11/12/2008I was reading an article in today’s LA Times that asked the question, will the perception of Blacks change with the election of Barack Obama.
Hey, I don’t know. That’s a hard one to call. It is true that White folks came out of the walls to vote for Obama. But that doesn’t mean they’re more comfortable with the rest of us.
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out if they see me as a Colin Powell, or a Flava Flav. My White acquaintances don’t seem to care one way or another. This would lead me to think that there are quite a few White folks that feel the same way.
As Black men we all have stories of being stopped by the police. I mentioned yesterday of being stopped because the neighborhood 7-Eleven had just been robbed. My youngest son (a 20 year old) gets stopped on a regular basis. It’s almost as if they have a schedule to follow. The story I read tells of other Blacks that get stopped for a variety of reasons. None of which have anything to do with them.
The entertainment business isn’t helping the cause either. There are a lot of White folks that see the young hip hopper in videos, or the Black jester on sitcoms as representation of all Blacks. We seem out of place to them in a Brooks Brothers suit, and wingtip shoes. But from my experience we all have problems taking the time to check out the other person, and we choose to read the cover.
My question asks do Black folks have a different perception of White folks now that Barack Obama has been elected.
There are some Black folks that are hard liners when it comes to trusting Whites. And I can’t call them wrong on it. But from my experience it’s all in how you approach a person that determines whether or not you gain a bit of their trust from the beginning. I’ve had gigs where people have said “Hey I don’t like Nigger music, but you guys are good”.
My point is that if we truly want change, we Black folk will have to reach out just as far as Whites to pull this thing off. We can’t sit back and wait for something to happen. We are demanding respect from the country, and we have to show some respect in return.
The country is changing. The good old boy network is slowly losing strength with young Americans. They seem to do a lot better spreading the love. I see groups of young folks that are diverse. They don’t seem to believe in the Black Fear. And thank you Lord! Hopefully my grandchildren will see a day where this conversation is null and void.
Now is the time to change our perceptions of each other, and every other race of people that live and work in this country. We are, and should believe that we all are in this fight together. We all have a job to do. Working together only helps to heal wounds that have festered for more than 400 years.
Personally I don’t want reparations. I don’t want forty acres and a mule. I just want the same opportunities and respect for all races in this country. PEACE!
Daddy.
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1 comment:
I'd just like to point out something. Look at the picture that that is posted here. Check out the color of his supporter's skin. He didn't create/convert people - he didn't have time to. He tapped into what was already there.
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