So, I have something on my mind, but before I tell all, I want to stress that this is in no way a racist or biased question. I have the utmost respect for all of my friends, no matter what their race, color, or religious background. I have served our military in our country and across the world, working side by side with people from different races, religions and cultures, and have been proud to call all of these people friends, so please believe me when I say that I mean no offense by what I am about to ask.
Watching the news this morning where the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture opens to the public today. By far, it’s a gorgeous structure and I commend those who built it at the National Mall and near the Washington Monument. I think the symbolism of that, just in the location, is so profound and completely fitting.
One of the commentators stated that this is a part of our history, all of our history, regardless of your color. Regardless if you agree or not, regardless if you can relate or not, regardless if you are proud or not of our nation’s history, the fact is, it is part of our history. It shows the struggles, the tragedies, the accomplishments of not just a whole race, but of our humanity.
Now granted, being white, some may say that I have no idea of the struggles and turmoil’s that African Americans have been through. Perhaps they may be right, to a certain degree. I may not have ancestors who were slaves, I may not have had to fight for my freedom, but, I have still suffered. I am not proud of our history when it comes to race and slaves. I am not proud of what my ancestors have done. Just because I am white, does not mean I do not shed tears on the travesties my ancestors have inflicted upon other human beings, regardless of color.
This is part of our history, as Americans. This is a fact. Right or wrong, like it or not, its there and we cant take it back. What we can do, as Americans first, is to pay homage to our ancestors, be they white or black, for it is our history.
In order to move forward, to make change, we need to accept our history and learn from our mistakes.
Being white, I must admit that before this age of technology, I assumed that the racial divide was not that bad. That of course, in some southern states, there was still the air of racism, but I attributed that to those states not moving with the times.
In the age of technology, where everyone has a cell phone, there are cameras everywhere, and social media has just exploded, we are forced, whites and blacks, to acknowledge how much racism still plays a part in our society. We can no longer assume that all is right, that it doesn’t exist anymore. We can no longer pretend its in the past. The fact of the matter is, there is still so much racism and hatred in this country, and its not just in our southern states.
Yes, I said OUR southern states. If you call yourself an American, regardless of race, these are your states, for we are, at the end of the day, regardless of color, Americans first.
This is NOT a black problem. This is NOT a white problem. This is an American problem. IF you call yourself an American, then these issues pertain to you, regardless of what side of the problem you are on. We are all a part of it.
That all being said, I know it has taken me a lot of rambling to get to the point of this, I have a question.
Why, is it ok, to have a Museum dedication to Black African Americans and their ancestors history, but it is not ok to have the confederate flag flown?
I only ask because it seems to me a double edge sword.
There is apparently a racial divide in this country, and this is yet another example.
Do I agree with the museum paying homage to our ancestors and their paths? Yes, I whole heartedly agree with the project. It is our history after all and we all should pay our respects and use this as an opportunity to learn and educate ourselves.
I think the building is incredible, and as I watch the news of all the pieces of history donated, and all the incredible stories of triumph, equality and tragedy, I am left with a profound sadness that our country and our ancestors took part in such travesties.
Just because I am white, it does not mean I cannot feel, empathize, or cry at the injustices from our past. It does not mean I do not understand.
To say that I do not understand the struggles of our past just because the color of my skin, is in itself, a racist comment. By saying I am white; would you say that I cannot feel pain over the injustices from the past?
If you are black, do you feel pain over the injustices from our ancestors? I am sure you would say yes. But, you are not related, you do not know these people personally, you have never met these people, the only thing that ties you to them is the color of your skin. Why then is it not the same for me? I have never met them, I am not related to them, I do not know them personally, but yet, I feel the pain just as deep.
By you saying its different for you than for me, do you mean to say, black people feel different? Does that mean your heart works differently than mine? I mean that literally. Does your heart beat different than mine? Does your heart pump blood different than mine?
It doesn’t. So I feel just as deeply as you.
Now that we have established that my heart is no different than yours, why is ok to pay homage to this part of our history, but not be able to fly the Confederate flag?
I mean, I get it. No one wants to be reminded of the horrible acts our ancestors did in the past, but, isn’t this also a form of racism? It is ok to build a 500 million dollar museum dedication to Black African Americans but not ok to show the Confederate flag?
You cannot pay homage to just one side of history. By doing so, it is a form of racism itself, although in reverse. There are two sides to every argument, every instance and situation, every war, every battle, there are always two sides. You cannot respect one and what it stands for, and not the other. By doing so, you are trying to erase history.
Again, I am glad that there is a museum outlining the path, struggles and accomplishments of Black African Americans, but, building a museum dedicated to this time in history, while removing the confederate flag is racist and biased.
Regardless of your views, the confederate flag is also part of our nation’s history, LIKE IT OR NOT. Just like slavery and segregation is, so is the flag.
Yet, if I pose this question, it may appear that I am choosing sides, or that I am condoning the racial divide in this country.
I AM NOT. I am just curious why is ok to have a 500 million dollar museum built in our nation’s capital for this time in OUR history, but cannot raise the Confederate flag for the same reason?
Ok, some would say that the confederate flag seems to promote the racial divide, separate our colors, just as in our history. I get that, and I understand that. But, couldn’t the same be said of the museum?
There is a double standard in our culture and this is part of what’s to blame in the race argument.
The same can all be said for the BET channel and the BET awards. Black entertainment.
IF we were to have a channel called WET or WET awards, White Entertainment, would you, as a person of color, consider that racist?
IF we had a day dedicated to the KKK, would you call it racist?
I am not asking because I believe in any of these situations, I am just trying to point out the double standard in our country.
At the end of the day, we are Human first, American second, color and religion last, PERIOD.
By allowing the separation of color by promoting specific holidays, museums, landmarks, channels, etc, by allowing this separation, our country is in fact encouraging the racial divide.
By asking on job applications, or any other application, what color a person is, THAT is a form of racism. What does it matter what color a person is, as long as they are qualified for the position?
These things that our country does on a daily basis, contributes to the racial divide.
Yes, there is a problem with race in this country, a fact that many of us did not understand the degree of. It is so painfully obvious, thanks to the media.
But, do not forget, our media is out for stories, and stories only. They do in fact create havoc. They have a tendency to play out the white cops shooting black suspects, by showing the actual shooting footage, but neglect to tell the public the suspect just robbed a store, or was a pedophile,.
I am not saying that there is not a problem with race, even with our police, but, let’s face it, the media tends to show the very worse, leaving out all the leading up to in situations.
Like they always say, you cannot believe everything you read on the internet, so the same can be said about social media and the news. Our news channels only report the after moments, cutting out key evidence, just to incite the racial divide further.
I think back to the Dallas shootings of those officers. A riot, incited by the media, fueled by the media, ended in tragedy.
Do any of you know how many white suspects have been shot and/or killed by black officers? I don’t know, and most of you don’t either. The reason why? The media does not pay attention or shine light on those killings. The media focuses on the white cops shooting black people, hardly ever the other way around. And it DOES happen people, make no mistake.
Take into consideration this scenario. A black cop shoots a white suspect. Is there or are there riots all over the country demanding justice for this white suspect? Is there a movement dedicated to whites? Are white communities disrespecting the law, breaking the law and trying to provoke black police? Are their white communities destroying and pillaging neighborhoods, inciting violence against black people all over the country?
You have to admit, that social media and our news media do not always tell the whole story. They shine light on the act itself, not everything leading up to the act. We, the public, do not get the whole story, we only get the parts that produce ratings for the media, that’s it.
There are good cops, bad cops, white and black. There are bad people in this world, black, white, Muslim, you name it.
It does not matter your race. It does not matter your religion or ethnic background. It does not matter your sex or your sexuality. There are bad people, everywhere.
Evil is not reserved for one set of people. Evil is not reserved for black, white, Muslim, Asian, catholic, male, female, gay, straight, transgender. Evil is all around us and can infect anyone.
Black lives matter. White lives matter. Police lives matter. American lives matter. ALL lives matter, PERIOD.
Our media incites violence, period.
I guess what I am asking is, why the double standard? Why is it ok for one side and not the other?
And why do we find it necessary to call it “sides”. There shouldn’t be a side. We are Americans, we are one, there should not be a black or white. We should just be one.
By separating two colors, our country is still encouraging the racial divide.
Perhaps I am ignorant, for I took for granted where I live and where I come from. Being from the Northeast, Fall River MA to be exact, I have grown up with all sorts of people from all sorts of ethnic and racial backgrounds. I took for granted that because I grew up in a society that openly accepts all sorts of people, regardless of their race or ethnic background, that there was no room for any racism.
Maybe I was wrong, but to me, growing up, race was never an issue to me. We didn’t call our friends, our black friends, we just called them friends. There was no distinction. I took for granted that the rest of the country grew up to be just as accepting as I, but apparently I was wrong.
We have a race problem in this country and until we stop separating the races, we will continue to have this problem. There should NEVER be a distinction between races in this country, for at the end of the day, we are HUMAN first, AMERICANS second, and that should be enough.
I post this now, and if you want to comment, fine, if you want a debate, fine, but DO NOT respond to this in any shape way or form with hatred and bigotry. I am not asking this to be rude or inconsiderate or to be racist, I am asking because I truly want to know.
If you are going to respond with disrespect, don’t bother commenting at all. I don’t want a hate fueled discussion here.
