Reparations

While researching the HR 40 act that congress, thoughtfully, ignores every time it hits the floor, I kept thinking about the so-called “reparations” that the Native Americans were given, and the outcome of that. While Native Americans do have some benefits such as paid tuition in college and hunting rights throughout the year, the treatment of Native Americans is still slightly negative, in the fact that many of them are still subject to racial prejudices and are still stuck on these reservations.

Since the HR 40 act on the reparations for African Americans includes further education on the serious struggles that African Americans have faces throughout history, would this, in a way, “correct” the problem that still exists with the racial prejudices that Native Americans face consistently, and would it make racism and hate crimes decrease towards African Americans?

Because white parents, and of course children, are so uninformed about the sincere struggles of being a minority, the reparations bill may not be taken very well because they are taught that “it’s all alright. There’s not slavery anymore, so we’re good!” This thought that being a semi-decent human being by “freeing” slaves was enough of reparation is all too common, to the point of trying to justify everything that happened after that (such as the murders of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and Tamir Rice).

Basically, I just wonder how it could even happen when racism is just too common of a thought and practice. We still treat Native Americans as inferior by using ignorant and incorrect stereotypes, and we still “thugify” people of color and ignore the crimes that keep occurring against African Americans. Should we make a step before the entire HR 40 act and just make an Act that makes it absolutely necessary to inform and educate children on the harsh truth of American history? I feel that creating specific courses on African American history and Native American history that are necessary for the curriculum could possibly help the future generation, but then again many Americans couldn’t possibly stand to do so because America admitting it’s faults is just too difficult.

The future of race

(I'm not sure if this is my week to post but I think I might be missing one, so.)

Everyone in our class wants racism to end (I hope), but what would come after that? Let's say we reach a Star Trek-like society where race is just not a big issue anymore. We've managed to gain equality economically, in the media, in the work force, etc, etc. We're free of major race issues, so then what?

Do we let go of the idea of race?

Play along here with me, and let's say that thanks to science, our generation gets to live to be 150, or something, and so we see the changes in society. They're good changes; we're glad for them. But could we let race go? Would our grandchildren, free of the harsh stereotypes and the punches, still use "race"? Would they even identify as anything?

Obviously I can't speak for my imaginary great great grandchildren, but I personally don't think I could let it go. I would always see myself as Hispanic. I would always be watchful of any hateful things that might pop up that are tied to race. And to take it one step further, I think I would even be upset that my descendants wouldn't identify themselves as Hispanic. There's something distressing to me about that thought that I can't quite place. There would technically be no great need for them to still identify themselves that way, but I would want them to anyway.

A few years back there was a race discussion on an online community I was a part of, and I still remember it because it was something I had never thought about. A woman made a comment about how she would take it personally if her son was to marry a white girl. She, being black, felt that her son would be rejecting her in a sense by marrying outside of their race (I can't remember if it was specifically if he married a white girl or just outside of their race in general). It was a rather long thread with some people telling her that was ridiculous and a good handful of others agreeing and saying they felt the same way. In a way that I still can't articulate, I see her point.

I still think about that discussion every now and then, and it actually made me think really hard about who I wanted to marry. The more I think about it, the more I think I want to marry a Hispanic man. And right now, my brother--who is practically my best friend--is dating a white girl, and there are times where I am honestly thrown off by it. It's like the older I get the more I fear losing my Hispanic identity. It doesn't help that my mom remarried to a white man, and the culture clash has been absolutely god awful to go through. 

So while I certainly think that things might have been better if the concept of race had never existed, if the idea had been erased in time to prevent this white supremacy, I'm not sure if I want the future to be race-less. I think we would lose something, though I'm not sure what.

What Are You Really?

The problem cases were problematic to say the least. In order to decide what race someone really is, one criteria would be valued over the rest. I tend to think bodily appearance would take precedence over the rest because that is what it most noticeable during a first impression.

Dr. J requested we find an application of one of the problem cases: I started by searching "Is President Obama black enough?"and found several articles.  In this article (http://www.cjr.org/politics/is_obama_black_enough.php), he said, “I think if you look African-American in this society, you’re treated as an African-American.”  This may seem like an obvious statement, but it suggests the importance of appearance. In a racialized society like ours, if you look black, you're treated as though you are black. 

Many of us were torn about what qualifies the reality of race.  Race in our society does not function as simply as quace and therefore, there will always be aspects of uncertainty. Even is someone is really a race that is unknown, I think the conclusion for most will come from appearance. 

Hidden Colors Experience.. *Black History Edition*

Seeing that we talk about race all the time and we have been doing so by referencing African American philosophers I decided to dedicate this week's post to do some Moorish Enlightenment and this will be done as a sequel over the next few posts. I've been thinking about it as a reference to what Du Bois was trying to tell African Americans to do in the Conservation of Races, reveal what you can do or bring light to what had been done before we assimilate and become "American", or if you even want to after this.

I was exposed to my own Hidden Colors in the summer of 2014. It was quite an enlightening experience and at the same time, a hard pill to swallow. To know what I've been fed for so long.. To know I've witnessed people being played by their puppet strings... People I event thought highly of.. But then I had to realize it's been programed for so long into generations upon generations' minds  and deprogramming will take just as long as it took to upload this software of a mindset.

As I watched the Hidden Colors Documentary, they uncovered a lot about the Moorish influence and original aborigine real foot print in the world that's been hidden for so many years and covered by the tracks of multiple attempts to take away the true influences of enlightenment, progression, and to perpetuate racial hatred. Here is the link to a YouTube small drop in the bucket of the movie.

Link: http://youtu.be/Stx1haIJqI0

With recent movies like the Exodus, it's not hard to deny the racial prejudices that continue to go on today through the media. With recent events like the eruptions of #WHITEPRIVILAGE & #BLACKLIVESMATTER, it's not hard to overlook the need to keep the oppressed suppressed, to never see the light in this Allegory of the Cave. Through religion hearing Christianity is just a retold story of what really happened and created to the "Jesus" fiction story to sway the ever chained "African Americans" to dance to their beat as long as they can. Through tampering with ancient findings, the pure integrity of not only the job position but also the build of a person to make such changes to history to keep the image of oppression alive... In the eyes of a young growing "African American" race.

Take a few seconds to see what the documentary has to say and sit and think on it. I can find a link for the full documentary if anyone wants it. Or I can present it in class.  I didn't want to present this too early, I didn't want to seem as if I was some crazy anti-white everything. I just want equality and every one to embrace their differences and share to progress as a people (in my wishful thinking lol.)