I went to public school with black kids. From 4th
grade (1950) to graduation from high school (1958). I traveled with students
from my high school in ’56, ’57 and ’58 all the way down to the Florida Keys,
before any interstates. In New York we heard of racial discrimination in the
South, and there surely was discrimination in New York. But our schools,
transportation, restaurants, hospitals and other places certainly were “mixed
use.” So, when I saw the KKK billboards
about Niggers and Kikes and Spicks in
South Carolina and Florida, and when I saw the drinking fountains and bathrooms
marked “white only” I was dismayed and sad. I went to school in Miami in 1958,
and the city was segregated. This was 4 years after Brown, but well before the
Civil Rights Act of 1964.
And then the other day I downloaded a list of really dumb
things Republicans have said over the past 40 or so years. Just today, after
reading the little blurb below, one of them struck me like lightening.
First integrated classroom In July 1955, six black
children completed their first week at Griffin Elementary, a one-room
schoolhouse in rural Monticello, Ky. It was the first public school in the
state, and by some accounts the nation, to become racially integrated.
(AP Photo)
I went back to the list to see if I remembered it correctly. Yes, I did. This one is from Dwight Eisenhower, President of the United States
36. “These are not bad people. All they are
concerned about is to see that their sweet little girls are not required to sit
in school alongside some big overgrown Negroes.” ~ President Eisenhower
commenting on racial segregation after the Brown vs. Board of Education
decision.
He
was talking about White parents opposing black children being integrated in
Public Schools in the South. And I thought OMG, if the President held that
philosophy in 1955, it is no wonder we needed the Civil Rights Act. Throughout
this period I was mostly oblivious. A White Boy from New York, liberal and
integrated early. Even after experiencing the South as a high schooler it didn’t
really sink in. It did in the 60’s though. And stuck. That is why I hate intolerance.(is
that an oxymoron?). So don’t get me
started.
But
think about where we were a scant few decades ago, how far we have come, and
the forces that (who) are now working to attenuate the progress. Please, think
about it. And please for whatever you hold Holy, DO NOT TOLERATE INTOLERANCE.
Of anybody. For any reason. Ever.
Thank
you.
Image:
http://brianmengini.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/intolerance.jpg
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5 comments:
Funny.. because Martin Luther King Jr. was a republican and the majority of democrats at that time supported segregation.
Sorry, but you can't change history and I do not TOLERATE lies.
A couple of things. First, I think it is time to let me know who you are. Easy enough to make wrong statements when you hide behind "anonymous". Second, I agree that trying to change history is wrong. Makes no difference if MLK was a Republican, republicans in those days were really much more liberal than the crop of conservatives around today. Thirdly, maybe, maybe the majority of Dems were racists in the South, but certainly not in the rest of the country. No data I could find substantiates this. Personally I have been fighting intolerance for decades and hopefully you have too. The current source of this bad news practice is the conservative republican mentality that votes against everything the black president tries to do, and in states passes laws trying to disenfranchise minorities. If I know who you were, we could maybe have a direct discussion? Differences of opinion are good. Distortions are not.
To be quite honest, I prefer anonymity.
I must apologize though, I feel "lie" was a strong word. Perhaps misleading would have been a better chosen word.
I honestly just tired of our nation being divided. The left accuses the right of being culprits to evil doings and vice versa. It seemed COMPLETELY hypocritical to preach tolerance in a blog, and in the same breath display what seems to be intolerance for an entire group of people. (Conservatives).
This isn't limited to liberals, it comes from both sides. Liberals accuse conservatives of being close-minded, whilst not being open at all to conservative notions.
Conservatives on the other hand, accuse liberals of being limited to their own agenda, whilst pursuing only theirs.
There is hypocrisy on both sides and intolerance on both sides. Frankly it disgusts me.
United We Stand, divided we fall.
No wonder this nation is falling apart.
Sincerely,
Mr. Anonymous
I think we may have more in common than you expect. In fact you make good points, some of them :). I probably appear as intolerant when it comes to conservatives, but really just can't stand ignorance. For the last several years, most of the ignorance I saw, and continue to see, came from the right, and if you add in rabid fundamentalists it just gets worse. Examples? Climate deniers; gay bashing; injecting religion into everything; marginalizing minoroities; obstructing every turn the elected leaders took; point blank refusing to recognize one of the major sources of the economic diaster (unfunded wars) and more. The dems are not without morons, but the proportion at the moment swings to the right. I don't like using my blog foe dialogue but since you are shy, I guess we will have to talk here. Thanks for caring about the country as I do.
Ok, I am conservative, but here are my beliefs.
Global warming- Yes, we have an impact on it. However, we are more likely to kill ourselves off with famine due to overpopulation and war than heat. The earth and nature will long outlive mankind. Scientist expected Chernobyl to be a wasteland. Yet, not even 30 years later, nature thrives there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEmms6vn-p8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Global warming should be monitored and green energy should be priority. However, we shouldn't hinder oil production in America since the average consumer cannot easily convert to green energy immediately.
Gay Marriage- Marriage as an institution should never have been recognized by the government period. Neither straight marriage, nor gay marriage. It wasn't until the latter half of America's existence that marriage was even a legal term due to the IRS. I believe gays should have equal rights to the benefits of a straight couple. I do not think gay marriage should be forced upon us. Already their have been churches that have been successfully sued for refusing to marry gay couples in states where it is legal. This is not separation of church and state when churches are being told what services they will provide. I would be quite happy if the state recognised the relationship I have as a domestic partnership with the same rights as a gay couple.
Wars- It's an excuse to sink more money into our already super huge military and it feeds the flames of terrorism as well.
The economy- The nine richest states in the union have no income tax. The nine poorest have the highest income tax. Taxation is NOT the answer. I don't support the current welfare system either. I am not saying welfare is the cause of our economy, but it is setting a poor standard for future generations.
To be completely honest, though I associate myself as conservative, I do not lable myself as Republican or Democrat... or any party for that matter.
I believe the two party system has become antiquated. I think it is s guise to make us feel as if we have a choice.
It's like the ads you see on tv for why you should switch from At&t to Verizon and vice versa. In reality your service is about the same, you just feel better thinking you actually have a choice. A lot of modern politics is fake. I have seen better acting watching WWE wresting. Too many politicians pretend to be against each other but sip tea and joke behind closed doors.
I really don't know what the solution to our problems are, but I hope we find it soon.
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