The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #86490 Message #1610930
Posted By: Azizi
22-Nov-05 - 02:11 AM
Thread Name: BS: Racial No-nos
Subject: RE: BS: Racial No-nos
Perhaps it would be helpful if I reiterated the reason why I started this thread.
This thread was prompted by an earlier Mudcat thread PC-where is thy sting?-Pick A Bale Of Cotton Ban
As you will recall, that thread discussed the fact that a school recital on folk music turned controversial because the parent of the lone African American in the school protested the inclusion of "Pick A Bale of Cotton" to represent Black culture.
It was my sense from reading the comments about this incident that the school and music instructor meant well, but may not have understood what things were likely to be considered offensive to Black Americans, and why.
I believed and still believe that increasing multicultural understanding is an important goal for the United States and for the rest of the world.
I believed and still believe that Black Americans as individuals and as groups of people {since we are a very heterogeneous mix of peoples} must "clean house". By 'clean house' I mean that we should confront and eradicate prejudicial feelings and those things that we do that sustain and increase those feelings that we have toward ourselves [such as skin color preferences for either light skinned Black people or skin color preferences for dark skinned Black people] And we should confront and eradicate the prejudice and those things that that we do that sustain and increase those feelings that we have toward White people and other non-Black peoples.
This discussion has provided opportunities for people to express their opinions on sensitive issues. Discussions such as this may be one way to help eradicate racial misunderstanding and promote positive interracial communication and understanding.
Rodney King's name will live on in history in part because of his inpromptu question that I believe came from the heart:
"Can't we all get along?"
I believe that in order for us to get along [with each other] we should face the pain that racism directed to individuals has caused and still causes. I also believe that we should do what we can to correct the societal inequities and injustice that sustains institutional racism in education systems, in housing, health care, the mass media, and other systems.