(this is a LONG message, but i feel its necessary. it took me about 2 hours !while i’m at work! to write this, so you can tell how important of as issue it is. if you’d like to learn more about why things like black history month, or racism exist, its a good start. also if you’d like my sources for any of this information i have them. it’s all fact, and its all from real sources)
well let me start by saying, some of the under-informed opinions presented in this thread show why black history month exists…it is intended to educate America, including black people, about black history. it clearly fails in many ways, as judging by the fact that a forum full of educated, intelligent people are truly lacking a real understanding of the black experience in America. black history month is neither well received, nor is it effective in informing Americans, but it does have a just purpose.
firstly, let me give you some perspective.
yes, i am black. no, i am not a screaming activist. i hold a degree from a top 20 university. i have extensively studied computers, history and political science. i am a successful systems engineer and web/flash developer. three of my five best friends whom i’ve lived with and known for over 15 years are white. i’ve dated white women, and black women, and asian women and so on. i do not have a “chip on my shoulder” against the white people of America. however, these things do not mean that i am unable to recognize the reality of present racism and inequality in America, and how that present racist thought is built on past racism and inequality.
let me say that again because of it’s importance: the present racism and inequality in America is based on past racism and inequality.
what are these past inequalities? well lets start by addressing one issue that frequently seems to have been arising in this discussion. not all racism in this country was directed at black people. our land was plundered from Native Americans as we all know. millions of Native Americans were killed, with over 70% of them being victims of smallpox, brought over at first un-intentionally by conquistadors…then later, intentionally as the invaders provided blankets and tainted foods and water used by their own smallpox patients to spread the disease. war took the lives of many as well. some lands were bought, some taken by force. but in a span of less than 300 years, almost all of America was wrestled from the hands of Native Americans. i feel that we can all agree that this was a true tragedy, to rival or supercede slavery in terms of its ramifications for a race.
because of this atrocity, Americans, meaning you and I, have given reparations to another group for something that happened hundreds of years ago. this means that out of every dollar you earn, a certain small portion goes towards reparations for Native Americans. do we all understand this? YOU ALREADY PAY REPARATIONS, in the form of government sponsored land, grants, tax incentives and social programs. you can’t make the statement that you will never pay reparations, unless you have a really great tax attorney and don’t give a cent to the Govt. yet, the mere mention of reparations to blacks causes even the loosest lipped liberal’s hair to stand on end.
now, lets attempt to understand slavery and its ramifications a bit. lets address some facts, for all of you out there who understand slavery so little as to think that it was little more than a free ride to the states.
-approximately 10 million Africans were bound and brought to the Americas between 1500 and 1870.
-slaves were acquired in many forms, some were captured, but most were purchased, with approximately 70% being bought. this does not mean that they were slaves before they were bought, most purchased slaves were normal, free, young adults in geographically poor farming areas (sub-Sahara) that could not sustain a solid crop yield.
additionally, it was common practice for European slavetakers to tell Africans that the people bought would work for a certain period, and then be able to start their lives anew…these lies made slavery seem more like a temporary period of servitude (which was common for slavery in many cultures; Rome, Egypt, china).
-approximately 2.5 million were estimated to die during the trip.
-the mortality rate for slaves in America averaged 400% that of European settlers during the same time period. the life expectancy of a slave was less than half of that for a settler.
-in 1600 more than TWICE AS MANY SLAVES were in America as Europeans. slaves were the main labor force that laid the foundation for the country. period.
-in 1790 with the mass migrations and death rated, slaves represented as little as 25% of the country as taken by the first US census. the chinese who came voluntarily, (and faced hardships and died) to build the railroads represented less than 1% for many many decades to come.
-my great, great grandfather was a slave. if you wish, i can bring up some personal stories from his experience…and no they are not pretty stories of being treated well and living in better conditions than those in other cities.
in reference to what someone posted earlier: NO this is not the equivalent of my saying he was a confederate general…it is me saying “my family was brought here against their will, and subjugated for 3 centuries, and i’m still going to succeed”. saying he is a confederate general would mean you were saying that he took a side in a war, and that he was a powerful and successful man…something to be proud of surely, but for very different reasons. one being, your grandfather made a choice to be what he was, mine did not.
ok, so lets analyze our slavery information here for a second.
~10m blacks were bought(~7m) and taken(~3m) from Africa. does that mean slavery was OK because many slaves were bought? well let’s use some logic here… i’m sure we could find plenty of countries around the world who would still sell us slaves…heck, they’d sell us human sacrifices for US dollars…but does that mean that our government isn’t doing something wrong by using them, just because someone is offering to sell? in fact…we bought most of this country from the native Americans…was it done in a just manner? i think we can agree not. just because someone is willing to sell doesn’t make buying ok. especially if you lie to them about the terms of the sale.
slavery was a horrible atrocity that took the lives of millions back then, and continues to affect the lives of those today…how? whites say commonly, “it happened in the past, get over it, move on and lets all come together as a nation.” well, i’ll tell you, i’d love to come together. i wish there wasn’t a need for black history month. heck, i wish there wasn’t a need for the word ‘race’, or ‘black’. but there is. why?
because slavery and early racism set the stage for later racial inequalities in this country. slavery created a great divide, both legally and economically.
when your (european) ancestors came here, 200 years, or seven generations ago on average…they had very little, but a desire to work hard and build themselves up. they got here, faced adversity, discrimination (yes, essentially every major group of immigrants has faces discrimination) and then hopefully, carved themselves out a piece of the pie.
seven generations ago, my ancestors wanted the same, and began with the same, little to nothing. however…if we can’t agree that racism exists now, lets at least agree that it existed full force 200 years ago…remnants of the atrocity of slavery that was just ending. that means while your ancestors probably faced angry neighbors and harsh words, maybe even racially motivated beatings and deaths…mine faced far worse. government sanctioned lynch mobs. no schools to attend. laws preventing them from having any political say. laws making it legal for them to be physically beaten in public for even disagreeing with a white man. the bulk of these things have just been made illegal in the past 70 years…
so while your family was on its third generation, buying land, or maybe establishing a profession, or sending people to university…my family was trying to find a farmer or factory owner that would ALLOW blacks to work there.
while your family was on its fifth generation in the 1930’s, possibly becoming business owners and doctors…my family was congregating in primarily black cities because other cities didn’t want them, and made it ILLEGAL for them to live there. they were unable to attain professional permits such as law and MD’s in non-black counties, and it was illegal to practice there. their schools were so ill-equipped that most of them had 1st graders in the same room with 10th graders…ever wonder why black people love their cars so much? because in the 40’s and 50’s while whites had homes as status symbols, blacks could not…because whites would not sell them nice homes, or homes in nice neighborhoods…and in most counties, blacks were not allowed to even possess building or construction permits…the government essentially said “you will live here”. my great grandfather, who owned over 20 houses at a single time, still lived in a small 3 bedroom with his large family…despite his wealth, because there was no nice house for him to move into in Chesapeake county as a black man.
now that we are on our seventh generation, how do you expect blacks to be on the same playing field as whites? that’s like playing 10 hands of poker, where one person has a whole deck, and the other has a deck without any face cards…and then playing one regular hand, and saying…“well the game was fair, because the last hand was fair”. it will take many generations to overcome the wrongs that slavery set into motion. things like affirmative action are steps that will assist this.
(continued in next post)
Hopefully though, if those who already are there will show the way; it will get easier and easier.
