At first, I was not going to respond
to your recent comment, but I just could not ignore the issue you attempted to
make by implication. I do want to thank you for this “teaching moment” that will
allow me to address your comment and hopefully enlighten someone. For this
reason, you shall remain anonymous! Let me say from the start, I do not believe
you are a racist when you said that “you people are just voting for Obama
because he is black!” However, I do believe that racism is alive and
well in our United States of America, and you and I daily bare its effects and intrusion
into our lives. I believe you are just as much a victim of racism’s
misinformation as Black Americans are of its bigotry. There is so much
misinformation about people of color in general and President Obama in
particular. I believe you are just a misinformed individual!
I think my friend if you would set aside your
presuppositions about both, and look with an inquiring fair mind; you will find
things are not as you have been led to believe. You will find that Black
Americans have the same concerns about our country and our families’ welfare as
any other American ethnic group. You will find that we are among the most loyal
and patriotic supporters of our country. We have bravely served in each and
every war. We are the first to give our lives in the defense of America from
her enemies, since the inception of the 13 colonies. Although we come home from
these wars wounded, broken and torn, to face still racial discrimination and
hatred, we still volunteer to enlist. We have always had to fight on two
fronts. While fighting in foreign countries, we are still fighting in America
to be respected and treated equally under the flag we fought and died to
protect.
It is ironic that as black soldiers fighting
for America, there was a time when the armed forces were segregated because of
racism. However, we could die on the battlefield, side by side with those same
soldiers who held racist opinions of us. There is an old Native American idiom
that wisely says, “Before judging someone, walk a mile in their moccasins.” We
have revised it to say “Walk a mile in my shoes.” However you say it, its
meaning is clearly the same. “Walk a mile in my shoes” and you will know how it
feels to be me! Be in my place, be in my
position, be in my situation and see how it is with me! Then you will know what
it’s like for me! In short, put yourself into someone else’s position, before
judging them! I cannot help but feel if we all followed this advice, we would
not have the problems of getting along with one another, we have today! I wish
everyone could really study our history and walk a mile in the shoes of average Black
Americans.
I have to assume that you are not
of Black American origins, or else you would not have made the statement that
you made. You think you have us all figured out, but you really don’t have a
clue. By you not being a person of color, you will most likely never fully
understand why Black Americans would vote for a candidate because of his race.
Let me see if I can enlighten you a little on the subject. Now, I won’t pretend
to speak for all Black Americans. However, I can give you a consensus of how people
in my circle of influence feel to a greater or lesser degree about your comment. Just
so you know, my own family has members from many nationalities. Racism is not a
part of our family structure! The overall consensus of those whom I shared your
comment with is that, A) Your statement smells of racism. And B) You don’t know
enough about Black Americans to be making such a general, dogmatic statement!
Now for me personally as an individual, your statement does have some merit! If I had to look at my voting
in the last two elections for President; in terms of percentages; I would say
that I voted my conscience 70/30 for Barack Obama. Yes, I voted for him 70%
because I felt he was the best and most qualified person to lead this country;
out of all the candidates running. And yes, I voted for him 30% because of his ethnicity
and because I felt it was about time for change! For the
first time in my history of voting, I could see that my vote was going to count
for something! I no longer felt disenfranchised! My little individual vote was going to make a difference. My vote would be a part of making
history in America and the world. Believe me, Black Americans are not stupid!
Barack Obama would not have gotten our vote, if he was just another “run of the
mill” candidate! Everyone saw something different in him! We saw something special! We saw Hope and Change!
You see my friend, your people
have never been in a situation where they where slaves of another race of
people in recent history. Your people have never been kidnapped from their
homeland; sold into slavery and accorded the worst treatment any human could
put upon another human being. Your people have never been totally stripped of
their cultural identity, language, mores and religion; then forced to adapt to
the culture of another race. Have your people ever been considered as the chattel
property of another; to be sold, beaten, raped and murdered at will, by people
professing to be Christians? My people
have! Have your people been lynched, burned alive, drugged by a car until the head separated from the body? My people have! Have your people had their homes and churches bombed and set afire in effort to intimidate them? My people have! Have they had to look in the face of hatred from a mob of hundreds, knowing they were going to be horribly murdered at any moment? I don't think so!
Your people have never been bred like
live stock to their own fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, to produce more
slaves. Have your people been forced to stand by and watch their women be raped;
their men be killed in horrible ways, just for the sport of it? My people have?
Your people have never been denied their civil rights or for that matter, human
rights. Have your people had to endure being fire hosed and attacked by police dogs, because they were demonstrating for civil rights? My people have! Your people have never had to face uniform racial discrimination in every
aspect of their lives; or live in ghetto environments; or watch police randomly
kill your people for no good reason. My people have! This is the way Black
Americans have had to experience life in America, for many hundreds of years. This
is the Black Experience!
If your people had experienced
any of these things, you would have a totally different appreciation for human
life and the right to vote. You would understand what a genuine joy it is to
see someone of your race; who has survived all of this, rise to the highest
office of the land. You would know what
it is to feel that overwhelming since of pride bring water to your eyes; every
time you witness him leading and moving in the circles of government and world affairs.
If you could only “walk a mile in our shoes,” you would want to honor the sacrifice
of people who willingly gave their lives, so that we could enjoy the privilege of
voting today. You would understand what a privilege and honor it is to vote
for a Black Man in this day and time!
Yes, you would vote the
collective will of your people, to help one of their race achieve success, in a
world where everything has been purposely stacked against them. Your heart and
mind would lead you to cast a vote for one of your people and make a difference
in the lives millions who view this as true change. You must remember, in the
last election and this election, President Obama was not elected solely on the
votes of Black Americans. Had he relied solely on the Black vote, he probably would not have won election, in either primary. He was elected in both primaries by Americans of all shades,
religions and nationalities! This was democracy in action; producing a mandate that reflected the "expressed will of the people." Please join me in prayer for cooperation and
respect by all parties of government; and this next four years will move us
FORWARD to bring about a truly United States of America. We are all in this
TOGETHER and I am still. . . . .
Your brother, In His Service
Min. Douglas
