Juneteenth
Happy Juneteenth!
Vermont July 1777
is the first state in to abolish slavery for men of 21 years and women of 18 years. Not all slavery, but a good start.
The struggle, however, to end racism continues.
Growing up in the 195os Boston area, in school we studied the civil war as keeping America united.
I did not learn about white racism until I moved to New Jersey in 1964.
It made no sense to me, zero.
My heart and brain has
no room for racism.
The more African ancestry friends I made, the fewer white friends I had.
I went this way,
they went that way.
Civil Rights Era 1960s
Grocery shopping (1972) deep south, my (ex) mother in law ignored me when I called her, Mother. She whispered to me that around there, it is not safe to reveal our relationship in public (being she black, me white). We had an enlightening conversations later. May she rest in peace, she us one of my favorite people.
I have lived with the racism fear, the cautions, the gossip, the insults, the intimidation, the discrimination for over 60 years.
Through all of it,
more now than ever,
I am lumped in with racists,
on the outside,
as just another white person.
I am a person.
The end of racism
begins inside your heart.
That is an immensely moving post. I was brought up in a white community but my parents had West Indian friends who visited and their colour was a total irrelevance. I think I can say in all truth that whilst Catholics and Protestants were at each others' throats in my youth colour was irrelevant. I was in my twenties before I realised there was such a thing as racism. It is an abhorrent blemish on society.
ReplyDeleteGraham,
ReplyDeleteTrue, racism is an abhorrent blemish on society.
I believe it the highest peak of humankind's stupidity, above destroying the planet's environment.
Well said! Particularly the last paragraph. I think it also ends when parents stop passing their prejudices on to the next generation.
ReplyDeleteVery moving.
ReplyDeleteIt really does. Thank you for sharing this personal story!
ReplyDeleteOh, Maryanne, you are so right!
ReplyDeleteParents do pass hatred to their children.
Thank you, William
ReplyDeleteI held back a lot of stories so as to not dilute the message.
Thank you, Marie
ReplyDeleteThere are more stories out there we've all experienced in some way.
I enjoyed hearing your story, thanks for sharing it. You wrote it well, and although I didn't see eye to eye on everything with my mother-in-law, she is still one of my favorite people too. I learned a lot from her, and she had 10 children.....enough said. ; )
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Sheri,
ReplyDeleteTen children!
That use to be usual. My father us from 10, and mother from 6.
Can you imagine today the majority famiy size above 5 children?
It boggles the mind with costs being so high, one child can be rough to support.