Thursday, July 17, 2008
Troubled history still rings of truth
Shanna Flowers
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Every day in this job, I hear from people who want to weigh in on something I've written.
Some of the calls and e-mails are enlightening. Some are disturbing. Some are bewildering.
An e-mail I received about my Tuesday column fell into the last category.
Tuesday's column highlighted a new study that quantifies how black people are as varied in thinking, beliefs, lifestyle and economic status as any other race.
One sentence noted that the binding tie of black Americans is the history of slavery and discrimination. Otherwise, we are a diverse people.
The reader took exception -- to that one sentence or to the entire column, I'm not sure.
"Just more of the same about how blacks were slaves," the e-mail began. "I am SOOOOOO TIRED of this!!! The people that are living now had nothing to do with the fact that these people were brought to this country against their will.
"If anything the black people living now are treated in some instances better than white people!!! I see lots of different people in my job and I have black friends, but I still think this song is old and should be retired."
I'm not including the writer's name because I was unable to confirm it Wednesday.
But the author isn't alone.
Many people want to pack this country's tragic chapter of slavery in a sealed box and put it on shelf, out of sight, out of mind. That's obvious when even a fleeting mention of slavery in a column about diversity elicited such a strong reaction.
Oddly, no one has a problem with recalling some other aspects of the past.
Nobody complains when we write about D-Day (but sometimes they complain when we don't).
Who gets upset when they hear about Paul Revere's famous ride?
About 18 million people refused to forget that women once were denied the right to vote as they lined up to cast ballots for Hillary Clinton.
It seems America embraces some of its past. But if that history is tainted with guilt of slavery, then watch out.
Last month, renowned columnist and author Leonard Pitts delivered a dynamic speech in Roanoke about the impact of the nation's racial past on its future. He implored blacks and whites to make peace with that history and embrace truth.
"We are all children of our fathers and mothers, all heirs to history, its triumphs and its failures alike," Pitts said. "And you [can't] escape that. As a moral matter, you shouldn't even try."
The e-mail's author was upset by a fact that is a historic truth. It is my truth, it is our truth.
It is America's truth.
