I recently wrote a response to an article I read in The Boise State University newspaper. The article talked about "Overpaid sports stars," but only mentioned two athletes, both of which were Black. I was offended by the article because of its content and because it suggested that sports stars are not humanitarians.
Well, well, well, what happens today, I pick up a copy of the newspaper and a classmate of mine wrote a response basically indicating that he was not racist and did not know anyone who was. Number one, I never called anyone racist. He took it to that level. I merely pointed out that the article was of poor taste and we should not look to African American sports stars to cure the world. Oh baby you bet I am mad TODAY (obviously).
The gloves come off today. Yeah...get your printer ready because I am about to go off. To suggest to anyone of color that they have never experienced any prejudice in America is laughable and more than insulting. I am deeply offended by anyone that has never in their life walked a mile in my shoes. Not just that, it ain't all about me. The sacrifices that have been made so that I can walk a mile without being lynched for speaking out about our society. Who died so I could be free--free to speak my mind, free to live in Idaho, free to have a job, free to do whatever my heart so desires in my life--the list goes on. Do we not understand that there have been many that have lost their lives so that I can be the person that I am today. It took over 100 years for US to be free even after we were liberated from slavery. To the contrary how free are we even today?
I find it appalling that when others give examples of successful African Americans that it is still ususally in reference to Entertainment Occupations. Yeah...print this one. I do not live to entertain. Yes, it does provide a way out of oppression for many that share my ethnicity but it is not the only way that any African American should ever be defined as successful or not. There are millions of us that make a difference in every occupation imaginable. Why because one by one someone came before you and made a way where no way was ever possible before. Why do history books (modern ones of course) say things like, "the first African American to..." Why do they say this? Because there wasn't one of us to do whatever it was before.
I am shocked and amazed that anyone could ever in our culture even suggest that racism is not really alive and well and to further indicate that we as minorities need to self educate more about what resources are available in our communities. Wait a fine minute. I know what is available to me. I know as a citizen of this country that everything is available to me. I am comfortable in knowing that anything I wish to participle in in my community should be open to me if I want to be a part of it. This is my right as a citizen of this country. Just because I am black does not mean that I am not informed of what opportunities exist in my community of things that I can take part in.
Before I came to college I never really wanted to be an advocate of racial equality or a voice for those who are African American in Idaho. It is the audacity of people who write such crap that make me want to be a voice to speak out more and more. It makes me so mad because the writer of the Letter to the Editor did not even get all of his fact checking done. He claims all of the Professors at the University are white. Not true. There are not enough Professors of various racial and ethnic backgrounds but there are some. Not only that, these professors all seem to be the very best. They are not just so so Professors but they all seem to be more than any average Professor.
I could go on and on for days. You get what I am saying. I want everyone to be clear with what my position is and why I feel the way that I do. I guess I should say that I have not ever thought of myself as the overly radical black woman. But, I can feel myself getting to be this way because of the relative ignorance of others. This is what cracks me up about the entire situation. I promise to try and wrap this up. This kid that wrote the Letter in my class, has he once reached out to get to know me? Did he find out how I felt or what I was about? Has he said more than boo to me? So...who really is racist? I'm not asking him to be my new best friend or anything but to accuse me of saying others are racist is ridiculous. Prejudice and narrow minded you betcha, many people are. But to not even get to know me on some level and then flat out accuse me of saying something I didn't even say gets my feathers ruffled.
Where do I go from here? Well, I have devoted a ton of time pulling the gloves off in my BLOG. I want to say so much to this kid in my class. Things that would definitely not show the rational adult that I am. Things that would confirm to him that even in my most eloquent of speech...that I still got that much black in me. But I won't instead I think I will invite him to the Ethnic Students Luncheon, if it is anything like the last one...he is in for more than just a lunch treat.
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