LittleRedCorvette - I understand what you are saying, but I don't agree with your wording. In this country we do not have slavery. We still have racism and "classism," but not slavery. I teach at an HBCU, so I know there is a way out. Education can get you out of poverty. My hubby is a CPA who just received his law degree. I know there is hope. The problem is for those who cannot make it into college or through college. Those of us who escape need to reach back for the ones who can't.

And we must make sure that the young ones coming up now know and understand what the struggle really is about. All they hear about is Martin Luther King. That isn't enough. I make sure my students hear the facts they weren't given in high school. The reason so many can scream about "playing the race card" is because they haven't a clue. How can anyone make such a statement when James Byrd Jr was decapitated - by two young white men who wrapped a chain around his neck and dragged him behind their truck. New age lynching. There is a book, I think the title is just Lynching, that everyone needs to see just once.

And Susan Smith knew exactly who to blame. If you don't know these two names, you are not aware of the race problem in this country. You must know ALL sides before judgments can be made.
[This message was edited Thu Oct 10 9:27:58 PDT 2002 by teacherlady88]

Teacherlady I agree with what you are saying. There is hope. However, perhaps I see slavery as more a repression of a person, not allowing that person to live up to their fullest capabilities and a holding that person back. I know of employers who admit that they pay the barest minimum because (in the words of one such employer) "What are they going to do? Look for work elsewhere? They can't because they need what I pay them to pay their bills." Now if this employer knows that he is holding someone back, if he knows that he is repressing that individual and keeping that person from reaching their fullest potential, then in effect he is instigating slavery in loose terms. I realize that not all will see this as slavery. The individual in question has the freedom to move on, but to the individual living the experience, he doesn't have that freedom or that luxury just due to the fact that he can't afford to move on. Everyday of lost wages is a day that his child/ren do without food or the electric gets turned off or ... You get the drift on that.

Yes education is key. However, our educational systems still have much further to go before they can even begin to be equal opportunity. I observed a classroom of special ed students one year for a college course and overheard the teacher tell the student, "I don't know why you are trying so hard, you're just going to go on welfare like your mother." The teacher in effect did not "teach" that student as well as he did others in the classroom.

Perhaps it is only racism, but I've seen examples of this geared towards the white race, african americans, asians, etc. So I can't say that the instances that I am speaking of are race related. When slavery is mentioned, most people assume it is related to only the black race, which is definitely not the case. It is just that slavery against the black race has been more spoken of, touched upon in schools, and discussed more. There were other cultures and races that were slaves in previous times. There are other races held back now due to economic status. I mentioned a "black man" in my previous post because it does seem that more are aware of the racist issues and slavery issues that are geared towards the black man.

As for teaching our kids, I agree that teaching about MLK isn't enough. I worked in a teen residential facility and whenever one of my girls came home complaining about something that said about her due to her race or even when I witnessed some of the hateful racist remarks made, I would teach my girls to stand tall and proud, to be proud of who they are and where they come from, and to not give into the hype that these individuals are trying to teach. I would tell them to always watch the way in which they react to such situations because reacting in anger (though it shouldn't be this way) most often just reinforced to the person who was being insulting and racist that they were correct in their assumptions. I told them that by reacting with grace and dignity, the only one that looks bad then will be the one that is being racist.

I do know of the two individuals that you speak of. The book sound interesting and I will make a trip to Barnes and Noble to pick it up.

LRC- I admire your passion. It is apparant that you are looking for a change in the world. I have to applaud your stance. But I am concerned.

The word "slavery" is such a touchy subject that should not be "loosely" applied at any time. One effect would be a lessening of the actual event. "The Holocaust" is ALWAYS "The Holocaust." In my experience, the term is never bandied about with other events. So the pain and anguish of that event stays immediate and raw. There is power in that. Everyone understands at once when s/he hears "Never again."

Well as African Americans we give our power away. We should be an economic force in this country and we aren't. We should not allow ourselves or our life altering events to be cheapened. But we do.

And for God's sake don't buy Lynchings. See if you can find it in the library. This is not a book you want to own unless you teach the subject.

Drakie said: what Linclon said:

Wow Drakie you done sum homework!!
I will look in it too!

funny how this shit seems to come as a surprise to most folks... it's like when one talks about how this is a rasist goverment geared to keeping people (black) of colour
under their thumb, you always get bleeding hearts with,
"you people should get over yourselves and let the past,
be the past. there are sooo many opportunities for you to pull yourselves up and do better things, than try to take out your anger about old things on people who have nothing to do with whut had been done to you in the longago."
i actually don't care whut happened to them, or the people that bought these things about. i care only that, in my time, these things are still real. and the same thing he said is being said now, using a different venacular.
to sleep on the ever present danger being pose toward
black folks, is to agree that all is hunkydori.
i only ask that you THINK.