Finally found some time to place an entry. I must say that I am both surprised and elated that there does appear to be some progress being made in the quest for reparations for horrors stemming from American slavery. The hardest thing to convey to non-Whites is the fact that one can still see the vestiges of slavery (or better yet a slave mindset in 21st century people of color). At one time I would have been against the idea of reparations simply because I thought that one can not really put a price on pain or the loss of a culture. There have been a number of occasions when I was personally reminded of my slave past. It happened once when I was in the 10th grade and I was required to construct a family tree. I noticed that the White kids were actually able to go the library to obtain data. The library. And many of my classmates were able to find records of an ancestor who was either a blacksmith or farmer dating back to the 1700s. I was only able to go a little bit beyond my grandmother. This was my wake-up call of a slave past.
I remember another instance when a coworker simply asked me where I was from and when I mentioned New York(as well as alluding to my parents coming from the South and Midwest, respectively)it wasn't quite the answer he was looking for. He meant nationally...whereas his lineage dated back to Ireland. I shrugged my shoulders and answered "Africa....I guess." This is why reparations are necessary, however I would not suggest a check to individuals but to the Black economic infrastructure which would be beneficial to everyone. How realistic this would be....I have no idea, but it would be nice to dream.
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