Letter to my Daughter
Dear C,
On June 3, 2008, this country witnessed Barack Obama become the first African American to be the presidential nominee for a major political party. To many of us, this long awaited historical moment has yet to sink in. Just think about it, here we are approaching the end of the first decade of the 21 century and a person of color stands on the brink of becoming the president of the United States of America.
When Barack Obama was born in 1966, blacks were still fighting for the right to vote; to sit at the front of the bus; to eat at a lunch counter; to attend a college of our choice; to fight for decent housing and equality in housing, employment and economic opportunities, etc. In many places in America, blacks could not use facilities, like public drinking fountains, restrooms, swimming pools, or parks. Blacks had to sit in the balcony at movie theaters, and in a number of southern towns, if the movie provoked laughter; blacks had to wait until whites laughed first. Sound ridiculous? It was.
In Wheeling, WV where I grew up, I can remember a sign at the entrance of the neighboring town of McMechen which read:
“Niggers, Don’t Let the Sun Set on Your Ass.”
This event is truly one of the most profound and significant I’ve witnessed. And, even if Barack Obama doesn’t become president, the ramification of his nomination speaks volumes. It says that we as a nation, as a society, has begun to practice the challenge put to us by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to: …judge people by the content of their character, instead of the color of their skin. This event gives real meaning to that shop-worn phrase… You can be anything you want to be in this country.”
On June 19th you’ll turn 12, and I’m bringing this event to your attention because you are not too young to embrace the historical significance of what this will mean. I want you to bookmark this in your minds memory as one the many historical moments that are sure to take place in your lifetime. I want you to think about how this event, and the ones that are going to unfold this summer and fall, can/will change your outlook on life, attitude and aspirations.
I have seen many historical events in my 58 year, and they all, in their own way, has impacted my life and shaped my thoughts. For example, nationally, there was:
the school desegregation case in Brown vs. The Board of Education 1954,
the March on Washington,
the Detroit Riots,
the 1968 Democratic Convention Riots,
the passage of the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Bill,
the assassinations of JFK, MLK, Malcolm X and RFK,
the landing on the moon,
the beginning and end of the Vietnam War,
the Million Man March,
and many more that allowed me to witness, and be part of the gains and losses we as a people, and a country have struggled through.
Locally, in Wheeling:
the first black Ohio County Board of Education member Phillip Reed,
the first black firemen, Clarke Gordon,
the first black city police officer, Edward Smith,
the first black city councilman, Clyde Thomas, and myself, establishing ...
the Afro-Set, the first Black Nationalist group in WV.
Barack Obama’s nomination puts us as people of color, and as a nation, on the verge of political and social history. Politically, Mr. Obama could become the president of the United States. The ramifications of this are enormous. Socially, after 300 years of being invisible people, treated no better than beasts of burden, recognized only as three-fifths of a human being, through this event, we are announcing to the world that color blindness is a real possibility in these United States of America.
I see this color blindness in the way you young people choose your posses. Your peeps consist of Asians’, Hispanics, Arabs, blacks, whites, Chinese, and any other ethnic group member that share your interests. For your generation, and the one before yours, the pigmentation of ones skin, nor ones ethnic background, is no more a factor in whether to strike up a relationship, than who your favorite American Idol winner is.
Dear C,
On June 3, 2008, this country witnessed Barack Obama become the first African American to be the presidential nominee for a major political party. To many of us, this long awaited historical moment has yet to sink in. Just think about it, here we are approaching the end of the first decade of the 21 century and a person of color stands on the brink of becoming the president of the United States of America.
When Barack Obama was born in 1966, blacks were still fighting for the right to vote; to sit at the front of the bus; to eat at a lunch counter; to attend a college of our choice; to fight for decent housing and equality in housing, employment and economic opportunities, etc. In many places in America, blacks could not use facilities, like public drinking fountains, restrooms, swimming pools, or parks. Blacks had to sit in the balcony at movie theaters, and in a number of southern towns, if the movie provoked laughter; blacks had to wait until whites laughed first. Sound ridiculous? It was.
In Wheeling, WV where I grew up, I can remember a sign at the entrance of the neighboring town of McMechen which read:
“Niggers, Don’t Let the Sun Set on Your Ass.”
This event is truly one of the most profound and significant I’ve witnessed. And, even if Barack Obama doesn’t become president, the ramification of his nomination speaks volumes. It says that we as a nation, as a society, has begun to practice the challenge put to us by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to: …judge people by the content of their character, instead of the color of their skin. This event gives real meaning to that shop-worn phrase… You can be anything you want to be in this country.”
On June 19th you’ll turn 12, and I’m bringing this event to your attention because you are not too young to embrace the historical significance of what this will mean. I want you to bookmark this in your minds memory as one the many historical moments that are sure to take place in your lifetime. I want you to think about how this event, and the ones that are going to unfold this summer and fall, can/will change your outlook on life, attitude and aspirations.
I have seen many historical events in my 58 year, and they all, in their own way, has impacted my life and shaped my thoughts. For example, nationally, there was:
the school desegregation case in Brown vs. The Board of Education 1954,
the March on Washington,
the Detroit Riots,
the 1968 Democratic Convention Riots,
the passage of the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Bill,
the assassinations of JFK, MLK, Malcolm X and RFK,
the landing on the moon,
the beginning and end of the Vietnam War,
the Million Man March,
and many more that allowed me to witness, and be part of the gains and losses we as a people, and a country have struggled through.
Locally, in Wheeling:
the first black Ohio County Board of Education member Phillip Reed,
the first black firemen, Clarke Gordon,
the first black city police officer, Edward Smith,
the first black city councilman, Clyde Thomas, and myself, establishing ...
the Afro-Set, the first Black Nationalist group in WV.
Barack Obama’s nomination puts us as people of color, and as a nation, on the verge of political and social history. Politically, Mr. Obama could become the president of the United States. The ramifications of this are enormous. Socially, after 300 years of being invisible people, treated no better than beasts of burden, recognized only as three-fifths of a human being, through this event, we are announcing to the world that color blindness is a real possibility in these United States of America.
I see this color blindness in the way you young people choose your posses. Your peeps consist of Asians’, Hispanics, Arabs, blacks, whites, Chinese, and any other ethnic group member that share your interests. For your generation, and the one before yours, the pigmentation of ones skin, nor ones ethnic background, is no more a factor in whether to strike up a relationship, than who your favorite American Idol winner is.
This is a milestone in your life, and will be even more meaningful when Barack Obama becomes president. It’ll be a moment that will live among those other great moments when people ask; “Where were you and, what were you doing when….”
Love you, Dad
Love you, Dad
1 comment:
Incredible, man. I'm glad that you have started blogging. I read all your e-mails and wondered why you didn't have a site. By the way, This is Ronnie Scott Jr. If you get a chance, hit my blog up
http://butwhothehellami.blogspot.com/
Peace
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