Why do we still have to tell people that Black Face is not okay???
It's past my bed time, I'm drinking terrible wine mixed with diet orange soda, and my face is killing me. What better time for a random BLOG POST Post post … That was supposed to be the word "post" echoing like in the cartoons …
Anyway, it's Black History Month! Which [I know it might be weird because I'm super white] I get very excited over every year [though I think it should be in January instead of the shortest fricking month of the year, and MLK's birthday is in January and there could be the COOLEST celebration ever, but no one cares what I think]. I got to thinking recently that I only participate in the month by taking other people's research and reading it, and enjoying seeing my friends of colour celebrate their history. I, however, don't change anything about what I do. I asked a woman I work with how she celebrates Black History Month, and I think I surprised her, but thankfully she wasn't offended by my curiosity. I worry about asking those kinds of questions, but I really like to learn. In that conversation I got to wondering though, what am I doing on my own for my education?
I want to be educated about the MANY fabulous black writers, inventors, activists, THINKERS that have been long ignored in schools. I remember I took a Multicultural Lit class in college, and I was a twat and thought, "Why do I have to take this?" I rapidly began to understand why. In this class I got to read pieces written by immigrants about Ellis Island, Japanese-Americans during WWII, Native American mythology ... all these things that ALL the English classes I took for my English degree failed to deliver. As far as practicality was concerned, this was the most useful English class I ever took and I'm grateful for it. Reading the pieces we read changed my life so profoundly. It changed how I looked at coworkers, the world around me, and even the people I don't know that I meet on a regular basis. I wouldn't say I was racist, but I was definitely ignorant and careless to what events shaped who I am as a white woman and who my friends are as people of colour. From here, I started reading more multicultural literature. I started looking into more diverse movies. Cuisine.
I just learned that trauma changes a child's brain and kills of sensors permanently, [not something I can explain fully, it was in a documentary I watched for a work related class on how poverty is proportional to race, very good class that Sedgwick County hosted], and that can be passed on to future generations, so really scientifically if this is a fact and not something this documentary made up, the black people I meet today have genetic memory of all the trauma their ancestors experienced as kids because of racism and slavery.
I can't change what happened, but I don't follow the philosophy, "Well, that wasn't me … and that wasn't your ancestors, so get over it!" There are people you can meet today, who aren't exactly knocking on death's door, who can talk to you about segregation. Can talk to you about being called the N-word as freely as we call people sir/ma'am. Those people tell their kids their life stories. Tell their grand kids. Those experiences are valid. While NO, I cannot take responsibility for the horrible behavior of white people, I CAN take responsibility for any complacency I have in the way people of colour are treated or talked about around me. I want to learn about the black women that worked for NASA, I want to hear more about what life in the 80's was like during the crack epidemic, I want to learn more about the inventions … And I want to learn about how foundation is made so I can see why it's so god damned hard for people of deeper skin tones to get a decent shade for them, because that just seems inexcusable.
All this rambling to just say that I've got a whole bunch of awesome books on my kindle to challenge myself to read so I can do my own part in participating in this education opportunity.
What are you doing to celebrate this month? I'd like to hear anything you like to read, any movies you like to watch, artists that keep your soul aflame. Bring it!
Anyway, it's Black History Month! Which [I know it might be weird because I'm super white] I get very excited over every year [though I think it should be in January instead of the shortest fricking month of the year, and MLK's birthday is in January and there could be the COOLEST celebration ever, but no one cares what I think]. I got to thinking recently that I only participate in the month by taking other people's research and reading it, and enjoying seeing my friends of colour celebrate their history. I, however, don't change anything about what I do. I asked a woman I work with how she celebrates Black History Month, and I think I surprised her, but thankfully she wasn't offended by my curiosity. I worry about asking those kinds of questions, but I really like to learn. In that conversation I got to wondering though, what am I doing on my own for my education?
I want to be educated about the MANY fabulous black writers, inventors, activists, THINKERS that have been long ignored in schools. I remember I took a Multicultural Lit class in college, and I was a twat and thought, "Why do I have to take this?" I rapidly began to understand why. In this class I got to read pieces written by immigrants about Ellis Island, Japanese-Americans during WWII, Native American mythology ... all these things that ALL the English classes I took for my English degree failed to deliver. As far as practicality was concerned, this was the most useful English class I ever took and I'm grateful for it. Reading the pieces we read changed my life so profoundly. It changed how I looked at coworkers, the world around me, and even the people I don't know that I meet on a regular basis. I wouldn't say I was racist, but I was definitely ignorant and careless to what events shaped who I am as a white woman and who my friends are as people of colour. From here, I started reading more multicultural literature. I started looking into more diverse movies. Cuisine.
I just learned that trauma changes a child's brain and kills of sensors permanently, [not something I can explain fully, it was in a documentary I watched for a work related class on how poverty is proportional to race, very good class that Sedgwick County hosted], and that can be passed on to future generations, so really scientifically if this is a fact and not something this documentary made up, the black people I meet today have genetic memory of all the trauma their ancestors experienced as kids because of racism and slavery.
I can't change what happened, but I don't follow the philosophy, "Well, that wasn't me … and that wasn't your ancestors, so get over it!" There are people you can meet today, who aren't exactly knocking on death's door, who can talk to you about segregation. Can talk to you about being called the N-word as freely as we call people sir/ma'am. Those people tell their kids their life stories. Tell their grand kids. Those experiences are valid. While NO, I cannot take responsibility for the horrible behavior of white people, I CAN take responsibility for any complacency I have in the way people of colour are treated or talked about around me. I want to learn about the black women that worked for NASA, I want to hear more about what life in the 80's was like during the crack epidemic, I want to learn more about the inventions … And I want to learn about how foundation is made so I can see why it's so god damned hard for people of deeper skin tones to get a decent shade for them, because that just seems inexcusable.
All this rambling to just say that I've got a whole bunch of awesome books on my kindle to challenge myself to read so I can do my own part in participating in this education opportunity.
What are you doing to celebrate this month? I'd like to hear anything you like to read, any movies you like to watch, artists that keep your soul aflame. Bring it!
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