I found myself unable to sleep last night thinking about the ignorant rant of a co-worker and friend one night at work. A black co-worker who constantly jokes about everything- race, religion, sexual innuendo, or even singing his own made up songs, made a comment about Black History Month. My white co-worker went on a rant about his daddy not being a slave, his grand-daddy not being a slave and his great grand-daddy probably not being a slave. I think she totally missed the point of what Black History Month is about, and why the black community in general feels slanted.
I found myself seriously wanting to give her a history lesson. The reason he was talking about Black History Month and felt the reasons behind it are legit has nothing to do with slavery. Slavery goes back to the persecution of Jews and even indentured servitude in England. The blatant racism that occurred not even 50 years ago and still occurs today is why black people feel so strongly about Black History Month. Did she not learn about civil rights and separate but equal and Jim Crow laws and the fact that as recently as when our grandparents were little black people couldn't go to the same school or use the same restroom or go to the same restaurants. This civil injustice and the hatred throughout the U.S. towards black people is the reason behind Black History Month and feeling a sense of pride as to what has been accomplished through the years. It's not about what happened in the 18 and 19th century, it's about what happened 50-60 years ago in a time our parents and grandparents can remember.
Think about it. The crime and the drug problem isn't a black thing, it's a poverty thing. And why are black people living in poverty? Not very long ago black people couldn't even go to the same schools as white children so do you think they could receive the same education or get the same jobs? Of course not. Breaking away from poverty and making a better life for yourself and your children takes time. If your grandparents couldn't get a job, then they couldn't provide a good education for their children, i.e. your parents, and then your parents couldn't obtain a well paying job, thus the cycle continues. Obviously through time this has changed, but it takes just as much time to get that education and get a good job so that your children can do the same.
Further more, I think my co-worker needs to think about what is feels like to be hated because of who you are. Playing devil's advocate there are plenty of black people who dislike white people just for their color of their skin, also playing into racism. However, think about how hard it must have been in the 1950's and 60's knowing that the majority of the country hated you because of your color and feeling isolated from white people. This disdain and distrust towards white people has carried over and rightfully so. However, in order to make things better and understand each other, let's figure out why black people feel so strongly about Black History Month. It's celebrating the many black historical figures who led the way for equal rights and who stood up for what they believed in, it's about feeling pride that black people have a say and a freedom in this country that wasn't there during our grandparents childhood. It's not about if my co-workers great great grand-daddy was a slave, it's about how his grandparents were judged and how his parents were treated and how even today, people perceive him. Some people just need a history lesson.
