Why we choose to carry the grudge of past generations remains unclear, other than perhaps, it somehow makes us less responsible for our own shortcomings. I have to watch myself, although it does seem brown folks with no over the border accent get away with quite a bit of racism. For instance:
I live in an area that is dense with casinos of the various Native American Nations. It's an open statement when it comes to the white gamblers, "We are taking it back, one dollar at a time." It's as if we get a pass on making an observation since we are brown. Actually most of us, unless we are true blue bloods, have no idea what all is in our DNA.
My school days began before desegregation, by just a couple of years. My first grade teacher referred to me as a "little colored girl." My second grade teacher was openly bigoted, and on more than one occasion I was called the "n" word by fellow students. The teacher didn't admonish them, so of course, I went home and told my mom. Her response was, "You just tell them you're a little bit of everything." That's when I learned about the "1 drop rule" . . . Being Native American was obvious and a real point of pride on Daddy's side, so that was understood. Through my years of education and well into my adult life, based on my mother's comment, I figured I had both European and African ancestry. I identified as Native American (plus) and didn't identify black or white, but racial division was still very strong, so rather than being a little bit of everything, I wasn't anything . . . I could pass as most any ethnicity, but I was never viewed as white. As times changed and I moved on, it really didn't make any difference. I'm simply brown, but have realized I can be very disrespectful when I perceive white superiority or black victimhood.
To every white racist who generalizes folks of darker skin to be lazy, let's talk about lazy. If your ancestors hadn't been too lazy to do their own work on their stolen land, there'd have been no African slaves. Think about it. We see it now with illegal immigration in factory farming and picking acres upon acres of produce. In general, white Americans have really never wanted to actually work the land, just own it. The settlement of this country was pretty much modeled after what they had escaped from Europe. Basically, white European immigrants could become the aristocrats of the new world. Take the Native's land and buy a few slaves to work it.
To those of enhanced melanin, you have to realize black also has privilege and often carries with it some power of intimidation. Not all, but many blacks, especially the young people, seem easily offended by general terms. I'm ever mindful to call a black youth, a young man, never a boy. I don't give it a second thought about calling white kids or Latinos, boys. I will never justify slavery or racial slurs, but by the same token we all have to admit it's okay in our society to have exclusionary black organizations which is also based upon race. I would agree that there continues to be an air of "white privilege" but it's socially unacceptable to label it as such. Reverse racism is socially acceptable and seemingly politically correct, but it really shouldn't be.
Now, I have one last observation for both blacks and whites, and a bit of advice. The brown folk are gaining in population and now that a black president has been elected "they/we" will be the oppressed race. There are two simple facts here that need to be pointed out. One, President Obama and Dr. Ben Carson are proof it's really a matter of determination, rather than skin color and privilege. Two, just because the first round of immigrants insisted upon changing the "complexion and culture;" this country was originally inhabited by brown folk living off the land . . . If my people, the various Native tribes, had not been fighting amongst ourselves, and worked together to protect our land, history may have turned out quite differently. It's just something to think about as the black/white racial division seems to actually be worsening, while the reality is: there are two generations of biracial brown folk, illegal immigrants from south of the border willing to do the work neither blacks nor whites want to do, and the casinos are sending my people a check every month.
For Elohim so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ~ words of Messiah
