Been thinking while I went to store & post office.

Almost 30 years ago, at an open stage in Bethesda MD., there was ONE semi-regular black attendee..a nice guy who played Scruggs-style Bluegrass banjo.

At a music camp my wife goes to in W. Virginia each Summer, there are very few black attendees...one of whom was Rhiannon Giddens of The Carolina Chocolatedrops She was a wonderful performer and amazingly well informed person. ...and I have since met the other two, who were the only black attendees at the concert for Pete, Peggy & Mike Seeger last fall. They are outstanding folks and tour widely..often to mostly white audiences.

   At the FSGW Getaway the last several years, there has been ONE black woman who attended. She was a lovely addition to the group, and participated in a skit. ..and she liked coming so well that last fall she brought her mother!

Now...all of these folks 'may' have had reservations about their lonely status when they first came to these gatherings, and 'may' have found some difficulties at some point, but I never heard about it, and they certainly felt welcome enough to keep attending these events.

I would be more than pleased if more felt the same way and added move voices to the mix...but there IS this cultural difference that makes the musical tastes enough different that it seldom happens.

Obviously, here at Mudcat, where political debates and general BS rages below the line, the situation is a bit different, since comments fly heavy and fast sometimes, and people sometimes say things they might not in RT discussions...but there are similarities, too...and most of us are happy to trade opinions with anyone, regardless of ethnicity. Most of us 'seem' to not even want to consider ethnicity of other Mudcatters when discussing issues OUTSIDE of Mudcat...such as politics. In my view, this applies even to discussions about Obama and the implicit racial/ethnic issues that arise simply because he is who he is!
Last week, I voted for Obama because I think he IS a good choice..articulate, inspirational, intelligent and as far as I can tell...honest! (I would have happily have voted for Barbara Jordan a few years ago, too, if she had been able & willing to run!)
...Now, having said that, I **KNOW** that having Obama as a serious candidate is breaking precedent, and that some folks WILL make it an issue...and therefore that issue gets foisted on even those of us who wish it were NOT an issue. Obama himself has done a remarkably good job of not ignoring his heritage, but still not emphasizing it...which is one more reason to like him!


So...the import of all this is that I wish this thread were not happening...but like Obama's candidacy, I can't see how to avoid it once someone else brings it up.

Darn it, Azizi...I wish YOU were able to come to the Getaway so that I could sit down with you and ..... (I was going to say "discuss this issue", but as I reached for the keys, I realized what I wanted to say was, "NOT discuss this issue" *grin*)...I know that you have a lot to contribute on certain topics (such at the threads on street rhymes and games), and I like having that resource FROM someone 'in the tradition'...but I have the feeling that this thread is creating an issue that feeds on itself and makes even innocent remarks take on flavors that wouldn't have been relevant if the thread hadn't been started...but now it's too late....

You see what a degree in philosophy can DO to one's head?

I could have written 27 other paragraphs, with recitation of personal stories in my 50 years of confronting the vagaries of humanity....but I just don't know where to start...we'll see how it goes.....