Commonweal's current print issue (May 3, 2019) has a letter to the editor taking me to task for my "choices of language," in a recent column ("Racism in America, March 5, 2019). The writer, Ruth Piatik of Tulsa, OK, asks whether I checked out "anyone with significant African or African-American ancestry to check for European-American self-congratulation." She also advises: "that Commonweal columnists study the work of Showing Up for Racial Justice to learn ways of undermining white supremacy that involve a bigger commitment than excerpts from Treemonisha."
White supremacist that I am and full of European-American self-congratulations, how could I pass up the high dudgeon gauntlet thrown at me. Since the editors didn't ask, let me reply:
The column in question was my take on the state of race as of Black History Month 2019. I opened with a quick survey of my personal sightings of the celebration, which included our parish bulletin and WQXR a local radio station (they who played Treemonisha and other music composed by African-Americans). Okay, no big deal....just a "small" deal that wouldn't have happened two or three decades ago.
The big "race" stories of the month were the Covington boys and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's black face photos from the 1980s. No, I did not survey the African-Americans in my neighborhood to check out my European-American self. I did read the Washington Post and NYT stories that informed me that Northam had been defended by the African-Americans he went to school with in eastern Virginia in the 1970s...because the schools in that town were integrated. Okay, no big deal...except that integrating schools back then created bonds of knowledge, friendship, and perhaps affection that came into play when the nation's media was hot on a "Northam resigns" story. (BTW: He remains in office along with the African-American Lt. Governor, accused of rape [which he denied], and a European-American Republican legislator also caught out in blackface.)
And in conclusion, I wrote: "that past efforts at redress, such as integrating schools, are a
significant step on the path to redemption." Not self-congratulations, but Congratulations! to the school districts of Eastern Virginia for integrating, to Northam's parents for sending their children to those schools, and to the African Americans in Onancock, Virginia, who gave Northam the benefit of the doubt. Of course, there was the columnist's inevitable (and craven) caveat: With so much yet to be done,
don’t forget or underestimate what has worked."
The letter writer brings to mind what is often commented on here, we are becoming a nation of history illiterates...so let me note that things were once far worse than they are now....and some reforms have made them better than they would otherwise be...and we have a long way to go.
I think you are too nice to achieve dudgeon these days :-)
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that a purity test judged you insufficiently pure. That is the only result that purity tests ever issue, in my observation.
We had--I presume it still exists--a Multicultural Committee at the college from whence I retired. For a few years, I ran a booth at the Black History Month celebration, raffling off three or four titles by young African-American authors. Students could stop by and learn about the authors via a little trivia quiz and watch video interviews with the authors about their works.
ReplyDeleteThis was a nightmare.
The committee wanted the raffle selections submitted ahead of time so they could vet them. Their criteria seemed to be that all works had to be "uplifting," as one member explained, and the n-word could not appear in the work.
Literary merits of the work were immaterial, and it was clear from the feedback that the committee had not read any of the proposed books.
When I suggested an all-college read of a story by Colson Whitehead, this was nixed because the committee felt that the white students "couldn't handle it." When I asked my boss to elaborate, he said, "Who the hell knows? They didn't even read it."
I always felt that I was suspected of some ulterior motive in the selections. The fact that I purchased the books out-of-pocket as a contribution to the cause seemed to make suspicions worse.
I kept doing it because the students enjoyed coming to the booth and chatting about books and eating the caramel corn I made.
Jean, you sneaky subversive!
DeleteI would have welcomed the committee's informed input on my selections. I would have been happy to let a lit instructor of color take over the booth entirely. But we didn't have anyone. So is it better for the kids to get exposure to contemporary black authors from a well-intentioned unwoke old white lady like me? Or none at all?
Delete" ... we are becoming a nation of history illiterates...so let me note that things were once far worse than they are now....and some reforms have made them better than they would otherwise be...and we have a long way to go. "
ReplyDeleteThe rampant ageism in our culture discourages people from listening to what those who remember history might say. As a result, there seems to be a perception that current lingering and often subtle racist/sexist impulses are somehow far worse and more insidious than subjecting protesters to fogs, water cannons, tear gas, beatings, and assassinations and lynchings.
Otoh, the criticism in the letter to C'weal might, perhaps, lead to some fruitful reflection down at 475 Riverside Drive, NYC: To what extent does the mag make an effort to diversify contributors along ethnic lines?
I thought of reminding the Tulsa letter writer of unknown race (but I'm betting she's European-American) that Tulsa's 1921 race riot is said to have been one of the worst ever and as far as I know hasn't had one since... Okay..no big deal.
DeleteI think the racial attitudes of individual Americans, especially millenials, is definitely improved. But I think flywheel racism is still with us. Poverty and economic downturns hurt African-Americans disproportionally. De facto apartheid still exists. They suffer disproportionally from pollution. And, of course, black communities suffer from the recent militarization of the police. I'm not sure exquisitely fine tuning our individual racial sensitivities can do much more to help the situation. Bernie Sanders has been accused of being insensitive to racism. But, if the economic problems of the poor of all races can be addressed, this will disproportionately help African-Americans, as it should.
ReplyDeleteIf I may add, Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Baines Johnson did not have anything near a finely tuned racial attitude, but they initiated large practical steps for the improvement of A-A's situation. At some point, doesn't working on perfecting my personal racial thinking become a kind of self-absorbed navel-gazing, while those energies would better be employed on actually fixing things?
DeleteStanley: "At some point, doesn't working on perfecting my personal racial thinking become a kind of self-absorbed navel-gazing, while those energies would better be employed on actually fixing things?"
DeleteIs that the right contrast...personal thinking v. systematic change? Personal behavior is not necessarily navel gazing...actually behaving as if "others" are human, even lovable, even in the same boat with you..is important on the street, in face-to-face meetings. etc. And actually working, organizing, encouraging social and economic change is also important, but most of us are not in the position of changing policies...the most many can do is vote for change...including in school board elections as well presidential ones. Most of us are capable of smiling at the "other," sharing a quick word in passing, holding the door, etc. Okay small potatoes...still what most of us could/should do on an hourly basis.
Every now and then you notice that racial understanding in this country has gotten better than it was. Correctness has now extended to recordings America's Favorite Singer Kate Smith made back when Aunt Jemima sold syrup. The late Ms.Smith has been appropriately punished by one of the last baseball teams to hire black -- or, as we said then, Negro players.
Deletehttps://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/04/23/kate-smith-heres-why-her-racist-recordings-are-controversial/3550061002/
But then every now and then someone with a MAGA cap tells you what he is really thinking, and you have to wonder.
FWIW, I found nothing offensive in the column, but I did not like the tone of the letter.
Re Kate Smith: The Story notes that Paul Robeson sang some of the same songs as Smith, but there's probably no statue of him to haul away!
DeleteI went and read the USA Today article. Thought the whole thing was sad, especially that they took down the statue of Kate Smith. Don't we have better things to do than pile on someone long dead who can't speak for herself, and who is mostly remembered as a person of good will? Different times now, we recognize not to sing things with racist undertones. But as Stanley said above, some people without finely tuned racial attitudes actually did some pretty big things to advance the cause of racial equality.
DeleteI can understand the desire to tear down Confederate flags, rebel monuments, and golliwog images. But, honestly, is a statue of Kate Smith going to trigger somebody or encourage KkK membership?
DeleteSidetrack, one of Smith's songs was something like "That's Why Darkies Were Born." The Marx Brothers, who were equal opportunity satirists, used that line frequently in their schticks as a punchline to various idiotic propositions. Their jokes were meant to point out the idiocy of racist people, but my guess is that it would just piss people off now.
Satire is lost on about half of the population, as far as I can see. And it is the half that is easiest to satirize.
DeleteTom, I was looking for Groucho's speech against race prejudice from the 1940s. Here it is: https://cohse-union.blogspot.com/2008/02/groucho-marx-on-race-hate.html
DeleteMy ideal dinner party in the Hereafter would include Groucho, HL Mencken, and Frank Zappa.