This essay brings up some food for thought. Coming from where i come from, I've grown up in a neighborhood that is predominantly African American populated. I grew up having more Black friends than white friends mostly because where I lived. Coming from my perspective, nothing in this essay relates to me but everybody has different experiences and a different up bringing. I grew up respecting the people in my neighborhood and our neighbors, which have lived by us for 15+ years now, had 2 grandson's that were a little younger than me and these guys have become my good friends. They are Black and we've grown up from little kids to young men. Not once, has race ever been issue or a problem. Its not even worth talking about between us all. What happened in the past happened in the past. We didn't live through the days of Dr. King or Malcolm X. The difference we have is the color of our skin. We are still human beings. We all have a brain and a heart and the same organs, nothings different. So why judge by skin color when we didn't live through those days of history? I consider me and my friends blessed that we had each other growing up so that we didn't have problems later in our life dealing with racial issues.
The quote by Nathan McCall makes me laugh when he says that," Its sad, this gulf between blacks and whites. We're so afraid of each other." Afraid? Ive never been afraid my Black friends just like they aren't afraid of me as a White person. I think if people stepped out of the box and realize that respecting each other goes a long way to breaking a color line. So what if somebody is a different color or different ethnicity than you? Its skin color, if you take away skin there isn't anything different inside. Its like what the ol' saying goes" Dont judge a book by its cover."
1. Do different up bringings affect a person's outlook on issues? Such as race?
2. When will people realize that the color of a person's skin doesn't matter?
I really like your post! I think you brought a good side to the story and argument.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your first question I think that a person's childhood really shapes what they think about different races. I know that my feelings on black people would be entirely different if I had been raised in a black community instead of a farming community where it is 99% whites.
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