BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Women's Issues ATTENTION: A Black Man is Running for President!!

Somewhat of a venting post you guys. Above all things I insist upon from my students (undergrads, mostly freshman and sophmores, private Native American university) is that they be able to articulate from whence come their arguments. And so, I read to them (they had no clue what I was reading) parts of the Dred Scott decision rendered by our UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT. One of my students was outraged that I read the term "negro." One girl was very unhappy that I read the term "savage." I am shocked and disgusted quite frankly at how little our kids know about the governing document of this country. Is it just me or is anyone else sick of not being able to talk about it??? I've got a classroom full of diverse American college kids who can't sit and listen to me read a US Supreme Court decision without getting riled over the language. In any event, there may be a black man in the White House in the near future and this country may be about to get a little less "pc" and a lot more "real." How refreshing!!! Everyone have a great holiday weekend!!!

Well, I myself am engaged to a black man. I also have a brown daughter and a white daughter. Yes, I refer to them as the brown one & the white one. It's just plain old easier to describe them as such. We even have nicknames for each other - chocolate, vanilla, and strawberries & cream. I'm strawberries & cream due to my rosy cheeks.

In Africa, people use skin color & tones to describe people. Honestly, it's the most natural thing as far as I am concerned.

It's not you, and we can and will talk about it.

Growing up in school, track and field events, riding on buses, going to sleep overs, etc, frankly I never saw color as an issue, not ever. My best friend, Mina Pratt was someone I couldn't wait to hang out with after school, she's African American. We shared just about everything.

These days, though, I do notice color because it is treated AS THE issue and a hostile one. People are turning it into a negative. Where people were coming together, now, there's agitation and attitude and it's far from something enjoyable.

To me, color is just that, like a quilt. You take that same quilt, wet it down and slap someone silly with it over and over again,and people that might have been enthsiastic at one point or wanting to know the history behind it, are just going to leave it and focuss on something more worthwhile.

Negative begits nagative - it matters little what color it is. That's fact, always has been, always will be.

I see a Civil War headed this way, along side of a broader one. It something I haven't wanted to face in over a decade, but it's here.

Elleise
Clairvoyance Editor
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I have 4 Biracial children, I refer to them as Charleen, Doreen, Mark and Tommy.

I am confused. I thought Mr. Obama was half African-American(--and he was raised by whites in Hawaii.) Does the other half not count? This could be an uniting point--instead I feel it is being used to further divide.
Ravyn

Most African Americans are mixed. Plantation owners often had sex - raped, really - their slaves in order to increase the number of slaves they owned.

Barack Obama is 1/2 Kenyan from the Luo tribe and 1/2 whatever his mom is. She's caucasian, but really she's also of mixed ethnicity as am I and almost all caucasian Americans.

Barack Obama *is* African American in the truest sense - 1/2 Kenyan, 1/2 American - he is considered African American since he is of brown skin. I was pondering this point rather recently wondering if Barack Obama were an African American with a slavery pedigree - would he have gotten this far?

Barack Obama was raised by his mom & his grandparents. His father left them on their own. Nothing unusual about that. Many dads bail out on their families and leave the mom & grandparents to raise the children. In fact, this happens in Kenya quite often.

LOL, my bi-racial child is Elizabeth, Lizzie, Goober, or Goober Girl. My white one (two white parents) is Hannah, Bubbies, Bubbie Girl, or Hannah Banana.

I grew up with nicknames and the tradition continues...

Good for you, Rosie! I have always felt that a person should be seen as who they are and not what color they are. Skin color, to me, does not designate the person - it is what's inside that counts, and inside we are all the same color.

I couldn't agree with you more! The split between the races in our country has gotten to a very "interesting" stage. I do wish we were more free to talk about, ask questions about and in general indulge in curiosity about racial topics of all kinds. In my experience, the subject has become so hot it seems that freedom of speech is scorched beyond recognition. If we are to unite, which from what I have witnessed, most whites do want, and clearly Obama wants then we have got to be able to talk about things. Yet, there are pockets of both races that are stuck in a state of anger and the slightest mention of race is a deadly trigger. How are we to unite if a good sized number of people are stuck in a state of outmoded anger? Healing can only come if anger is healed. If anger is to be healed, it must be let go of. If it is to be let go of, it needs to be talked about. If it is to be talked about, the talk must be "real" and honest.

My son, growing up, was the only white boy in his group of friends. He kept it from me, but it turned out that he was made to feel ashamed of his race and was kept in a state of feeling inferior and responsible for things he had no part in creating. It deeply affected his self esteem. It may have made the other boys feel temporarily uplifted, but making others feel inferior is not a solution. It only perpetuates feelings of dis-ease. Yes, we do need a change.

A good friend of mine (white) grew up in a predominantly black city. She is very close to the black community and is acutely aware of black issues. We were having a conversation the other day, and politics came up. She said, "Do you know what would happen if we had Obama as a president?" I said, "What do you mean?" She said, "The blacks can't stand him. They say he denies his black heritage." She essentially continued to say that they felt as if he would not support black issues. What does that mean exactly? I know for sure that Obama has a huge number of black supporters. What about the black citizens who do not support him and his efforts to unify the races, making us all simply "citizens?" What does that say about unity in our country? There are not only divisions between blacks and whites in our country. There are divisions between blacks. And divisions between whites.

Interesting about your students and the mention of the word "negro," Gina. I took some online college courses a few years ago. The topic of race came up in class. I felt that since we were all college students, and were there to learn, that it would be a perfectly appropriate place to ask about black issues. There were one or two black students present at the time. One of them, a woman, informed me that many blacks prefer to be called "Negros" including herself. Her grandmother wishes to be called "colored." Lots of black people hate being called "African Americans" and that this was white government's propaganda term. Boy, was I shocked! My instructor shut down the conversation. She told me I had "white guilt." In a system like this, how are we to learn anything?

Eleise - with all said above, I can see where you are picking up signals that there will be a racial war. But what can we do as citizens to uplift the vibrations and shift the thinking of certain people? How do we ease those infected with deep seeded hatred and rage? How can we aid in the correction of misunderstandings, fear of using politically incorrect terminology, and the release of the belief in the divide?

Shay

Shay, quite some time ago we were discussing similar issues with Native Americans in my forum. I would like to insert a copy of that discussion (quotes from you and me) here as I feel it is important for all of us to come together, regardless of our skin color. I think Elleise has some very profound thoughts, like you, and I agree with her - it is coming to the time when we will have to stand together to become one United Nation. Here are the quotes:

"They have been subdued by the government on so many levels - beaten down, then the image of them raised up." by Shay

"Shay, this is so true and very difficult for me to comprehend. I have a deep bond and respect for the Native Americans and this hurts and makes me ashamed of past atrocities by our government. In "Black Elk Speaks" he told about how after they were "rounded up and put in pens" that the whites asked them to go around the country and even to Europe to show off their uniqueness, beauty, nobility and warrior attributes. How degrading could that be - to be conquered then to be shown off like the wild animals in zoos. I am white caucasian and just cannot tolerate anything like this against another race of human beings. My father lived for a time with a Native American tribe back in the early 1920's and they saved his life and taught him many things. He never forgot their goodness, willingness to help him and the love they showed him and he passed these memories and stories on to me and my siblings. These were people, just as human as anyone else and deserved far better treatment than what they received. Even today, they do not get the respect they deserve. They were the first peoples on this continent and struggled with living and experimenting in farming and many other things that carried on thru today to give us all a legacy to be proud of."

"All peoples and cultures in this world have at one time been conquered and their lands taken over by others. But, to treat them in such manner as our Native Americans have been treated is inhuman. Someday, and who knows how close this may be in our future, we may be conquered and our lands taken over and our world, our cultures may be trampled and vanish - therefore, I think we had better open our eyes to this possibility and uphold the Native American, give them the respect they deserve and stand with them as one Nation so we will not be wiped out. If we could stand together as one and become one - then we will survive. We need to let go of the past and build a future together for the good of us all."

"The Native American peoples have not vanished as scholars and our government thought they would - they are still here, still very much alive and still as noble and strong as they were before European contact. If we could become as noble and strong in our beliefs and desire to survive, then what a great Nation this could be."
Edited by Phyllis NatAmEd (03/31/08 05:55 PM)
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"...let us become Spiritual warriors fighting our greatest enemy - ourselves...." Black Elk's Vision

Phyllis D. Burns
Native American Editor
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