As an African-American female living in 21st century America, when I look at my life and the lives of many of my friends and family, I can truly say that God has brought us and "us" as a people--African-American and White Americans--a mighty long way.
Today, African-Americans can work, play and live pretty much anywhere we desire in a country that less than 50 years ago required protests, sit ins, and the passing of laws in order to enjoy such freedoms. (Note that I said "pretty much anywhere." I'll get back to that later.) We are doctors, lawyers, professors, bankers, music moguls, entrepreneurs, sports icons and even President of the United States.
Of course, we were always all of those things, hindered only by cold hearts, blind eyes, and hateful souls that only saw Africans and African-Americans as less than human, and less than deserving of anything that would in any way appear to be taking from a deserving White person--and of course, through the racist's lenses, all Whites were inherently deserving of anything and everything over an African-American.
We've come a long way, a really long way, yet sometimes it seems we want to conveniently sweep under the rug all of the unaddressed and therefore unresolved and still rippling effects of pain and shame associated with one of the most horrific blights in our country's history-- the brutal enslavement and government-sanctioned mistreatment of Africans and African-Americans.
Please keep in mind that slavery and the Jim Crow/segregation era are not anywhere close to ancient history. We are talking about recent history--very recent history...History so fresh that people like the 93-year-old distinguished African-American gentleman in my church have stories to share that will give you nightmares...History so recent that my 72-year-old mother still has the scars on her fingers from picking cotton, and scars in her heart from the brutalities and inequalities she witnessed as a child...History so current that many of the scores of African-Americans who were relegated to living in slums which were regularly supplied with drugs and weapons have raised scores of African-American boys and girls who inherited their parents' hopelessness and self-hatred....
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No! Whoa! Not so fast! We've not quite gotten past our past!
American writer and Nobel Prize Laureate William Faulkner explained it this way,
"The past is never dead. It's not even past."
With that in mind, how do we get over something impossible to get over when those who "got over" and some of those who got "overed" want to superficially get over what's underneath those who came over with a mindset to take over?
In other words, America's history of racial segregation and brutality is so painful and shameful that many of us want to simply forget about it and move on. We did it with regard to the decimation of the original people of this
country, so it's no surprise we'd do the same when it comes to the degradation of African-Americans. It's a typical response to something we find overwhelming.It's no different than a family of children who grew up so horrifically abused that the moment the abuse pauses or stops, some of the children decide to act as if it never happened, even vowing never to speak of "it." But, speak "it" does...sometimes speaking positively and proudly, moving in the exact opposite direction of the dysfunction and abuse. But, the law of averages assures us that not all of the children in an abusive environment will go on to soar above their abuse. Some will soar, others will sink. Their mouths may not speak of the abuse, but their actions and self-hatred will tell the tale.
It really shouldn't be too hard to figure out or map out one major source of dysfunction and self-hatred among African-Americans. What do we expect from a generation raised by a generation who was raised by a generation that was systematically and forcefully told that they were ignorant, less than human, scary people who needed to be corralled and closely monitored at every turn? If you hear something over and over long enough, it starts to seep into your psyche where it can then be spoken into existence and in turn, spoken into the lives of successive generations.
Just think about it. How many of us have been told that we have certain behavioral characteristics of family members from previous generations--some of whom we have never even met? Certainly if the positive behaviors, as well as the quirks and proclivities can pass down, why are we surprised when the pain and dysfunction pass down?
Where did (or does) all the fear, rage, anger and pain from racism go? Nowhere. After all, it's not as if our country ever took time for a collective period of healing and reconciliation after slavery and segregation. Nothing was ever processed. It was simply, one day African-Americans were "owned" by Whites, and the next day they "worked for" Whites as sharecroppers. One day African-Americans couldn't swim in the pool because the "black might come off in the water" and the next day, law enforcement was forced to enforce laws that said what was unthinkable was suddenly permissible.
I don't know how things are working out over in South Africa these days, but I am beginning to appreciate their attempt at truth and reconciliation. It's human nature to seek reconciliation or closure--whether it's a desire to close the books on a decades-old cold case, or to finally mend burned bridges between estranged family members, or to heal a country from its painful past.
Real closure, real reconciliation, and real healing begins with truth, for "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." But, what truth are we talking about? Truth is often relative and relatively painful, but these are the truths as I see them:
The truth is, members of one race, armed with an imperialistic mindset, decided it was superior to all others and began perpetuating that myth in oppressive and brutal ways. The truth is there are those in the current generation who no longer believe, live out, or impose that myth on others and have a heartfelt appreciation for African-Americans and other persons of color--yet enough persons with the old mindset are still in positions of power and influence and they, along with some well-meaning people, still view people of color with lenses that have been permanently distorted by racism. For example, just let an African-American move in to an exclusively or predominantly white community on either extreme end of the economic spectrum (we're not talking upper or lower middle class here, but extremely high or extremely low) and see how the locals respond....
The truth is the extremely hateful, violent, and prolonged oppression of any people leaves scars that do not typically heal on their own and certainly not in one or two generations, scars that can manifest in self-destructive and dysfunctional behavior for several generations....
The truth is welfare is not the answer and is at best a thinly-veiled apology for slavery and racism, and at worst a thinly-veiled re-enslavement of African-Americans....
The truth is "successful" African-Americans who made it out of the crab pot should at least consider going back to turn off the heat and drain the water out of the pot so others have a chance to get out--and White Americans who are not racists should do the same for those in their race who continue to view people of color as irrelevant or "less than"....
The truth is no matter what you do, some folks will not be healed or set free--but some will and they are worth the effort....
The truth is we are all in this together and that the oppressed and the oppressor must both continue the path toward total freedom from our enslaved and enslaving mindsets. The truth is, "Whom the Son sets free is free indeed," and ultimately our freedom will require God's supernatural help....
The truth is, I don't have all the answers, but I do believe I have some points worth considering....
Finally, the truth is...I'm glad I live in a time where I can have "Black" friends, "White" friends, "Brown" friends, you name it...something made possible because we have truly come a long way, a really long way....
BUT... it's not over until it's over....
BNcouraged!
(Note: All photographs obtained through public domain.)
For those who prefer a lighter approach to the topic, enjoy this short 3-minute video clip of comedian Louis CK's interview with Jay Leno:
Karen W. Curry is a native of Washington, DC and grew up being "bused" in the 1970s to help integrate schools in Prince George's County, Maryland where her family was one of the first African-Americans on her street. She is also an ordained minister, pastor's wife and mother of two, who--in her spare time--is an engaging preacher, teacher, motivational speaker, facilitator, writer, reviewer, poet, MC, liturgical dance/drama consultant and storyteller. Contact Rev. Karen at BNcouraged247@msn.com and visit her blog at www.revkarencurry.blogspot.com.