I must admit, I have intentionally stayed away from commenting on the shameful and criminally irresponsible attacks on President Obama since the inauguration. To call these attacks disheartening would be an understatement.
One of the most incendiary and obvious attacks on the President has come from some recent town hall participants across the country: "I want my America back," they shout. My America? Wow. This statement is utterly disgusting. No need to expound on it because it's become very clear what it all means.
To all those mouthing this ridiculously coded crap, I offer an alternative view: America's racial and ethnic diversity is what has made this country rich, incandescent, and beautiful. Yes, there are different perspectives, different views, and different prescriptions for alleviating America's problems. Yes, many people, but one country. Not just my country, but our country.
I am member of one of the oldest black families in North Carolina, dating back to a plantation from the mid 1700s. But why am I any more American than recent immigrants from Mexico, Vietnam, Iran, Uganda, or Poland? The notion is ridiculous. America is continuously evolving, and it's our responsibility to adjust and adapt to some of the changes...in our America.
Barack Obama is the first in a long chorus to follow. What do I mean? I mean that in this half of the twenty-first century, a woman, an Asian-American and a Latino will sit in the Oval Office. Believe it. I see Arab-American and Native-American governors. And, I wouldn't be surprised if President Obama names an Asian-American to the Supreme Court - namely Gary Locke, who is America's only elected Asian-American Governor, and is currently Obama's Commerce Department Secretary. Additionally, there will be more white lawmakers (like U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen) representing mostly non-white cities and/or congressional districts. These are just some of the sweeping changes that we'll be witnessing in our America.
So rather than wage a losing fight against impending social and demographic changes, it is incumbent upon people to go beyond their communities, and to get to know the residents of other communities. I know that's easier said than done. But don't tell me it's not possible. Simply tolerating people is so my America. Moving forward, we need to value people more, which is a necessary ingredient to making our America work.
America doesn't revolve around any one group of people, and no one racial or ethnic group exclusively defines what it means to be an American. I wholeheartedly believe that. We all contribute.
I don't want to be misunderstood or misquoted though. I am not saying that racism, sexism, ethnic bigotry, and religious hatred will subside just because we reach out to each other. They won't subside. The idealist in me will still speak out against it, but I know its not going anywhere. We can't destroy any of that, but, we can make sure that none of it destroys our country. Yes, say it with me folks: our people, our country, our America. Got it?
Embrace. Empower. Educate. Expand. Enlighten. Let's do it.
This post was originally published at 2morrowknight.blogspot.com
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My family's been in the country probably as long as yours, but from a different area: immigrants from the British Isles before the Revolution. I had a great-aunt in the DAR; I used to think about joining to subvert from within. :) But the idea that People Are People, that each has value... among the many debts I owe my parents is to have been raised with this as a basic, so that when Dr. King spoke of his dream, I was ready to hear.
I've NO desire to visit the past, except through books. I wonder if the people dreaming of "good old days" ever realize that the odds would have favored them being a servant... or working fourteen hour shifts in a mill and dying young... or being a peasant? The percentage of bosses, of plantation owners, of aristocrats, was always quite small-- why do these losers think they would have made it into the privileged classes? I've never assumed that! And given that I'm female, I very happy to be living in the twenty-first century.
The spewing of hate frightens me. I'm going to a townhall for our local Congresswoman tomorrow, and I will speak up for health reform, but I admit that the ranters and ravers scare me. But I have to remember: they are also people, they also have value. It's just up to us to help them see the value in others, and thus in themselves.
I wasn't born at the time of King's death, but I know that on his last birthday, January 15th 1968, three months before his assasination, King met in the basement of his church in Atlanta with Caucasian-American, Hispanic-American, African-American, Asian-American, and Native-American activists to plan and discuss strategies around civil rights, poverty alleviation, and other issues.
So it wasn't just about "mouthing equality", but fighting for it on the front lines. It wasn't just about "tolerating" people different than himself, but actually seeing and harnessing the "value" that each of us brings to the table for something much bigger that could benefit us all. I love it.
Dr. Kind was a very committed man. His dedication to his vision was extraordinary.
Humanity is the only species that is at war with itself, but that is changing. As denial falls away and reality stares back, the intent for peace is growing. Tolerance is necessary, but it is not the long-term answer. We tolerate that which we cannot accept. ACCEPTANCE - for ourselves and each other - is the only way forward - and, no matter how rough it gets, I think we'll make it just as long as our intent is loving, not merely selfish.
Again, thank you for such a wonderful article.
Well stated.
Listen, please don't despair.
You know what gets me through tough times like this? Reading and absorbing the "audacity of hope" sprikled throughout our history. So many examples. For example, suffragist Jeannette Rankin was extraordinary. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916. This was amazing because (a) women couldn't even vote at the time and (b) she had to over come the sexist attitudes of men to win her congressional seat in Montana. Interestingly, in her old age, she was a HUGE supporter of Martin Luther King. She had the audacity of hope.
I also read about the case MENDEZ vs. WESTMINSTER, a 1946 federal court case that challenged racial segregation in Orange County, California schools. A Latino family, represented in federal court by an African-American attorney, took the State of California to task over its ill-treatment of Mexican and Mexican-American students. And unbeknownst to most, MENDEZ v WESTMINSTER provided the legal undepinnings - "seperate and unequal" - to historic the BROWN v TOPEKA, KS case. So the Mendez family had "the audacity of hope".
Your grandfather fought in WWII. Mine fought in the Korean War. They had the audacity of hope (and yet were denied basic rights in this country upon their return). But their work was not in vain. We have to keep it going Drodriguez.. Keep pushing. Our country (present & future) needs your vision and energy.
Very powerful and uplifting post. "Our America" indeed.
I have a longer reply on my website, I needed more than 250 words.
Good article 2morrowknight - this is some uneasy topic to openly speak out about especially now. People tend to think 'There is no more prevalent racism in America YOU have a black President!' What they fail to see is that one step forward is not the end of the journey. And that that YOU is still not a WE.
This is why I hesitated in writing this piece. But after seeing the powerful movie "District 9", I just felt I had to. The movie is a metaphor for xenophobia, sexism, racism, ethnic bigotry, antisemitism, etc. I urge you to go see it. The movie stayed with me for days, and seeing it in the middle of daily ugly chants of "my America" at townhall meetings just moved me to get my frustration off my chest.
Like any person, in any community, I've endured racism, but I've also had whites, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native-Americans, and Arab-Americans stick their necks out for me. And I'm most appreciative to call them my friends. Having a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic groups of friends won't make it easier for me to get a cab at night (LOL!) or being monitored closely in dept. stores, even in a suit (LOL!), but, it has given me a great perspective on who I need to be, and what I need to fight for.
"Our Country."
I believe that racism, sexism, ethnic bigotry, and religious hatred will subside. We will not obliterate these beliefs but we've already come some distance to improve each others understanding and we've built many bridges. Through mass communication all children are exposed to other cultures and see it as normal for different races to be friends. Don't give up hope on us yet.
Respectfully,
little brother
I agree. It's not just about the color- and ethnic-specific differences that make us stand out (how we look, how we're treated, etc.), Indeed, they are powerful and real.
But, it's also about the color- and ethnic-neutral commonalities that connect us. The "my America crowd" just doesn't understand this. And it appears many just don't want to. Very unfortunate.
I 've looked at the constitution and those who wrote it could not fathom what this world would look like. Well, we are not moving backwards, we're moving forward, so either folks had either grab a set on the "Yes We Can Express", or get off at the next station.
No era is perfect (including this one); all eras have their faults, but all eras have their strengths as well. I believe that when most people say they want "my America" back, they are speaking of what they consider to be the best of America.
Good morning Romulus, I want to first say that I respect the fact that YOU and I can voice our opinion with one another, even though we may not respect the comments. However, when you talk about the BEST of America, what specifically are you talking about?
~Are you talking about when people of color had to drink from the trough, and whites from the well?
~Are you talking about when Jews were also spat upon in this country for being Jewish?
~Are you talking about when blacks would be beaten or killed for trying to read?
~Oh those fond days when Wallace stood in the door of an Alabama school to prevent blacks from attending schools?
~Are you thinking about the days when YOU could eat and sleep where you wanted without fear of reprisal?
~How about those days when you sat down to eat with the Native Americans and stole the very land on which they were the guest of .
~About the days when women were not allowed to vote and were imprisoned in mental institutions as punishment.
~How about when Japenese where rounded up and imprisoned in internment camps?
~Or are you speaking about the riots that took place in this country for hundreds of years because people felt they deserved more that they were allowed to take advantage of? Like for instance when WWII soldiers came home from the war and beat down anyone that held their jobs.
So what do these people want when they "Want their America Back"? I have yet to understand why they want to turn the clock back, but I'm sure you can share some insight on this impossible feat. While you're at it can you please tell us what your position is on the matter, and what are your good 'ole days.
I know change can be painful, and what most of these people are doing are expressing their pain and frustration that a black man will take us into the next phase of change in American. for some that is just too much for them to stomach.
Change is constantly taking place in "Our America", and as much as people protest , they fail to realize that the "good 'ole days" are gone and the "best of American" is yet to come. It's been my personal experience that thru "Change" comes "Realization", and with both of those comes immense responsibility. AMERICA needs to step forward and realize that thru necessary change, our best days are ahead of us, and not behind us.
I look forward to your comments.
I was raised to believe in community goals and commonality of vision, as concepts that fuel any group of Americans working together - as citizens in the broadest sense, or, on the micro level, any group of co-workers in any workplace I've ever been a part of the team in.
That's sort of "where I come from" in the MOST basic sense. I could never, ever dissociate myself from the idea that others are just as important as me, in every sense, and have just as much to "offer society" as me, no matter what the way in which it seems this may not be true in specific circumstances. "All men are created equal." To interpret the phrase requires some reflection; but there isn't any wiggle room there.
I really, really don't understand, where this streak of ugly selfishness in the American character has come from. There's a certain kind of individuality and self-sufficiency that is uniquely American, and that's the kind that goes paradoxically hand in hand with the social ideas I just babbled a little about. All this stuff seems so basic to me, I have trouble even explaining it. I also have trouble understanding how others could have grown up in the same cultural environment, and ended up with such different ideas.
How many realize that this is just an opinion? The founders were not gods. While many were brilliant, none were omnicient.
"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, that among these Rights are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". Really? Self evident? There is no evidence, one way or the other that there even IS a Creator, let alone that he created everyone equal or endowed them with ANY rights. In fact, the evidence concerning rights and equality is quite the contrary.
It's self evident that people are NOT created equally. Some are bigger, stronger, smarter, more beautiful, or with talents (such as music) that others don't have. While "equal rights for all" may be an ideal, it is historically evident that this has never been true. Even here in the US or other democracies, some people have more "rights" than others, especially considering how one defines "rights".
Well said. : )
So often, we speak about "outreach" and "cross-cultural understanding" in very flowery phraseology. But if we are to come to grips with the tremendous change that coming, we have to start talking "with" each other, and not "at" each other.
That means you can't just brag about being tolerant (i.e., comfortable with a family of another race living next to you, or hiring someone from another race to work for you) when you don't value what they think, what they believe, what they can contribute, or even what they dream about.
Award-winning author and educator Jonathon Kozol (one of my favorite authors) has written extensively about the intersection of race and education. I've read all of his books. This is a man who "values" all of America's children the same. For instance, in his gripping book SAVAGE INEQUALITIES, he never referred to Latino, African-American, and Asian-American kids (or impoverished white kids from Appalachia) as "those kids". Never. He repreatedly uses the phrase "our kids". I love that.
So tolerance is cool. But we need to go further...and start to see and appreciate each other's value.