Never in the history of this country has there been a better time to be a black woman.
A year ago, I wouldn't have thought a woman or a black man had a chance to become president. Clinton and Obama have proven me wrong. And now Obama wants to have a conversation about race???
For all our "anger", our generation knows nothing about having to step aside when a white person passes nor having to call white children "sir" and "ma'am" as our grandparents did.
For all our talk about "segregated schools", we know nothing of the Jim Crow laws our parents survived. And if called to fight as they did (notice I said "fight" - not "vote for someone who says they will fight"), few of us would set aside our expensive toys and degrading music long enough to do it. We all know what happened when Cosby suggested we forgo Nike shoes and buy Hooked on Phonics.
I know racism is alive and well. My husband has an advanced degree and an awesome track record, and he still had to work incredibly hard to get into positions that his white counterparts entered directly out of college.
He endured jokes about race, remarks about affirmative action, and a coworker who flat out told him, "Sales is no place for a black man. Those rednecks aren't gonna buy from you."
Did my husband call human resources to file a complaint? Did he gather his coworkers for a conversation about race?
Instead, he followed the path of his parents and grandparents. He kept his mouth shut and his head held high, and he outworked everyone.
The former jokesters now beg my husband to accompany them on sales calls. Last week, the man who said my husband had no place in sales was promoted. He hand picked my husband to receive his most profitable accounts.
Apparently, even "rednecks" will buy from someone who knows the product better than anyone else.
I am growing weary of conversations about race. I would rather hear Obama talk about the hard work that got him where he is today. I'd rather he tell us how to take part in the American dream, than hail himself as the solution to all of our problems.
What path did you take Senator Obama? Tell us how we can do it too.
How did you manage to overcome racism and get so many white supporters?
We can either talk about how unfair life is and wait on the government to do something (guess how long we'll be waiting) or we can go out and make things happen for our families. All of the successful African-American men and women I know followed the same path.
Contrary to popular opinion, there IS an antidote to racism. Around our house, we call it "hard work".
1 comment:
Thank you Carletta, for your honesty and candor. Sometimes when people like you and I write and say the things we do, people somehow get the impression that we're saying that there is no racism. We're not that naive. I just don't see the point in using it as an excuse not to succeed, becasue success is possible despite the few racists out there. And the truth is that while there are racists among us, they are in far fewer numbers than a generation ago.
Barack Obama won Iowa, Utah, Rhode Island and many othe lily white states. He of all people ought to know that this country has caome a long way. It's like you said, hard work and integrity are the way to "level the playing field." But that requires something of us that gov't can't provide, which means the race baiters will always be among us.
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