SOMETIMES WE FORGET ANTI-RACISM IS TAUGHT TOO

"I was in a store with my mama when a man that was dark walked in! It scared me to death! I was 10 yrs old. I grabbed my mama's leg and was beginning to cry due to complete fear!!!

The tall dark man with very white hair with his somewhat curly white beard tipped his hat. He looked down upon me smiling a beautiful smile with the most beautiful pearly sparkly white teeth! And he so sweetly said to me "well hello there little girl!" Suddenly everything seemed okay. I looked up at my mama to be reassured.

And I saw my mama and the dark man smile real big at one another! They shared a chuckle! Being a country woman and limited education my mama speaks country! Now don't get me wrong here LOL I love hearing some country when it's my mama talking! And I talk country with her!

But she says to the man "how you?" as she nodded.

And again he tips his hat and says, "fine mam, that sho is a cute little girl you got there."

Mama smiled as she nodded and we parted ways.

I remember I just had to look back at that man again. I wanted to see his smile one more time. It seemed to have made everything okay.

On the way home we had a talk. This is when I learned there were/are differences. Suddenly my mama sang, (and I sang along) Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Red and yellow black and white ALL are precious in his sight.

Afterwards we smiled and giggle and then I asked, 'Mama is it hard to love everybody?" She replied, "Honey there are going to be a lot of hard things in life. But you're gonna be okay. Just do the right things!" Then once again we began to sing laugh and giggle! That was a special day!

She was right! Along my journey there have been many difficulties loving everyone! If it's not one person it's another. Judgements are passed along about you. Opinions and struggles you deal with. People seems to know more about you than you do yourself! LOL But I'll always do what my mama taught me! I will always love everybody. It simply comes down to right and wrong. And like she said everything will be okay just do what is right!"

~ Delores M
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I told my pastor a few years ago, when a book heavy with stereotyping came out, that babies are born thinking that skin color isn't that much more interesting than a brightly colored shirt they've never seen before. Fear of difference (including things other than race) is learned too in my opinion. Maybe. Fear of difference, naturally occurring or not, is something that is either embraced or rejected by a parent and communicated to child.

In the bible, "do not fear" is communicated 365 times, in some form or fashion --or so it is rumored. Whether the number is 322 or 369, the fact that it is repeated over and over again makes it an important life lesson - much more important than things being fought over today in the name of God... that aren't mentioned at all.

Out of fear we don't do things we should do. Out of fear we do things we shouldn't, then later try to justify them. Out of fear, we protect ourselves instead of others. And all of these beliefs (beliefs = thoughts not currently in your conscious mind) have had an effect on us AND everyone involved in the Trayvon Martin Case.

Look at one of the photo below (boy playing dead with Skittles and Tea) This is what happens when a parent doesn't remove fear of difference and teach respect for difference at a young age. That young boy in the photograph below could be a George Zimmerman in the making.

We can hope that someone takes him aside and explains why this picture is horrible. Even if it was done as a sort of protest, it is STILL so very disrespectful. (I'm grasping for straws here. I know) Either way, I hope parents see this photo and make it a teachable moment.

I hope the other photo (baby reaching out to man) is a teachable moment as well.

THE ARK OF RETURN U.N. SCULPTURE TRIBUTE TO TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

"It was only fitting that the ceremony take place at a site surrounded by the looming skyscrapers of New York. Slavery was the economic engine upon which American capitalism was built, providing the seed money for United States businesses to create the most vibrant economic system in the world."



from ATLANTA BLACK STAR

"The enslaved Black person (whose gender is purposely vague to represent men, women and children) lying inside the dramatically shaped marble memorial, which is called The Ark of Return, is a symbol of the millions whose deaths led to the building of those skyscrapers, the visual emblems of American capitalism’s enormous financial windfall for the white beneficiaries of slavery and their descendants.





During his speech unveiling the memorial, Ban Ki-moon spoke directly to Black people in the Americas and the Caribbean who are descended from the enslaved Black people who were sacrificed.



“I hope descendants of the transatlantic slave trade will feel empowered as they remember those who overcame this brutal system and passed their rich cultural heritage from Africa on to their children,” Ban said.



In his remarks, he singled out Black women in particular, noting that a third of those Black people who were sold as slaves from Africa were female.



“In addition to enduring the harsh conditions of forced labor as slaves, they experienced extreme forms of discrimination and exploitation as a result of their gender,” he said.




http://atlantablackstar.com/2015/03/26/united-nations-unveils-stunning-memorial-in-new-york-to-millions-who-died-and/





CLICK HERE TO TAKE A LOOK INSIDE and HEAR THE INSPIRATION FOR THE INTERACTIVE PIECE from ARTIST RODNEY LEON

IF WE LEFT, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE NOBODY

Maurice Rowland and Miguel Alvarez - originally from NPR.ORG and STORYCORPS.ORG

"The staff at the Valley Springs Manor left when they stopped getting paid — except for cook Maurice Rowland and Miguel Alvarez, the janitor.

"There was about 16 residents left behind, and we had a conversation in the kitchen, 'What are we going to do?' " Rowland says.

"If we left, they wouldn't have nobody," the 34-year-old Alvarez says.

Their roles quickly transformed for the elderly residents, who needed round-the-clock care."I would only go home for one hour, take a shower, get dressed, then be there for 24-hour days," says Alvarez.

Rowland, 35, remembers passing out medications during those long days. He says he didn't want to leave the residents — some coping with dementia — to fend for themselves.

"I just couldn't see myself going home — next thing you know, they're in the kitchen trying to cook their own food and burn the place down," Rowland says. "Even though they wasn't our family, they were kind of like our family for this short period of time."


For Alvarez, the situation brought back memories from his childhood.

"My parents, when they were younger, they left me abandoned," he says. "Knowing how they are going to feel, I didn't want them to go through that."

Alvarez and Rowland spent several days caring for the elderly residents of Valley Springs Manor until the fire department and sheriff took over.

The incident led to legislation in California known as the Residential Care for the Elderly Reform Act of 2014.

"If I would've left, I think that would have been on my conscience for a very long time," says Rowland."


CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL STORY AND MORE STORIES/ REBLOGGED FROM NPR.ORG and STORYCORPS.ORG

ELECTION DAY CHANGES THE FACE OF FERGUSON - by Huff Post

...or at least it changes the faces among the city council

"FERGUSON, Mo. -- Voters showed up at polling places in record numbers for a municipal election in this St. Louis suburb on Tuesday, tripling the number of black representatives on Ferguson City Council by electing two black candidates.

Tuesday's election in Ferguson would have been historic no matter the outcome. Three incumbents decided not to run, leaving half of the council's six seats up for grabs. The council now has one black member who was not up for re-election, and two black candidates were vying for one of the open seats. That meant city council was assured to have at least double the number of African-Americans once the votes are counted."

READ MORE, CLICK LINK BELOW

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7020472