I am reading When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America by Paula Giddings, and I am so enlightened and much smarter as a result.
The one thing I need to point out was how united black people were in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Life wasn’t easy by a long shot, but any time there was a cause, they got together really quickly like the Tea Party. There was a point where the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) was 50,000 members strong. Can you show me ANY black organization that has that many members today? Consistent members.
Black people got together to fight for employment, the right to vote, the right to safety, the right to own property. They wanted equality in all aspects of their lives. And with reason. They had worked hard to try to remove the remnants of slavery, and they wanted their 20 acres and a mule. They never got it, but did the best they could with what they had. And they continued to stand up to the people who tried to keep them enslaved economically, socially and mentally. It was hard to keep Negroes down.
Today, it’s hard to get black people up to do anything for a good cause. I often wonder: what would make black people today get together like the Negroes of the past? It’s not the failure of the educational system. The consistent deaths of children certainly doesn’t seem important. And they continue to turn a blind eye to the state of broken homes and distant communities where self is the most important person despite the obvious needs of the children, elderly and the broken spirits. So, what would it take for black people to get the Negro mentality and fight?
What are your thoughts?
Excellent perspective. What would it take? These days I’d say a miracle. 🙂
I would have to agree. Unfortunately, no one cares. It’s a shame.
Hmmm… I had to come read this one so I can go back to the other post that linked to it and me being me, I slightly have to disagree.
Even back then, it depended on where one lived as to whether or not other people would help. Let’s not forget what happened the one time they tried; Rosewood. Black people, or negroes if you will, were allowed to just be slaughtered back then and there would be no retribution. At least now if a community doesn’t seem to do the right thing the federal government will step into it. Back then… you either left or got killed.
I’ll take what we have now, which I’ll admit isn’t great, is fairly apathetic, and seems to have forgotten what the folks who were “black and proud” went through. They’re generally happier, even if it’s at a major cost, and many of them only have to worry about killing each other; now isn’t that sad?
Mitch, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I was thinking of more of how many gathered for a cause. Although most of their causes were freedoms they should have been afforded just because they were U.S. citizens, they fought for them.
And I have to wonder if we are better off now when it comes to justice on all levels. I’m still heartbroken by Troy Davis, the deathrow inmate in Atlanta that was killed by lethal injection EVEN THOUGH no weapon had been found. And there was a story uncovered by The Chicago Reporter last year about young black males that were being locked up on gun charges even though no weapons were found when they were arrested. So, we have to wonder if their their arrests justified?
When I spoke to Dr. Maya Angelou, she said that things changed drastically after integration. In the book “Brainwashed” by Tom Burrell, he mentioned how black folk fell off after the Black and Proud movement. And there are no words to where we are now….
I hate the death penalty, but not for the reason you might think. I support it if there’s absolutely no doubt that the person did it. Colin Ferguson deserved it when he shot all those people on the train decades ago; so many witnesses and bodies that there was no question he did it. But when all one has is evidence, no witnesses (multiple), no real proof, but it sounds and seems like someone is guilty… nope, can’t accept death penalty in those cases, and that’s the overwhelming majority.
At the same time, how many times do you see someone get the death penalty who didn’t have some kind of bad history behind them? These days it’s rare and “we” need to find ways of making better choices and such, if you know what I mean. Still, people are happy doing it, or at least content doing it, and until they’re given something better or start really feeling the pain, enough pain to decide it’s time to actually let someone help make serious changes, there’s really not much we can do.
Dang, Mitch, you’re fast. I feel you on all counts. I guess my contribution to it all would be to bring issues to light through my blog. My heart still hurts because of Troy Davis.