I recall somewhere back there (before the civil rights efforts, I think) a much bruited about book (and possibly movie as well) about a ‘white’ man who is stunned to find that he has a ‘black’ ancestor. I did not like this racist message then and I don’t like it now. It is the essence of American racism. The Mormons did genealogical studies to ensure that they had no African roots at least though 1978 when they got around to renouncing their racism — somewhere I have one of these complicated studies done by a relative who converted which takes us back to a 14th century Irishman, a major 17th century British poet, early arrival in Plymouth of our great, great etc. grandparents.
My shock at American racism as a child came when I happened to read Richard Wright’s autobiographical Black Boy which opened the window on the horrors of the racist South. I had been growing up in the outer suburbs west of Hartford, Connecticut where one did not find either Jews or African Americans living. The only exceptions were a grocer in a poor community and a couple working for a wealthy gentleman farmer. I only discovered that Hartford actually had an African American ghetto of about six blocks when we delivered some war effort newspapers there as Boy Scouts.
Since that time I have watched the various manifestations of American racism — the civil rights break throughs, the developing African American middle class — but the enduring racism which has condemned so many to prison, poverty, the struggle to survive, and early deaths.
I respond (honestly) “other” to the census questions on race. I am pretty sure that all of us are a mixture from diverse sources — some suppression of identities in our family legends. We are members of the human race — other.
At the very least Apartheid South Africa drew more distinctions — white, black, and colored (mixed and East Indian — Gandhi). I recall asking South African friends at Oxford whether they had ever dined with Africans after we had invited them to dinner with an American fellow student. They said they had — with ‘coloreds’ like him which was acceptable in South Africa (they opposed racism).
I only began to see things through the eyes of those impacted by American racism when I watched my brilliant Nigerian college roommate reacting to it — he would become quite angry at its manifestations. He finally gave up on a career in Nigeria and did his brilliant medical teaching here in the U.S.
Also we lived for 3 years in a housing project on 125th St. in Harlem when we were graduate students which helped us lose the automatic reaction that someone of color was somehow different.
But I bristle at the manifest racism that is all around us. When I hear Obama characterized as a “black — he would have been “colored” in Apartheid South Africa — I see how deeply embedded it is. No wonder that Clarence Thomas is (sadly) so embittered with his hatreds directed towards his fellow human beings.
How would you feel if your children and grand children would be automatically classified as “black”?
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4 users commented in " American Racism — One Drop of ‘Black’ Blood! "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackMormons have been doing Genealogy since the 1800’s.
They have the largest database in the world.
They did the work for the Ellis Island names. They have
also done the most comprehensive family histories of
African Americans.
This work was done by the LDS church at no charge to anyone.
Mormons reasons for doing genealogy work has nothing to
with the reasons you suggest.
The only thing you’ve managed to demonstrate is that you are
either a total ingnoramous, a lazy journalist, or a liar.
good day
Your “story” sounds like complete and utter BS to me. Get over it. Real racism exists, but not to the extent you’d like as an excuse for your own failings. Please explain how Asians can be successful in less than a generation while blacks can’t do it after 10? Give it a rest.
“Please explain how Asians can be successful in less than a generation while blacks can’t do it after 10?”
As an Asian American allow me to explain. Asians are not employed commensurate with their qualifications or experience. Despite being high achievers, they are not represented among the ranks of the CEOs or in any decision making capacity. Yes, there are some Indian CEOs in Amercian corporations. Most, such as Vikram Pandit of Citicorp were given the jobs when it was clearly established that white Americans who headed these corporations cannot count, let alone do complicated mathematics, and the corporation was in grave danger of going under.
“Asians are not employed commensurate with their qualifications or experience.”
Nice assertion, Raj. A shame that you made it up.
I’d love to hear your theory on America’s self-made wealthy white men, such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Warren Buffett; there’s no white conspiracy stopping anyone from starting a company, you know.
Keep wallowing in your self-imposed victim status.
“Boo hoo, the nasty racist whites are keeping us down. Waaah!”
Loser.
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