I was 27 when I moved from 43rd & Spruce in Philadelphia to Madison, WI. It was a visceral shock to the system. In Philly I interacted with Black men on a daily, even hourly basis. In Madison I could go a whole day or even two without even seeing one.
-
-
Näytä tämä ketju
-
I remember speaking with Philly friends about this. How at first it was just “what in the world?” And then it was “how in the world?” And then it was “Oh no. No no no.”
Näytä tämä ketju -
For the next 4 years my only regular in-person interactions with Black men were with:
The one Black man in my academic dept
Two Black male students (one grad, one undergrad)
People I knew and spent time with outside Madison on trips.
Not one Black man visited my home.Näytä tämä ketju -
To be clear, that was a huge change. In Philadelphia, Black men came to my home regularly as friends, classmates, and dates. We chatted on the street, in clubs, at dinner, at work. But demographics of Madison, of WI, and of UW-Madison where I worked helped shift all that.
Näytä tämä ketju -
In 2008 we moved from Madison to Stoughton WI. (I fell in
with an old Victorian)
Population around 11K then.
1.5% Black.
I never saw a Black man in our town. Not one. Until there was a shooting in the middle of the night.Näytä tämä ketju -
They said it was a “drive by.” They said he ran through our backyard. Then in the newspaper I saw - a Black man had purportedly come to Stoughton for a drug deal gone bad. I had no idea what to think.
Näytä tämä ketju -
Fast forward. Our baby son grew up. He went to a nanny in town. He started preschool. It was Waldorf and they didn’t allow TV so I bought Electric Company DVDs. Morgan Freeman was the first Black man our son ever saw— ever.pic.twitter.com/C3CRmRnV7E
Näytä tämä ketju -
And then one day we took our nearly 3 year old son on a plane to Richmond, because I was presenting at the ASHE conference. 1st plane ride. We walked down the aisle. “LOOK MAMA IT’S OBAMA!” Except it wasn’t - more here: http://theeduoptimists.com/2009/11/a-little-obama-effect.html …pic.twitter.com/QncX1leRII
Näytä tämä ketju -
From that day forward I realized something. My son was, from a very young age, awed by Black men. He thought they were stars. Even Presidents. I just had to ensure that gut feeling never changed. We moved back to Philly when he was 9. I don’t know that it has.
Näytä tämä ketju -
What would the deep conscience of a person be like if they started with that respect for all humans from day 1? What happens to them when it’s never established or eroded from lack of contact, or even worse? What does it do to the space between your head and your heart?
Näytä tämä ketju
Keskustelun loppu
Uusi keskustelu -
Lataaminen näyttää kestävän hetken.
Twitter saattaa olla ruuhkautunut tai ongelma on muuten hetkellinen. Yritä uudelleen tai käy Twitterin tilasivulla saadaksesi lisätietoja.
