Monks Jazz Club
'… There Is the United States of America!'
RECEIVED Sun., Jan. 25, 2009
Dear Editor,
It occurs to me that having a first family of color paints a more realistic picture of the people which make up these United States.
My husband, who is black and in his late 50s, works in our local grocery store as the loss-prevention manager. He stands all day at the door with his "happy yellow shirt" while on lookout for shoplifters. People generally look past and around him, even when he says, "Have a nice day," or "Good morning." But the day after President Obama's inauguration, the same people actually looked him in the eye, as if noticing him for the first time.
Remember putting on your first pair of prescription glasses and actually being able to see the veins on the tree leaves and read all of the road signs? You noticed things that were there all along, but you just couldn't get them into focus. That is the effect I believe this historical moment has had.
If nothing else, having a black family in our White House has made us more aware of our Technicolor of diversity right here in our very own country. We are very fortunate to be surrounded by and learn from people of all races, religions, and creeds. This is the very quality that makes us American.
As Barack said in one of his speeches, "There is no white America or black America; there is the United States of America." It leads to the question: Why do we waste energy on racism? Why feed it? What good does it do?
It's far easier to point a finger at the 60% of young black males in our country who dropped out of high school and have served time in jail. This startling statistic makes it too easy to forget that we have a nation full of "good" black people out here living amongst us. They may live in the ghetto, next door to you, or in a Hollywood Hills mansion; they may be your kid's teacher, a co-worker, or married to your sister. They have a good spirit inside them, waiting to be noticed, waiting to share it with you. We all bleed red. We all cry tears. We are all emotional human beings. Let's extend an open hand and an open heart, for once, instead of a clenched fist.
It occurs to me that having a first family of color paints a more realistic picture of the people which make up these United States.
My husband, who is black and in his late 50s, works in our local grocery store as the loss-prevention manager. He stands all day at the door with his "happy yellow shirt" while on lookout for shoplifters. People generally look past and around him, even when he says, "Have a nice day," or "Good morning." But the day after President Obama's inauguration, the same people actually looked him in the eye, as if noticing him for the first time.
Remember putting on your first pair of prescription glasses and actually being able to see the veins on the tree leaves and read all of the road signs? You noticed things that were there all along, but you just couldn't get them into focus. That is the effect I believe this historical moment has had.
If nothing else, having a black family in our White House has made us more aware of our Technicolor of diversity right here in our very own country. We are very fortunate to be surrounded by and learn from people of all races, religions, and creeds. This is the very quality that makes us American.
As Barack said in one of his speeches, "There is no white America or black America; there is the United States of America." It leads to the question: Why do we waste energy on racism? Why feed it? What good does it do?
It's far easier to point a finger at the 60% of young black males in our country who dropped out of high school and have served time in jail. This startling statistic makes it too easy to forget that we have a nation full of "good" black people out here living amongst us. They may live in the ghetto, next door to you, or in a Hollywood Hills mansion; they may be your kid's teacher, a co-worker, or married to your sister. They have a good spirit inside them, waiting to be noticed, waiting to share it with you. We all bleed red. We all cry tears. We are all emotional human beings. Let's extend an open hand and an open heart, for once, instead of a clenched fist.
Yolanda Repetto-Logan
Cedar Park
Cedar Park
