It Just Can't Be Swept Under The Rug; But We Can't Keep Tripping Over It Either

Read the Radicalicious article by LaToya Peterson. I have pretty clear viewpoints on this topic and as some of my classmates saw today, I do not lean toward either side, black or white, of a discussion on racial tension or hatred. What happened with slavery was an attrocity. No human being has the right to buy or sell another human being, period. The fact that it happened, not only in our history, but in other cultures and civilizations, is simply disgusting. But you have two choices: either dwell negatively on this issue (inviting hatred, disdain and chaos to breed until it is out of control), or dwell positively on this issue (working toward letting go of the past and preserving the memory of how it happened so as to not let it happen again).

Who is allowed to talk about issues of racism?
White people say Black people talk about it too much and Black people say White people shouldn't talk about it at all. The reality is that if racism exists between two or more races, then ALL races involved are allowed to talk about it. Hell, talking about it is the first step in letting go of it. Many people take a very "elephant in the corner of the room" approach to it. They think if it is never discussed, it will just go away quietly. NEWS FLASH: It ain't gonna happen that way!

What is the difference between "forgiving" and "forgetting?"
Simply put, "forgiving" is acknowledging that someone did something wrong to you and,whether or not you are still going to preserve an amicable relationship with the person, letting go of the hostility that was born out of the misdeed. "Forgetting" is simply the act of not remembering what happened. Not a wise course of action. Forgiving should happen because it is less stressful on your mind and emotions than to continually hate all the time. But, never forget the tragedy, because you can learn from it and develop ways to detect a similar pattern of behavior or events that could lead up to it again, thereby stopping it before it happens again.

What does "cotton pickin" mean to me?
I never really considered its racial context before because I never heard it used as such. Or at least I didn't think I did. I know that my mother and grandmother used it occasionally as an adjective. "Keep your 'cotton pickin' hands off those cookies until after dinner," I would hear either of them say. Or, "Get your 'cotton pickin' ass in this house," when I was out playing with friends and it was time to come home. Honestly, if they used it racially, I was unaware of it. Now, my grandmother was raised in a very racist fashion and she raised my mother that way, though again, I don't know whether or not she meant to do it. Later in her life, very shortly before her death, my grandmother told me that she had not always lived as she would have wanted. When I asked her what she meant, she told me that if there was one thing she could go back and change about her life, it would be that she would be more tolerant, understanding, and loving toward all minorities, which she had not been most of her life. This helped to alter my perception of people. I tell people that something great came out of my mother's and grandmother's racist behaviors: I didn't develop them. I am devoid of hate for an individual based on their skin color. I can hate or otherwise dislike a person based on their personality or something horribly wrong they did to me or a close loved one, but I will never hate anyone based on race. Take that to the Rainbow Colored Bank.