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Black voices & White voices

From My post at AOL Black Voices/BlackSpin:

I don’t live in a different world from any other American. But I experience that world as an individual, through the prism of my identity which consists of many elements including “race” as the concept has manifested in this country. As a black woman, I don’t see the world as a white male or white woman does. Another example, as an able bodied woman, my experiences are different from a disabled person’s. It would be uninformed for me to presume that although I am a supporter of the Disabled Rights movement, that our news and information priorities are always the same.

This is perhaps a long wind up to get to the question I’d like to address here. Frequently, visitors to the AOL site ask this:

Why no “WhiteVoices?” This continues to segregate no matter how you sell it. Maybe just “Voices‚” or “REGIONAL VOICES?” Just sets things back further. Not much of an INDEPENDENCE DAY positive movement. Really look beyond colors would ya???

My first reaction is always to wonder if these same people write to Time, Newsweek, Huffington Post, AOL’s Fanhouse or any other online forum host about the preponderance of white opinion on those pages.

It seems somehow that many white people do not see “white” as its own race and influencer on personal experience. They see black, brown, gold and America. Or they see black, brown, gold and “the rest of us.” They don’t think in terms that no matter what you call majority white opinion and news organizations, they are predominately and in essence “white voices.”

Those “mainstream,” i.e. white majority, forums generate topics and focus attention on issues editors decide are important to their primary readership – as does “Black Voices.” Like “Black Voices,” those staffs are racially integrated and articles are open to anyone to read and comment on.

One of the ideas I most oppose is the notion that recognizing differences in American experience is “setting things back further” or “divisive.” I really do not understand that. In my ideal America, we respect and honor the vibrant diversity of the United States. We see each others experiences and listen to what each other has to say and from that exchange we forge a fuller understanding of the world. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about being judged on the content of one’s character. Dr. King never, ever suggested that a person’s skin color would have to be rendered unspeakable or invisible in order for them to be considered equal.

  • smittyt
    one day people will wake up and see there,s just ain,t no way you can live in peace with the white race you might see people that think their getting along with them but it,s always gonna be they on top you on the bottom they always gonna think their smarter then you and everything is gonna have to be their way because they get mad fast when a black person say something to them they don,t like they feelings get hurt fast and, there ain,t no way in the world am kissing nobody ass to get along with them they reall y ain,t worth the trouble.
  • namekimby303
    First of all i never blamed white people for selling us in to slavery.And i do not blame anyone for my failures which are few,my life has been very productive.Iam very aware of the part some blacks played in slavery,. You made my point with all of your childish rants,why did you feel the need to tell me to shut the hell up?what i didnt ask your permission to voice my opinion? Sorry master(ha-ha)My reference to slavery was made to show how one group of people had control over another group of people. You obviously did'nt understand the comment, I think you just are so angry that you needed to yell at a black person. Say what you want just don't tell me"TO SHUT THE HELLUP"!
  • Harvey
    From High school on we were told to sit down, hush up, PAY UP(it is not yours, it be mines), etc. Why would any of us give a damn. It is just as bad to be a conservative white man as it is to be a black conservative. My family is mixed. God punishes those of us who judge poorly, and unfairly. No one wants to hear a white voice say "back off," "stand on your own feet," etc. It only increases the African American anger thus has little value. You keep your race. You all kill each other in record numbers and the voice we hear is how evil and bad every other race is.
  • johncalloway
    I just want to take a quick a minute and discuss black history month. In my opinion I think it is a bunch of B.S. The blacks feel they need a month to recognize there struggle and uprisings. Well what about the white race or the Native American race or even the Asian race. What about them. All races have struggled and had to "uprise" but the blacks are the only race that expect recognition from the whole damn country. The black race wants to be equal but act as if they deserve more. BET, Ebony magazine, the NAACP. I think we should have a WET (White Entertainment Television), A Caucasian magazine, and an organization set up for the main purpose of making sure the White Americans receive equal rights. The Native Americans owned the whole country and was raped, murdered, and lied to but you do not see them screaming racism.
  • Chris Summerfield
    Well hello again Carmen. I must say, I'm dissapointed that this blog has fell off in recent times and seems to have been relegated to being lost in the mix of so many other subjects. Perhaps a downsizing and streamlining of the total amount of blogs is necessary. It's just that I'm sure there are lots of black and white people with strong feelings on this most important issue, I'm just not too sure that they have knowledge of it's existance. Any thoughts?
  • gumbo
    I agree whole heartedly, but when i look at a reflection of myself i know what i look like. Will bragging or shouting to the world make my world better? Surely not. Neither will hiding in the attic, Whatever we are I suppose God made us this way for a reason.
  • Chris
    I say we eliminate adjectives this way we can all become humans again
  • kimby303
    why is it that white americans always feel the need to tell black people how they should think and feel about certain things. It sounds alot like countrol to me.(slavery)!
  • Allen O
    that's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Black Americans tell white people how to "act", and if I see a Black person being racist, I'm going to say something, surely they would do the same thing to me if I were racist.
  • bill
    I'm white and sometimes I don't like seeing people segregating themselves into collectives. But then to each his own. I've had relationships with different races and the most honest woman I met is Arabic, although I had a lot of relatioships in my own race too. Still, I think we are comfortable with who we grew up with. I work in a mostly Asian environment and we whites are in the shadows and out of the limelight. I can sort of understand group identity still. I can see why other races want to do it. I think we whites are better off to walk past it and rely on our own individual means of support. People grow stronger individually when we are alone and have to think, and that is independent of color. It's a big world. If you want to live with whites only, consider New Hampshire or Vermont! But if you want to get ahead in life, you will have to adapt and allow other people to join groups of their own identity. The city is still the best place to get ahead in life. You have to accept all colors and lifestyles so that you can advance yourself and grow. I cannot see myself living in a metro area with under 1 million people again.
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