I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and am proud of being from the South. I am proud of the Southern manners that I was taught as a young child. Yes Sir, No Sir, Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am. I love good Southern cuisine...fried chicken, good barbecue, fried green tomatoes, peach cobbler, biscuits and gravy and more.
But, for the life of me, I don't understand the fascination that some Southerners have with the Confederacy, the Confederate Flag, Confederate Generals, Politicians and the other losers of a civil war that took place over 75 years before I was born. Hell, they were just a bunch of losers that were, in essence, trying to protect their dominance over other human beings. They were traitors to our Country...why do we glorify them with statues, monuments, carvings and parks? How do some still embrace those very racist and traitor symbols of a long ago era?
According to The President, it is our "heritage." Who's heritage?...certainly not mine. Frankly, if there is one thing I am embarrassed about being a Southerner, it is that I might be tied to those traitors of the 19th century by an accident of my birth. I assume that those that are holding on tightly to the Confederacy yearn for the days that they can have slaves, and show dominance over others because of the pigmentation of their skin. I assert that those people have no allegiance to our Country and have no place in our society.
In 1964, I began 8th grade and was part of the first class at Grady High School that was integrated. Up to that point, I went to an all white elementary school and the only African-Americans that I knew, cleaned my house, cooked my meals and did our yard work. I heard and laughed at many "black" jokes and am embarrassed today that I participated in such gross and misguided actions. As I came to find out, my Black friends had the same dreams, same desires and yes, the same insecurities that all teenagers have. What I didn't realize at the time was that they had many other worries that I, as a white person, could ever imagine. I never worried about being unfairly judged because of the way I looked, or harassed because of the color of my skin. I don't pretend to know about the feelings that my black friends have had because of small minded people.
The events of the last few weeks have simply highlighted the struggle that my black friends have endured over the course of my entire lifetime. It is nothing new....it is just something that has been video'd and otherwise documented. If my health would allow it, I would be marching to demonstrate my support of the Black Lives Matter Movement....but for the moment I can only use my voice, my writings and my vote to show my support.
Black Lives DO Matter!
And The Journey continues............
