The Great Divide

I just finished emailing a friend of mine who sent me an inspiring email. I thanked him for sharing such a beautiful slide show. I also asked him to please join the blog conversation because I believe his insight, intelligence and wit would add to the conversation of the blog. I used to work with this gentleman - he happens to be African-American and, I felt he, and his family and friends, could add to the conversation in many areas that I, as a middle-aged white women, am simply not qualified to really know how it is, or was, for my friends of color.

I know from conversations we had while working together that my friend, Elwood, grew-up, as I did, in an era that was ripe with racial discrimination. He once told the story of how when he was around five years-old, and shopping with his grandmother in Washington, DC, he told her that he needed to go to a restroom. He couldn't understand why his grandmother wouldn't stop at all the places they passed so he could use one. She tried to explain to him that they weren't allowed to go into those places because of who they were, but when you're five years-old, you still don't understand...all you know is that you don't want to wet your pants. I guess they finally did find a place for him to stop. I'm glad we've gotten past that kind of discrimination, but that story will always resound with me.

After hearing of his firsthand account, I told him of discrimination I had seen myself, also around age five. As a youngster, my parents had a very nice home in North New Jersey. There was a live-in maid - she was white. On Saturday mornings, my father would bring in a maid from South Orange to do some of the heavier cleaning which our live-in maid wouldn't do. This person was a lovely black woman whom I loved to follow around and, looking back I must have been a real hindrance to her, but she never complained, she just did her work and was always happy...I guess that's why I was drawn to her...her light was a beacon I couldn't resist. While she worked, she always had a glass of water with her that she had gotten, and would refill as needed, from the kitchen tap. When my father took her home at the end of the day, I found out that the glass this woman had used was thrown out because of her color. Even I knew at the age of five that something was wrong with that action. For many years, I thought it was my parents throwing out the glass and, I harbored hidden anger, but when I moved to Florida at the beginning of 2006 and moved into my father's home, I asked him about it and he said neither he nor my mother had ever done that and he surmised that it must have been our live-in maid. I was extraordinarily relieved to know my parents had not discriminated so blatantly against this kind and loving woman. All those years...over forty...I thought my parents had been unkind to such a wonderful lady. Either way, it still saddens me to this day...she truly was a lovely person. This is also not the only discrimination I've ever seen or heard in my life. However, now I speak up when I hear a derogatory or off-color remark. It's the right thing to do.

Discrimination has become less obvious in many areas of the country since the turbulent 1960's, but it is alive and well despite the gains made in the fight for equality. I have found, since my return to Florida, that it seems the color barrier is still an issue, especially in the south. I can only hope that the fight for equality for all people continues...that ignorance will be overcome by enlightenment, that people will find it in their hearts to learn about other people who may not be just like them and, that diversity will overcome hatred. Let's join together to change the world and break down the Great Divide.

Think - Live - Be a Super-Star!

In love & light and, with much appreciation,
Glenna :-)
http://www.superstarpark.com/