Attorney General Eric Holder (the first black Attorney General), said in his speech that Americans don't speak enough about race. Our work places are more mixed, but that people basically are segregated during their off days, and after work. He's basically saying there's an elephant in the room, but nobody wants to openly discuss things. And because of people's unwillingness, we are "A Nation of Cowards."
Please give me some feedback (if you have something to give). Do you feel tension at work? I can tell you about one person that does. There is a man in Lansing who is an electrical worker for the Lansing Board of Water & Light (BWL). He was out on a job when some of the workers told him to walk over to a man hole. We he walked over there, two of his coworkers were dressed in white hoods like KKK members. Everyone thought it was hilarious. Expect Mr. Clay who was the only black person on site. The workers proceeded to tell everyone at the office when they returned. He has filed a lawsuit, but this isn't the only time he's filed a complaint. He has been there since 2001 and has allegedly: Received less training and pay than his white counterparts; been looked over for certain assignments by supervisors because he was black; and in 2003, a crew leader that he was on a job with sprayed him with a water bottle filled with bleach. He allegedly told Clay, "I'm going to make you white."
Hmmm?
People say just because we have a black president, race relations are fine. That's like saying when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, racism in baseball ended.
We all have questions about things that we're not familiar with. Open up dialog with people that are different than you so you can better understand things that you are unsure of. Instead of listening to what your parents say or what you see on t.v....ask. If you care. And if you don't care, please don't make assumptions based on your ignorance. Just shut up!
Sounds simple enough huh?
This is definitely not a black and white thing. We have every color and creed here in America.
BTW, its not okay to talk negatively about any race. So if you are talking about Arabs and you're talking to black people, it is not right! Or visa versa. And if you are black, white, etc. and you allow someone to talk about another race to you, it ain't right!
Not only that, but they are probably talking about you when you're not around.
Baxter,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is so cool! Thank you for taking the time to share your ideas. They're great. I wanted to comment on this one, as it is on my mind a lot lately. I work in a public school in Chapel Hill, NC, and our district has an Equity initiative where each school has a team of employees who meet regularly to try to improve the racial disparity in our test scores. We attend trainings with Glenn Singleton http://www.pacificeducationalgroup.com/who_glenn.html (who I'm sure would be very interested in hearing about your blog!). It is such a remarkable opportunity to get to spend a whole day talking about race. I can see what Eric Holder meant in calling us a nation of cowards. It is VERY uncomfortable at times. Some people just want to hold on to their beliefs. Also, it's amazing how easy it is for most people to avoid talking with people of different races about ANYTHING, let alone race. I hope you get the conversation going here!
Maureen