This has been a bad couple of weeks for the "kumbaya" set here in A-merry-ca. Black mob violence on whites in Ohio; Jim Crow revisited in Pistolvania; black and white men behaving badly while their spouses suffer. And,to top it off, a President, who happens to be black, being accused by his political enemies of lusting after an under aged girl. Not to mention a black... scratch that. An A-merry-can icon, who even in death, prompts uncomfortable discussions about race and its effect on our psyche.
Wow! It makes you wonder when we are going to end up like the folks over in the Xinjiang province of China. Still, I was going to put it all behind me and just enjoy this wonderful life that I have been blessed with. Hey life is too short, I tell myself, to stress the things I can't control. Things such as the people who will be forever ignorant and content with their cluelessness. It's Friday, I tell myself, and tomorrow I won't even think about all the nastiness of these past couple of weeks.
Well, that was until I read this story. Sadly, the story got me thinking about the ugliness of our racial history all over again. I mean the story from the link is ugly enough. --What type of human being robs graves for profit?--- But just reading the name, Emmett Till, made my mind race to places that I didn't want it to go on this beautiful Friday evening in paradise. And the more I think about it is the more amazed I am that I didn't think about it before.
I mean isn't that what this whole Barack Obama getting his peep on is about? Isn't that what this swimming pool incident is about? Isn't this what Steve McNnair and the other men behaving badly is about? (Maybe not the racial aspect, but certainly the sexual one.) I think, that in a sad way, it's fitting that Till's casket was rusting away in an old shed; yet it was amazingly in tact after all these years. In many ways the kind of racism that caused Emmett Till to die such a horrific death is rusting away, too. But unfortunately, like that casket, there are still aspects of it that is very much with us.
Yep, the last thing I needed to see tonight was a story about Emmett Till. Because that just pretty much makes it a lock that tomorrow I will be chasing racism all over again.
I can't agree more. A very bad week(s) in America...
ReplyDeleteA very bad week for Black people. Even being on one social networking site and not other (facebook compared to myspace) is ground for racism!
ReplyDeletehttp://stuffblackpeopledontlike.blogspot.com/2009/07/217-facebook.html
Field:
ReplyDeleteGranny feels ya regarding this week. It has even left a sour taste in my mouth and put me in a bad mood. I take it personal. I'm still trying to get over those folks at Drudge and New Republic and that club in Philly.
When people are so mean-spirited and cruel that they take out their evil ways on children that is going way too far for me and over the limited. People like that are nothing but low-life, trashy, cowards that probably wouldn't stand up to an adult, so they take out their mess on children who are helpless and defenseless against them. No wonder there are so many pedophiles in the GOP party that went around preying on children it's their nature. They hate children and see them as an object to be abused.
After last weeks comments by them about children, this means war with Granny now. They shouldn't have struck my last nerve. I hope Mr. R gets a good laugh off of this:
http://www.voxfux.com/features/bush_child_sex_coverup/franklin.htm
http://www.pedophileophobia.com/Republican%20Pedophiles.htm
http://www.armchairsubversive.org/
When I heard about this graveyard scandal the 2nd thing I thought (after being horrified) is that if it's not black owned all hell is going to break loose. If the owners were whites, hispanics, jews or asians (etc) I think a lot of black folks would be directing their anger indiscriminately in that direction, including on this blog. People on this blog talk a lot about double standards... yet I ask, what would black folks be saying if it were whites or jews who had shown this dis-respect to Emitt? The fur would be flying.
ReplyDeleteBrother Field... II feel you Brother. Now I do a lot of reading fiction. I have always read non-fiction as well as technical (medical and auto)as well as my favorites on the Afro-sphere. The blog sites made my blood-pressure stay elevated because this form of communication has no resolutions in the feedback stage. An example was last week when on of the commenters used capital letters for all the organization he made reference to .....but used small lettering for the Black Panthers. I am so sorry that we as a people will never have pride in the things that are important to us even now. I deviate momentarily..."anybody but Black". Two things I want to see inAmerica before I check out. #1 A Black man standing over a ditch full of White men working The bLACK MAN WILL BE THE SUPERVISOR. #2 A high profile White male leaving his family for a Black female of color. Before you commenters blast me... I just have not seen these situation after 6 decade in America. Keep telling you all that I have lived in two Americas and I care not to just forget it. Ten years from now there will be some burr that will be under your saddles. BBy the way..when some truths come out about how the White male in America have been frauding and manipulating...don't be surprise. PS If the Blacks had pride in their burial sites and took care of the upkeep... situation could not have occured. Again, lack of love of "the man in the mirror" will always be the problem. Brother Field, methink you were ment to be here in the here and now. Even the "Boss" :) need a rest.
ReplyDeleteSorry about that, I left out part of the link to the first article.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.voxfux.com/features/bush_child_sex_coverup/franklin.htm
Hello Brother StillaPanther2:
ReplyDeleteGranny miss seeing you. I agree, and one day, the truth will come out about what really went down with that snake in the grass J Edgar Hoover and the original Panther's legacy will shine for the whole world to see. Also, the truth will come out about the Watts Riot, and all the other vicious lies that have been passed off as the truth. It might happen sooner than we think.
www.voxfux.com/features/bush_child_
ReplyDeletesex_coverup/franklin.htm
I'm trying to make sure they get this link and read about their so-called family values party.
Anonymous hmm said...
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard about this graveyard scandal the 2nd thing I thought (after being horrified) is that if it's not black owned all hell is going to break loose. If the owners were whites, hispanics, jews or asians (etc) I think a lot of black folks would be directing their anger indiscriminately in that direction, including on this blog. People on this blog talk a lot about double standards... yet I ask, what would black folks be saying if it were whites or jews who had shown this dis-respect to Emitt? The fur would be flying.
______________________________
You know I get tired of the blame blacks first and only crowd.White supremacy have messed us up so much we are messing ourselves up by cruise control now.I blame certain whites for some things, but some blacks should also get the blame. We would have more blacks in business if EEOC head Clarence Thomas didn't throw us to the wolves.Crips and Bloods didn't start by themselves.Crack wasn't invented by George Washington Carver.
The difference between a Jay-Z and a Clarence Thomas is that while both exploit the black community, one still inflict pain and harm into the black community and the other raps and get people jobs.
Field,
ReplyDeleteCan you please remove that picture that shows Obama looking at the girl even though he's not?
That picture really upsets me.
Please look at the context in the video. You will see that he was turning around to help the black woman behind him step down.
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8049121
My president is a gentleman!
With respect to the four Burr Oak Cemetery workers, all I can say is what a bunch of...well...you know.
ReplyDeleteSaleema:
ReplyDelete"My president is a gentleman!"
Amen, Saleema, amen! You just made me feel a little bit better, because you recognize what I've been telling people all the time. President Obama is a gentleman. Saleema I had an uncle who President Obama reminds me of so much. The GOP party is out to smear him anyway they can and some have even infilitrated the Dem party and are pretending they are but they are not.
Granny, I went to the VoxNews link. All I can say is wow. I am sure that homosexuality transcends political lines.
ReplyDeleteAnd to think that I thought that the acts of Foley and Craig were the beginning.
How about Lawrence E. King (rising black republican star in 1989) bilking the credit union he managed out of 38 million and trafficking young boys for sex? Ugh!
"Black mob violence on whites in Ohio"
ReplyDeleteField, I think you got this one backwards. At least, I hope you did. Otherwise, I've missed some important news.
Saleema-
ReplyDeletei posted the link in the McNair thread.
try not to be upset at the fact that quite a few bfolks are REFUSING to accept and understand the fact that all things are related. they demonstrate daily that they are incapable of or unwilling to connect the dots.
McNair's demise was INDEED inclusive of race AND sex. the out of context pic is as well.
for centuries, bm, have been accused of having an unnatural lust for ww. this, IN ADDITION, to being mindless, sexual beasts.
both the out of context O pic, if taken at face value and McNair demonstrate that even if married to a bw, that unnatural, mindless, depraved white flesh lust is still there...
...ok, done with the racist stereotypes that bfolks seem hell bent on becoming. let's talk about some truth...
...apparently, McNair, had a white flesh harem. AB posted the link in the McNair thread. it should be noted that this reckless behavior GREATLY contributes to hiv rates in bw. let's just pray that MRS. McNair understood her responsibility to insist on condom use with her HUSBAND. i am of the opinion that pro ballers and politicians should just remain single...
so...when folks insist on saying that bm in greater numbers marry bw, when they bother to marry anyone at all; what should that mean? this does not stop the wflesh worship that quite a few bm exhibit loudly in words and deeds.
btw noting when bm marry anyone at all is NOT a dig. it is my way of acknowledging the 60+% single rate of bm. folks are obsessed with bw being single and LOVE to share the stats to validate the "bw are undesirable" lie. i am as some bfolks like to say, just "keeping it real".
life is a circle. ALL things are related.
thanks for allowing me to share.
blessings,
focusedpurpose
Well, doesn't that just beat all? The fact that the suspects are Black, and preying on the remains of Black people, at an historically Black cemetery, where several notable Black Americans have been laid to rest. Wow.
ReplyDelete@hmm How does the fact that the suspects are Black make the situation less disgusting? This is not a racial issue, but one where some folks wanted to turn an easy dollar. If they were any other race, have a riot, but since they're Black, they should get a pass? That doesn't seem intelligent to me.
As for Emmett Till's casket? Two things can happen: Either the good Black citizens of Chicago can go about having it preserved and memorialized properly, or the family can take charge of it. Or, perhaps a collaborative of both parties. In some way, Black folks- whether locally or nationally - need to exercise some degree of leadership where the casket is concerned.
Rudy did you read all of the links? And no Foley was not the beginning, it seems to be a strong trait amongst the GOP. Foley got caught and the boy exposed it out in the open.
ReplyDeleteHere is the reason why O'Reilly hates black men, especially, black entertainers.
http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/688259/Flava_Flav_Dated_Bill_OReillys_Wife.html
Oh, I've just begun to show all the dirt on the Fox Crew and the Rightwing party. Yup! Until I calm down from the way they treated those kids at the pool, and the names they called Malia Obama, expect to see a whole lot of dirt on the whole lot of those wicked, corrupt evil people.
I'm with Granny and Saleema: Field, please take down that pic of our president. You're not the only one who got that one wrong, but, I need you to make it right.
ReplyDeletemissincognegro-
ReplyDeletethink you misunderstood me. What I was saying is that after getting over my disgust at this I realized if it wasn't black owned it would cause some serious racial anamosity and some ugly comments. I was just saying that is what would happen. Not that I think that is what SHOULD happen. Race DOES play into it because when people feel f'ed over by people outside their ethnic group they seem to start doing that "you people...." stuff in an ugly way.
This story is hurtful and chilling. I can't even articulate my thoughts on it clearly right now.
ReplyDeleteNow just a little FYI. Some non-historic cemeteries lease plots for a certain amount of years. However, this is clearly not the case.
Saleema, I am with you. I was fitting to hand Field a petition.
"..apparently, McNair, had a white flesh harem. AB posted the link in the McNair thread. it should be noted that this reckless behavior GREATLY contributes to hiv rates in bw. "
Thank you. Thank you.
it seems that looking out for the 'down low' brother has blind sided a lot black women. Also, the "I'm married to a black woman" jabber never impressed me. (I'm not saying all black men are like this).
(btw, my word verification below sus 'souptopoo' LOL)
I meant to say 'says' not 'sus'. I have to go to bed now, my contacts are near falling out.
ReplyDeleteHello Laincognita, good to see you. I pray that you have a peaceful sleep and blessed dreams.
ReplyDeleteFN, I too think the picture of Obama is pretty disturbing. When I saw the footage he wasnt looking at the girl behind but then we know the French Prime Minister is. sleezy. I too agree he is a gentlemen.
ReplyDeleteRightwing Extremism On The Rise
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.usatoday.com/ondead...xtremists- .html
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04...5/fox-dhs-bush/
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/06...02s07- ussc.html
In 2007, the FBI reported on concern about white supremacists recruiting soldiers, saying "hundreds" of neo-Nazis were in the active military.
more:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/07...20s01- usmi.html
http://rinf.com/alt-news/breakin...e-in-iraq/4789/
The SPLC, a civil rights organization based in Montgomery, Ala., delivered its report to the House and Senate Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees today. The organization says it found 40 profiles on NewSaxon.org, a white supremacist site, that could be confirmed as active-duty military members. "I love and will do anything to keep our master race marching," writes "WhitePride85," who claims on the site to be a 24-year-old staff sergeant from Madison, Wis.
Army policy states that commanders can take disciplinary actions, including reclassification of soldiers who are active white supremacists. They cannot, however, dismiss them. The heaviest penalty a commander could impose is to bar reenlistment.
The new report comes amid growing concerns about returning soldiers, especially those disaffected by the war and combat, being recruited by white supremacist organizations. Such groups hope to utilize their combat skills in "a coming race war," says former marine TJ Leyden, an ex-white supremacist and author of "Skinhead Confessions."
Many racists have voiced their intent to attend these rallies for the purpose of "cultivating an organized grassroots White mass movement" with some suggesting that they would do so without openly identifying themselves as racists.
http://www.americablog.com/2009/ ...nservative.html
http://www.adl.org/ main_Extremis...Tea_Parties.htm
Send In The Klans: Hate Group Recruiting & Conducting Outreach at GOP 'Tea Parties'
http://www.examiner.com/x-10661-...-at-tea- parties
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b...h? v=bxvunbIWNyI
Night, granny is going to bed. I'm tired.
ReplyDelete"Black mob violence on whites in Ohio"
ReplyDelete-------------------------
I sure hope so
And Granny, let's not forget that Till was, for all practical purposes, a child himself.
ReplyDeleteBTW,thanks for that link.
hmm, who says that we aren't outraged at the graveyard? Did you even bother to read my post? "What type of human being robs a grave for profit". That's what I wrote. Do you want a bigger condemnation than that? Shhheeesh.
StillaPanther2, I am with you my brother. And it's always nice tohear from you.
La~~Incog...you wwear contacs? I never would have thunk it.:)
Granny,saleema, and missincognegro, I am going to remove that picture soon, promise. Well, maybe the caption and not the picture. Because I still need it there to remind me of what the right is doing to our boy.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"Black mob violence on whites in Ohio"
-------------------------
I sure hope so
5:39 AM
_________________________________
No that shit ain't cool. This is not Free Republic or Stormfront.If you want to help, STOP the violence.
Look at how Free Republic and Fox Nation goes after little girls and deceased black celebrities.The NAACP and FOX need to go after FOX, The 700 Club and the rest of the bigots that are spreading violence.It's coming more to the open now. Dr. Boyce Watkins was stalked by FOX and fired for not being a Tom. Three police officers in Pittsburgh murdered because Glenn Beck said so.
ReplyDeleteA policeman in DC. A doctor in the mid west, this shit has to stop.
August 28th the day Emitt Till was murdered, the day of WEB DuBois passing should be the day when the WORLD boycotts the mess out of FOX. Spread the word!
May I post? I just wanted to ask kid what happened to that black moter who went missing during the B.Cutts thing.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I thought. Kid doesn't know.
ReplyDeleteTo be so indignant about it, and he doesn't know himself.
The difference between now and then.... Today, the reaction is much different than in the time of Emmett Til.
ReplyDeleteIn the course of 48 hours, this was national news. The children from the pool incident are receiving a lot of support from the community. The campers are now swimming at the Jewish Community pool, which offered their space for free. And, that in addition to swimming, artists, chefs, film makers are all offering to give classes and workshops for the children, again for free. There have been daily protests at the pool, both white and black folks and even some members of the private club. And finally, Arlen friggin Spector! has initiated a federal civil rights probe. All of this in the space of a week. As hateful as the actions of the Swim Club were, the reactions of kindness and decency and proper outrage in response here in Philly also need to be acknowledged.
And, for all those that have been posting, well what about Ohio... well, give Rev. Al his props, because he has shown up to support the white family that was attacked:
http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/50495622.html
Yes, it has been a bad week. But, let us not forget that for every bad act, there has been a reaction... I am not naive enough to suggest that racism is not a problem. But, I am seeing a little hope.
Anonymous A Person of Interest said...
ReplyDeleteMay I post? I just wanted to ask kid what happened to that black moter who went missing during the B.Cutts thing.
7:24 AM
Anonymous A Person of Interest said...
That's what I thought. Kid doesn't know.
To be so indignant about it, and he doesn't know himself.
7:46 AM
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Go online and check the Cleveland Call and Post the day Cutts was arraigned. Congratulations SHE WAS KILLED.Happy now.There's a blog called "What about our Children" that look for the people of color that Greta doesn't look for.Why are you so disingenuous.No body gives a damn about black lives.
BTW, people are still looking for Gina DeJusus, she wasn't found. Greta didn't look for her yet!You sound like Sean Klannity.This happens every day.
Reading this story aside from making me sick made me understandably and palpably angry. Greed is not new in our community. Acceptance of things that would normally not be acceptable in the name of the almighty dollar is nothing new. Acceptance of a network that exploits and perpetuates some of the most negative aspects of human behaviour - with an emphasis on african americans (BET), Music that is misogynistic at best, heck how often is it said well at least he/she is making money...There was a point in time where making money was tied to making it honestly without causing harm to others - we passed that point a long time ago. Blind support of those who make money regardless to how they make it - or what they do when they get it will result in more Burr Oak Cemetaries and worse.
ReplyDeleteI think you are confusing ethics with morals.
ReplyDeleteThe Burr Oak incident is a moral issue (right vs wrong).
The BET issue you cite is an ethical issue (right vs right, or individual versus the perceived greater good).
The two are unrelated.
Beautiful piece Field.
ReplyDeleteIt really puts into perspective what being in the field is all about.
"You write in order to change the world ... if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change it." - James Baldwin
Keep writing my man.
The Klan isn't riding through the night anymore; the Panthers aren't opening soup kitchens anymore either.
ReplyDeleteBlack kids aren't being killed by white mobs.
Nowadays it's the Bloods and Crips riding through the night killing other black people. The New Panthers just have rallys blaming the Jews and white for everything while doing exactly nothing for their own people; and black children now die at the hands of other black children.
Field I agree with you again, this is a sad week. Looking at that casket and remembering how Till looked brings back very sad, sad memories. Robbing or even disturbing graves is sad. Great Touching Post.
ReplyDelete@La♥Incognita
ReplyDelete"(btw, my word verification below sus 'souptopoo' LOL)"
Did you know that some of the words used for word verification are words that are being transcribed to computer from books and other documents that the computers can't read? So you and I and everyone else are helping to transcribe this stuff.
The Carnegie Mellon University professor who came up with word verification as a way to keep computers from being able to open email accounts also came up with the idea to sometimes use words that computers can't read for word verification.
Anyway that's why sometimes the words are nonsense words and sometimes real words.
The inventors name is Luis von Ahn. Here is a link for PBS' Nova Science Now which has a profile of him.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0401/04.html
bright side:
ReplyDeletemaybe more people will stop lying about racism being a relic in amerikkka now...
this is why my will states that i MUST be cremated...
many cemetaries are stacking bodies etc...
11:04 AM
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Anonymous said...
The Klan isn't riding through the night anymore; the Panthers aren't opening soup kitchens anymore either.
Black kids aren't being killed by white mobs.
Nowadays it's the Bloods and Crips riding through the night killing other black people. The New Panthers just have rallys blaming the Jews and white for everything while doing exactly nothing for their own people; and black children now die at the hands of other black children.
11:07 AM
_________________________________
No the Klan don't do what you said.Instead they use a pink slip, not a gun. The Crips and Bloods were helped along by Iran/Contra and St. Ronnie.
Whites now blame the President and kill three policemen in Pittsburgh over a lie.
They use slave catchers like Clarence Thomas to not enforce the laws.They use Jesse Lee Peterson thanking white people for slavery. Capitalism works at it best when someone loses their home.No N -word is used, now socialist and communist are used. At Free Republic death threats towards the President's kids are used.You don't have to use COINTELPRO anymore you use words like post-racial and reverse racism.Then there's environmental racism.
Glad you're so happy seeing the extermination of a race. How Christian of you.
The only people who can save African Americans are African Americans. Either you will or you won't. I'm not Christian and nor am I happy to see the extermination of anyone's race. My point is talk about racism is pointless, you are preaching to the choir here and that's about it. You don't need to go the white man's pool; you need to build your own pool; America is all about group competition, everyone is worried about their own and their own community. Those who aren't, well, they wont survive.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteThe only people who can save African Americans are African Americans. Either you will or you won't. I'm not Christian and nor am I happy to see the extermination of anyone's race. My point is talk about racism is pointless, you are preaching to the choir here and that's about it. You don't need to go the white man's pool; you need to build your own pool; America is all about group competition, everyone is worried about their own and their own community. Those who aren't, well, they wont survive.
12:48 PM
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That rugged individualism is bull and you know it. Klannity got his job by walking into a racist radio station and given his job off the street, no education.Judge Limbaugh got his boy a job and he didn't even have to graduate from college.
Franz Fanon a Psychologist said that only through violence can you clean the yolk of colonialism.Has it come to that? I hope not. Glenn Beck's and FOX's supporters are killing people left and right.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete12:48 PM
____________________________
Where do people without resources get the resources to start their own? Marcus Garvey tried it and the government went after him.Garvey said where are the Negros industries, banks? Someone took those away from us remember? They want us to die, that's it. The survivors Jesse Lee Peterson, Clarence Thomas,Juan Williams.It's not a fair fight.When the neo-cons are finished with the real brothers they 'll get rid of the slave catchers next.
I don't know Franz Fanon but he's probably right. At least taking up arms would be a step. If you are that dissatisfied you can either address things through the system or take up arms against it. And I'm not talking about rugged individualism but group competition. It's not that blacks, Asians or any other group have enormous hatred for blacks, it's that they just don't care. They are too worried about their own backyard.
ReplyDeleteWhere do people without resources get the resources to start their own? Marcus Garvey tried it and the government went after him.Garvey said where are the Negros industries, banks? Someone took those away from us remember? They want us to die, that's it. The survivors Jesse Lee Peterson, Clarence Thomas,Juan Williams.It's not a fair fight.When the neo-cons are finished with the real brothers they 'll get rid of the slave catchers next.
ReplyDeleteWell Kid, I guess you are lost then.
ext.
ReplyDelete1:12 PM
Anonymous said...
I don't know Franz Fanon but he's probably right. At least taking up arms would be a step. If you are that dissatisfied you can either address things through the system or take up arms against it. And I'm not talking about rugged individualism but group competition. It's not that blacks, Asians or any other group have enormous hatred for blacks, it's that they just don't care. They are too worried about their own backyard.
1:12 PM
Anonymous said...
Where do people without resources get the resources to start their own? Marcus Garvey tried it and the government went after him.Garvey said where are the Negros industries, banks? Someone took those away from us remember? They want us to die, that's it. The survivors Jesse Lee Peterson, Clarence Thomas,Juan Williams.It's not a fair fight.When the neo-cons are finished with the real brothers they 'll get rid of the slave catchers next.
Well Kid, I guess you are lost then.
1:14 PM
_____________________________
What you're talking about is treason and only neo-cons can shoot and kill people and talk about treason.
Grants ,loans , scholarship its all needed. Using the system to our advantage is safer.Use the law against the neo-cons.
What the EFF do you mean, poster, that MRS. McNair had to exercise HER responsibility to use condoms with her lawfully married HUSBAND?! Asshole? It's HIS fault if she's infected with anything; it's not HERS.
ReplyDeleteOver at Daily Kos, there was a very sucessful diary re: sexism. If only such could be started here. Although, I must say, I'm not even sure Field would be the worse violater (even though he IS an instigator)....
Emmett Till. Blast from the past. You've got to be of a certain age for that name to have much resonance.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard about this graveyard scandal the 2nd thing I thought (after being horrified) is that if it's not black owned all hell is going to break loose. If the owners were whites, hispanics, jews or asians (etc) I think a lot of black folks would be directing their anger indiscriminately in that direction, including on this blog.
ReplyDeleteThere's truth in that accusation. If it were a white cemetery, we'd be hearing that the promise of the Obama era is hollow, etc etc etc. If it's a black cemetery, we have narrowly focused outrage.
It's understandable. People tend to see things from their group perspective, especially if they're part of a group that historically has been treated like shit. "Where you stand depends on where you sit."
But you know what? I'm part of a group -- gay people -- that has historically treated like shit. I have a very finely tuned bias detector, and am burdened with a certain level of internalized loathing too. Black is NOT the same as gay (among other things, there are plenty of black gay people), but there are some important dynamics in common when it comes to how an embattled minority interprets the world at large.
What I'd say is this: I try really hard, even when bitterly disappoined (as in the CA Prop. 8 situation), to stand back and look at the larger picture. It is essential for my mental well being to remind myself that the 50-year history of my embattled group has been two steps forward and one step back.
I don't think for a microsecond that black people should sit down and shut up, but I do think that it would be wise to try to see the big picture. My late father had his flaws, but also some real wisdom. When I'd complain about this or that, he'd often say, "You've got to see the good along with the bad." I would scoff, but you know what? The man was right.
"And Granny, let's not forget that Till was, for all practical purposes, a child himself."
ReplyDeletePlease don't think for a minute, I forgot about that.
Emmett Till, age 14, was on vacation visiting some relatives. He was not from the South and was not accustomed to the ways of the South. His only crime was he whistled at a white woman, which in his mind was a compliment.
Emmett was brutality beaten by two grown white men. His were eyes gouged out, and he was shot in the head. He was tied with barbed wire and a cotton gin fan was use as a weight to drown him in the river. His body and face was so badly beaten until he was unrecognizable. His family refused to have a close casket in order to remind the world what racism had done to this child.
His murderers were acquitted of his murder. Later on one of them admitted guilt. That is the way justice was in the good ole South. When whites killed black people nothing was done about it. However, if they even imagined or assumed that a black person killed a white a person mobs would lynched them with the help of the Sheriffs and there was no trial. In subtle ways it is still that way now, only now they send them to prison and execute them.
In wars, the enemy killed all the males, young and old to cut off their seed to prevent any further descendants. Same way it is now, but only in a subtle forms.
American JUSTUS!
Granny,
ReplyDeleteThat was only 54 years ago, which in the grand scheme of things is still fairly recent in my book.
There are still people among us that lived in that era. Some are old, some are serving in Congress, some have offspring upholding traditions, and some are still hateful.
You don't need to go the white man's pool; you need to build your own pool; America is all about group competition, everyone is worried about their own and their own community. Those who aren't, well, they wont survive.
ReplyDeleteThe comment section is always full of what if or what needs to be done. The facts that stand now are what have to be dealt with. That day camp exist today not sometimes in the future.
Unfortunately, I have heard much of this rhetoric for the last 54 years. Most of those comments like the quote, aren't anything new under the sun.
@Jody: "Yes, it has been a bad week. But, let us not forget that for every bad act, there has been a reaction... I am not naive enough to suggest that racism is not a problem. But, I am seeing a little hope."
ReplyDeleteJody, it's people like you that give me hope....
One of my friends has 4 generation of her family at Burr Oaks, she is devastated not only because of the cruel act that these four people carried out but because she feels a lot of guilt because she had not been out to see her family recently.
ReplyDeleteAs she cried on the phone she was wondering if she had just visited more often would her family been spared . They cannot find her grandmother, a uncle and a few grand- relatives. For the few relatives that they have located she has to decide what to do with their remains. Her family will be reliving their lost for the several months, maybe years
I drove by Burr Oaks and you could see the little orange flags all over the grounds ( orange flags indicate that a grave has been removed). People where wondering around looking for their family. The Sheriff personal had ambulance on duty, so many people are overwhelmed from grief that EMT have to be on hand.
I cannot believe that anyone could be so evil I cried for my friend and our people
A happy child is a productive child. If grown people are killing a child's spirit and self-esteem when they are young, when they grow up they will be damaged goods with issues. Adults are supposed to be children's protector and nurturer, not their destroyers.
ReplyDeleteThat's why a lot of these grown people have issues now. You see, it's not only the parent that contributes to a child having issues, all adults do in some way, shape, form, or fashion and that is life. Children can't fight off ugly things said to them like adults can, and some of them can't, in fact most of them, so I don't know why they expect a child to do that. That is beyond sensible logic.
@UNK: "America is all about group competition, everyone is worried about their own and their own community. Those who aren't, well, they wont survive."
ReplyDeleteThat mindset is a sure prescription for self-annihilation, if I've ever heard one.
If we don't solve the race problems that plague this country, no one survives.
Hear W.E.B. Du Bois:
"[T]he persistence in racial distinctions spells disaster sooner or later. The earth is growing smaller and more accessible. Race contact will become in the future increasingly inevitable, not only in America, Asia and Africa, but even in Europe."
And this:
"The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression. The price of repressing the world's darker races is shown in a moral retrogression and economic waste unparalleled since the age of the African slave trade."
We're beginning to see the "economic waste" involved in repressing opportunities for a large segment of our society.
It's self-destructive, and will eventually lead to our demise as a great nation among great nations.
It could be argued that this country's true economic strength was realized, and will be realized, in direct proportion to its willingness to give full economic and educational opportunities to those it had once deprived of those opportunities--the blacks in its midst.
Of course, the choice is ours.
Whether we choose to extend unbridled freedom to all, or continue to suppress opportunities for some--will be the predictors that will determine our future: whether we'll continue to be a great nation that draws the best from around the world and from within our borders, or whether we'll implode by stifling our own success by crippling the success of some.
Sorry, I posted that on the wrong post.
ReplyDeleteAs for the grave incident, that goes on in more cemeteries than people know about. They stack coffins on top of coffins and some of the same things they did with Emmett. One of my children worked part-time in a cemetery when they were going to college. They moved my brother's coffin from where he was buried.
@Granny: "Children can't fight off ugly things said to them like adults can, and some of them can't, in fact most of them, so I don't know why they expect a child to do that. That is beyond sensible logic."
ReplyDeleteI agree, Granny. I found a way, but it was hard as hell.
I only wish that the adults around me had give me the tools to fend off those kind of attacks.
They seemed to have taken it for granted that I would find a way to survive in a hostile world, without so much as a pea shooter for a weapon.
I think that they did it then, because an "uppity black," didn't last long--he (most often men) became one of those "strange fruits" that hung from poplar trees.
Yet, today, we owe it to our kids to empower them to fight back--and hopefully stand up to the assaults they'll surely receive, and find ways to dissipate their deleterious effect on heart, mind, and spirit.
I agree we have to arm, empower and protect our kids. However, I do not know the correct way to go about it with regard to racism.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, I do not want to infect/prejudice my daughter to non-blacks. But on the other hand, I do not want to raise her totally oblivious to racism.
Thus far, I plan to adopt the "reactive mode" of raising her and just teach her when she encounters her first instance of racism.
The previous paragraph does not even feel right after typing it. I am sitting here gnashing my teeth.
Rudy: "On the one hand, I do not want to infect/prejudice my daughter to non-blacks. But on the other hand, I do not want to raise her totally oblivious to racism.
ReplyDelete"Thus far, I plan to adopt the 'reactive mode' of raising her and just teach her when she encounters her first instance of racism."
Don't wait to counter: Take a proactive approach.
Rudy, expose her now to many people of all colors. Expose her to as many cultures as is practical.
Point out the contributions of each to our society and the world. Don't neglect your own people and your own culture, as you do this, however.
And be clear: let her know that throughout history, and even today, not all peoples have respected the contributions and humanity of all.
This can be done gently and within the context of introducing her to the array of humanity in her midst.
@Rudy:
ReplyDeleteBooks are an excellent way to supplement a hands-on approach, as well.
Use some age-appropriate books to underscore your teachings.
Your Public Library has many!
BD...I never thought of it that way. Advice has been "copied and pasted."
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Oh my God.
ReplyDeleteAs terrible as this breach of trust is for the families whose loved ones were buried at this cemetery, I had imagined worse before I saw the news story. I thought that someone had done something with this poor child's body. (There's a special place in hell for this cemetery owner and her cohorts).
What exactly is the protocol for discarding an old casket?
Since Till was interred in a new one (thank God his grave wasn't among those violated), should the old casket have been sent to the Smithsonian Institute, perhaps?
Yes, it's been quite a week.
If they were any other race, have a riot, but since they're Black, they should get a pass? That doesn't seem intelligent to me.<<
ReplyDeleteI'd be satisfied with the four of them being thrown under the jail.
Surely you are not suggesting that riots take place over these heinous acts?
And Granny, let's not forget that Till was, for all practical purposes, a child himself.<<
ReplyDeleteField, he just turned 14 that April.(1955).
And the thing is, Till was the topic of discussion at work.
One of my co-workers--she's African American, in her 20s--didn't know about Till and I recounted the story. She said it made chills run down her back.
The subject was brought up because one of the kids at the day treatment center brought a documentary to everyone to see.
The director gave a presentation to the older children (you just don't throw the Till story at a bunch of kids without some explanation)and had the younger kids participate in another project.
In the course of 48 hours, this was national news. The children from the pool incident are receiving a lot of support from the community. The campers are now swimming at the Jewish Community pool, which offered their space for free. And, that in addition to swimming, artists, chefs, film makers are all offering to give classes and workshops for the children, again for free. There have been daily protests at the pool, both white and black folks and even some members of the private club. And finally, Arlen friggin Spector! has initiated a federal civil rights probe. All of this in the space of a week. As hateful as the actions of the Swim Club were, the reactions of kindness and decency and proper outrage in response here in Philly also need to be acknowledged.<<<
ReplyDeleteJody,
You are so right. It's heartening that so many people got on the bandwagon and spread the news about this. ColorofChange.com alone gathered signatures to protest the treatment of these kids.
It's equally heartening that others--the chef, the Jewish Community Center, a local high school and others--opened their hearts to these kids in the aftermath of this vile treatment of children.
Amen, Black Diaspora that was good advice.
ReplyDeleteThat is how I taught my children and grandchildren by exposing them to different cultures. However, my family is multicultural and so in a sense they had an advantage that most don't get. Exposing them to different cultures and worlds helps enable them to adapt to any type of situation and handle it and to be able to converse with different people on all levels. They are comfortable in their own skin around people different from them as they are around their own people.
Each of them were introduced to the libary when they were old enough to learn to read. I made trips to the library a treat. When they weren't old enough to read I read to them. My children and grandchildren know their family history and heritage because it is recited to them every time we have a family reunion. I am the family historian so I share with our family everything I learn. My grandmother used to be the family historian and she would recite from memory family history. I sort of took her place because I love researching family genealogy and discovering new and interesting things. The plus is I've learned history as a bonus.
A few of my grandchildren attend a school that is multicultural in a sense, predominantly white, but has other ethnic groups as well. Two of them received more than one honor award, one of them received a Presidential Scholar Award along with the other awards he got. Teach a child in the way he should go is a true principle of life. You have to give them a foundation to build on.
Are the Burr Oak Cemetary employees really getting a break, because they are black? No, they are not.
ReplyDeleteWhy do folks engage in the tit-for-tat-if-they-were-white racial game?
I hate binary and absolute type thinkers.
Sharon:
ReplyDeleteYeah, he had turned 14, but he was still a child until he reached 21 year of age.
You know that is another thing that I don't understand. Sharon you made me think about something. Thamks.
Why do they want our children to be grown ups and treat them like they are adults, when they are still children?
I feel ya Rudy. What do they think gives them the right to dictate to us what we should discuss or how we should handle a situation is what I'd like to know.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he had turned 14, but he was still a child until he reached 21 year of age.<<
ReplyDeleteOh, absolutely! I was just pointing out that he had been 13 and had just turned 14. He didn't even have the chance to make it to high school, much less adulthood.
Sharon:
ReplyDeleteI was agreeing with you and bringing up something you made me think about. (smile)
Rudy:
ReplyDeleteyou said:
On the one hand, I do not want to infect/prejudice my daughter to non-blacks. But on the other hand, I do not want to raise her totally oblivious to racism.
Rudy, i did struggle with those issues, exactly, what i think?
don't worry so much about infect/prejudice to non-blacks.
please dont worry about that, rather
Protect your little girl, let her know that you will be her protection, let her know that horrible shit happpens, but that you will be next to her at all times, you will be there for her.
and look for her strengths, encourage her strengths, that builds stong self esteem.
I've read accounts about Till's original casket.
ReplyDeleteApparently, it was to have been turned over to a memorial museum dedicated to him. I just wonder how the ball was dropped that this didn't happen.
While the operator and employees at Burr Oaks are scumbags, I just wonder how the museum failed--and I don't mean in any way that the museum is culpable in this mess--to have it delivered to its office.
Apparently the memorial museum that was supposed to acquire Emmett Till's original casket is on the groundsat Burr Oak.
ReplyDeleteThe link to the site of the museum indicates that Perpetua Holdings, Inc., which is the owner of Burr Oak, established "a relationship" with Emmett Till's mother to establish a mausoleum there.
The site has the temerity to ask people for tax deductible donations. I just wonder how much of that might have been pocketed.
http://www.emmetttillmurder.com/Museum.htm
Perpetua Holdings is now facing revocation of its license.
Meanwhile, Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes said Friday he has begun license-revocation proceedings against Perpetua Holdings Inc., the owner of the cemetery.
“Even though it was rogue employees who were committing these atrocities, it is [Perpetua’s] cemetery, and they are ultimately responsible, and they have abused the right to hold these licenses,” Hynes said.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1661549,w-burr-ridge-cemetary-thefts-071009.article
Addendum to my last post:
ReplyDeleteThe cemetery has a website up asking people for money for this mausoleum and they didn't even have the decency to properly store this poor child's casket. The more I am reading about this, the angrier it is making me.
Field,
ReplyDeleteIs there a way for us to find out how much in donations were given to Perpetua Holdings for this mausoleum project?
To me, always, one of the most chilling things about Emmett Till's trial was the claim by the defendants that no one could PROVE the body was Till's, because it could be any one of a number of Black bodies that were likely to be found in the Tallahatchie River. Their defense was basically habeas corpus.
ReplyDeleteChilling, indeed.
ReplyDeleteThanks Granny, I hope you slept well too.
ReplyDeleteYup Field, I have a cornea dystrophy, so I wear the hard ones. My doctor said I should stop reading your blog a million times a day. How would I ever survive that? LOL
Thanks for the info Monie.
Marketing Diva, that story you told placed the scene in perspective. Wow. You know, every time I think of Till, I also think about his poor mother. That poor lady probably didn't even know what was going on with the casket all these years. I'm kind of glad, she's been through too much. Awful.
As for the grave incident, that goes on in more cemeteries than people know about.
ReplyDeleteNot that I needed one, but it's one more reason to be cremated.
'However, if they even imagined or assumed that a black person killed a white a person mobs would lynched them with the help of the Sheriffs and there was no trial. In subtle ways it is still that way now, only now they send them to prison and execute them. '
ReplyDeleteYou know Granny, I hate to bring it up. But I have always suspected they did the same to Emmett's father (Louis Till) when he was in the Army years before Emmett was killed. "Jim Crow" flourished in the US army, nothing is impossible. They even used the 'circumstances' surrounding Emmett's father to sway sympathy for Emmett's heinous death. There must be a lot of 'Jim Crow' participants in hell right now.
I just read about that a few minutes ago. Seems this segregationist senator, James Eastland, revealed that Till's father was executed while in the Army.
ReplyDeleteBefore this incident, the family did not know the specifics regarding the elder Till's execution--he had been charged with raping two women and killing another while in Italy--and Eastland revealed this information in the attempt to sway sympathy away from Emmett's mother.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till
"I can't agree more. A very bad week(s) in America..."
ReplyDelete...but an enlightening one, too. Hopefully we'll take the hint, and start playing to win...as a people.
Yeah, it has been a bad week, but then again,it's been another week of shining the light on the evil in the hearts of men. Remember though, I said back a few months ago that a lot of stuff was gonna start coming to light to be expose for all to see. All I can say is y'all ain't seen nothing yet. Yup, it all comes out in the wash.
ReplyDeleteLaIncognita:
ReplyDeleteI bet he was lynched. The military likes to keep their business on the base and between them but some of their mess is gonna come out too.
Ah, field, I am so sorry. I', just offering sympathy, here, but god-damn.
ReplyDeleteSarah Deere
What I find interesting is that this past week focused on two African American icons final image to the world: both in caskets, one in a gold encrusted final resting place, and another in a disturbed 'final' resting place.
ReplyDeleteEery and sad. I do'nt like the connection...
3 icons, don't foget the o-man's booty shot......LMAO
ReplyDeleteJUST WATCH ALL THE FREAKING VIDEO!!!!
HE WAS CHECKING IT!!!!
Kid:
ReplyDeleteI am going to step back and take a new approach with you.
I will start to look at you as a "Wounded Human Being", damaged because of your empathy for those who have been enslaved in the past. Unfortunately this provides you with cover to ignore how destructive your antics are for the future.
[quote]You know I get tired of the blame blacks first and only crowd. White supremacy have messed us up so much we are messing ourselves up by cruise control now.[/quote]
This is so telling of your consciousness Kid.
DESPITE having more people who are favored by the community in control over the key institutions in the areas we live - THE SLAVE MASTER'S WHIP still strikes.
Kid - as a management consultant this shows me that you believe that the PRESENT MANAGEMENT of the Black community alive today has less power to mold the people than these previous forces. It sounds like you need NEW MANAGEMENT.
[quote]
I blame certain whites for some things, but some blacks should also get the blame. We would have more blacks in business if EEOC head Clarence Thomas didn't throw us to the wolves.[/quote]
How old are you Kid?
You are admitting that Black people need Affirmative Action lest we are screwed and cannot compete.
One Black Man, Clarence Thomas has more POWER than the entire array of Black Educators, Mayors and Business Man.
[quote]
Crips and Bloods didn't start by themselves.Crack wasn't invented by George Washington Carver.[/quote]
Kid - these type of statements comfort me that you are not a worthy debate adversary.
You are correct about the Crips. It was TOOKIE WILLIAMS and another Black man who was later gunned down that STARTED THE CRIPS. Do you need me to post the video for you? I do have it from the show 'American Gangster'.
It doesn't matter WHO CREATED CRACK. It does matter who is DISTRIBUTING IT to the masses of people who are impacted.
This blog is very nice and informative. it is pretty hard task but your post and experience serve and teach me how to handle and make it more simple and manageable.
ReplyDelete-------------------------------------------
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