change, but I feel like I have no voice. I think most of the time, this is what we struggle with. How can I make a change?
I completely agree with you that we need to start by voicing the issues. We can just runaway from them and pretend like they dont exist because they have such an impact in our lives and on the way we live. History can help us better understand the backgrounds people come from and why they are the way they are. After reading your blog I feel even more empowered to just talking about it with family and friends! thanks!
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