I've been partying with Josh's family and now my family the past week and next two weeks and it's been soo fun! I love vaca. I would love to fill you in on a few of the highlights, but I just have a minute and was sort of struck by a quote about freedom that I thought I'd share in light of Independence Day.
*Side note: I always say the 4th of July, but my little sister Tina calls it Independence Day. We talked briefly about it on our run today and I thought how I liked that so much more, it reminds me what the day is really about. Anyway, just a thought.
Here's the quote:
"We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way. The third is freedom from want. The fourth is freedom from fear. " ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
I really liked it, until I considered it was from a president who presided over the country when blacks weren't exactly living with these freedoms. I'm sure every president before blacks were granted equal rights have made inspiring freedom quotes, but it just hit me and leaves me thinking, "What did they think about blacks???"
One of my favorite books is "The Secret Life of Bees" and I just watched the movie so maybe it's just fresh in my mind, but it shocks me how in a country of freedom blacks were allowed to be persecuted so much, if not legally, a blind eye was often given. I just don't get it. And I'm talking persecuted esp, not just unequal rights, but that so many were physically abused by others and so little justice given. Another favorite of mine, "To Kill A Mockingbird" brings up similar emotions.
There are a lot of topics close to this one, but I'm just trying to think of this one in particular.
Q: Any ideas on how presidents of our country let blacks get so beat up through the years while they promoted freedom?
Q: Do you have a favorite race-statement movie? (I like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner)
3 comments:
Racism goes in EVERY direction. The fact that it's been so focused on white against black skews what the reality of racism is, and it irritates me. There are so few people who truly are not racist.
Presidents only keep their jobs as long as the people want them to, so if they keep the people happy, they keep their jobs. I think part of the reason for the segregation of blacks and whites was a job security thing. The other part was fear.
Steve saw the movie Crash, and he told me about it, and how much he loved it. I can't handle the emotional intensity of the movie, so I haven't seen it, but I've heard great things about it. If you can handle it, then it's a movie you should watch.
Thanks for this, Afton. As always, you get me thinking about things, I appreciate it.
Miss you!
Hey Afton!
I've thought a ton about this topic in recent months and I've always sensitive to equality. However, I just finished reading Gone With the Wind and I found it really interesting. I know it's fiction, but it provided a very interesting alternative perspective. In all my reading about the Civil War in high school, I'd never read anything really from the perspective of the privileged white south. So I just thought I'd recommend it. It's an amazing book!
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