Wednesday, February 26, 2014

BROWN AND WHITE - THE UNSPEAKABLE SPOKEN HERE

 
 
You probably won't hear anyone else saying this, but I will:
 
Not all people who have brown skin are the same.
 
Not all the Negro, Coloured, Black, Afro-American people are the same, no more than all pale skinned Caucasians are the same.
 
Yet people always speak of "Blacks" as if they were one people, one organization, one nation, of one history, one character. What a lie! Yet most people never stop to wonder if it is true. No, it is not true.
 
People whose ancestors originated in Africa are as diverse as people with pale skins whose ancestors came from Europe. And, by the way, folks, we ALL originated in Africa. All human beings have their roots in Africa. Time and climate have changed our physical characteristics but, if you prick us, do we not bleed?
 
People descended from the slaves brought to America in chains are not the same as dark skinned people who have come to America in recent decades from Africa or the Caribbean or the Middle-East, Mexico, South America or India. They have different histories, different cultures, different experiences and different attitudes.
 
Like the Jews who fled the Nazis and the Cossacks, the descendents of the slaves have worked hard and paid their dues with sweat and blood, and earned the right to stand tall among others in society. I believe that those with more than a century of history in North America are less inclined than some young newcomers to expect to grab whatever they want from others rather than go to school and work for a living. And still, even that is a generalization based on observation and experience. Still, a generalization.
 
Another distortion of facts - "Blacks" are imprisoned disproportionately compared to "Whites". Why? Is it bigotry? Are all the jurists and all the judges bigots?
 
I believe many are. But has anyone asked if more dark skinned people than white skinned people are in prison because more dark skinned people have committed crimes? 
 
Yes, I dare to ask. Heaven forbid that anyone might check the facts and remove the opportunities for bigots on all sides to sling mud and claim they are being oppressed. There is plenty of real oppression going on without false claims. 
 
Since I was old enough to read, I have had a tender place in my heart for coloured people. Those I came to know preferred "coloured", and the darling who would one day be my husband, hated the word "Black" since, in his time, "Black" came along with "Bastard".
 
Most people of colour are not black but multifarious shades of brown. "Black" was a political statement, not a fact, and it is arrogant, ignorant and presumptuous to think that all people of colour want to be associated with the Black Panthers. But it serves the extremists to make it appear that they hold the minds and votes of all people of colour in their hands.
 
I resent people who tell me that "everyone is prejudiced." I am not and I refuse to go along with the accusation. Prejudice means you have made up your mind about someone or something before you have any facts. I am always searching for facts and I have decades of experience. Many people are ignorant, afraid, shy, self-centred, but not everyone hates and not everyone is a bigot.
 
I also resent people of colour who spit on people of a different colour - pink or white, for example, Christians or Jews, for example - who reach out to help Negroes or people of colour or African-Americans or Indigenous or Native people. Caucasian Christians and Jews have risked life and limb and spent great resources trying to bring justice and succour to people of colour. Caucasian Jews and Christians befriend and care for and heal and some even love people whose skin is dark. But haters term this "Big Brother" and have contempt for us. Bigotry works both ways.
 
Most people avoid the whole issue. They would rather not have to deal with conflict that does not affect them personally. But bigotry is used by some people for personal gain, for power. They are jealous and greedy and it is easier to do - as the Nazis did - and take what others have rather than earn benefits by honest effort.
 
It is important to expose the hatred and the greed that underlies bigotry. Silence is the enemy. It serves the interests of tyrants of all colours and religions and nationalities.
 
When I was a Pinkerton Investigator, I checked the backgrounds of people. I went back at least ten years to see who they were and what they did. That way, you get some idea of who a person is.
 
Yes, judge us. Judge us by our actions, our character, not by the colour of our skin, the language we speak or our religious choices. Judge us by what we have done.
 

3 comments:

Phyllis Carter said...


EXCELLENT!!! You are saying what needs to be said over and over and over.

As far as the imprisonment rate for blacks, I spent time studying the FBI crime statistics last week. In many cases, African Americans ARE committing more crimes and are deserving of the consequences.

However, when it comes to comparing apples to apples, African Americans receive MUCH harsher sentences than white people who have committed the same crimes. The Innocence Project works to get falsely accused people free from prison. Most of the time, those who were wrongly imprisoned and had unfair trials were overwhelmingly African American.

It is complex and you are so very right about not grouping all colored people together as if they make up a homogeneous group devoid of varying histories. One thing that concerns me is when "Black leaders" like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson try to claim that African Americans are ALWAYS unfairly treated by the justice system rather than encouraging personal responsibility. The FBI crime statistics are clear. When it comes to violent crimes, African Americans are killing and raping and robbing at a higher rate than whites in America. You can't tell me that the white man is forcing these young black men to pull the trigger or rape the woman or commit armed robbery!

Most African Americans don't want to hear that truth. When presented with the facts, the still cry racism. To me, that is insane. I live in an urban crime zone right now. ALL of the violent crimes committed in my building have been committed by African Americans except for one in the last 4 years. This is a shame and it is not racism for me to speak the truth about my experience here.

Also, you are right on about Jews and Christians who happened to also be white helping and sacrificing for the rights of black people. This nonsense about Big Brother that seems to pervade my local black community is ridiculous! THANK YOU again for this essay!

Anna Mary Grace

Phyllis Carter said...



I deeply appreciate the excellent article "Brown and White the Unspeakable Spoken" By Phyllis Carter. http://phylliscartersjournal.blogspot.com/2014/02/brown-and-white-unspeakable-spoken-here_3887.html?showComment=1396122319609. In fact she thinks just like me.

Anna, there is a deep problem of mentality and mind-set in the Black world which in fact reveals as tragic as racism. Blacks do NOT accept each other, each one wishes the other to be at his or her IMAGE, that is blacks here in USA cannot accept other Afros culturally different from them. They vision this as problematic.

To tell you the truth, I have never felt fully accept in Afro-world here because I am French and German speaking, lived half of my life overseas in Europe. The Afro-world in Europe, Latin America, Asia and other place are so different than here in USA.

In Europe almost all Blacks are minimum bilingual. It is time in America to acknowledge that Africa, the Land of our Forefathers is the "Linguistic Continent in the World", with more than 3000 Languages spoken. Sixty percent (60%) of Africa is French speaking, as out of 54 countries in African Continent 32 were French Colonies, in addition of their multiple local languages. Portugal, England, Spain and Arabs have been in Africa, so these languages are also spoken aside of local languages.

HEBREW is also spoken in Africa, because the Ancient Israeli who migrated to Africa after the Jerusalem Siege from various powers, ROME, PERSIA and on, made these Israeli to migrate in Ethiopia, West Africa, and as far as South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, and they are still living in these countries, waiting to return to Israel, therefor Hebrew is also spoken in Africa.

Therefore, what is it in this country that us Afros in USA, we show such a reticence in accepting other Afros culturally different? This is "BLACK ON BLACK DISCRIMINATION", and the most CRUCIAL problem in the US Afro Society today.

I reside 7 years in Germany, and my first "AGREEABLE SHOCK" was to see two million Afro-Germans who are born, raised in Germany, have the German mentality and discipline. It was extremely pleasing to me to see blacks having an impact in German Society, and as a matter of fact, 2 Afros are elected Members in German Parliament, one from Senegalese Origin who was enthusiastically elected to represent a Province from East Germany.
I am always thrilled to see Afros like me who express themselves in different languages. It makes me reason that people of my own race despite having to fight multi-different type of prejudices are gradually making positive impact in different parts of the world.

Afros have been multi-lingual and have impacted different parts of the world since Biblical Times. We also need to end this Mentality to reason that other Blacks" think they are white, he or she is acting like a WHITE PERSON". This is a mentality that I have systematically rejected from the back of my head and in the heart. NO MATTER how racist a society may be I still reject this mentality, as it leads us to a bridge of NOWHERE.

We must accept other Afros who are different from us, open ourselves to them as well as learning from them. Americans in general need to get out of USA for 3 to 5 years to see how the world really is and NOT encapsulating themselves between East-West Coast of USA and think " WE ARE IT". Maybe they will understand the world better, see others otherwise. There is SO MUCH TO LEARN FROM THIS WORLD.

Thank you so much Anna for (sharing) such a wonderful article.

GOD BLESS.

Patrick Claude

Phyllis Carter said...


The world would be a better, safer place, if people did not focus on differences such as race, religion, language, gender but if we approached others with the attitude that the other person also bleeds if you stick him/her.

Phyllis Carter

Phyllis: Those who profit from promoting Hate are the Black caucus, NAACP, Nation of Islam. They promote hatred against Whites, and keep the Afro population with the same mentality. These guys become almost BILLIONAIRES.

These Guys have NOTHING to do with the Great Revered Dr. Marin Luther King. If the Great Revered Dr. Marin Luther King woke from his grave and observed how these guys are race-baiting, he would go straight back to his grave, disgusted.

How can one conceive, that only Democrats and these guys were at the celebration ceremonies of Dr. Martin Luther King's Day and no other parties were invited? Afro- Republican Senator Tim Scott, from South Carolina and other Afro-Republicans were not invited, but were atrociously insulted by representatives of these Afro organisms, I mentioned above, while Dr. Martin Luther king himself was a staunch Conservative.

Anyway, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King fought for a cause and ignored political parties. He was steps way above in his mind-set compared to most Afros here. That's what makes him so Distinguished and Unique.

I wish that the Black Leaders today were like him but, by their attitude, they show themselves so divergent. Anyway, I fully agree and appreciate what you wrote above. The phrase that attracted my attention, " There are people who profit greatly from promoting hatred" prompted me to write this comment.

Have a Blessed Day, Phyllis.

Patrick Claude