Objects in the rearview may be closer than they appear
One of the frustrating things for white folks in America-- like me-- to come to grips with is the lingering impact of slavery on modern society. "Why can't they-- meaning, black people-- get over it already?" is a common thought. I've heard it expressed, I've felt it myself.What we constantly need to be reminded of, however, is the way that slavery so permeated each of our cultural institutions for centuries, from our civic engagement to education to family and beyond, and how our growth away from it since the beginning of the abolition movement has been subverted by a doggedly institutional form of discrimination and by our own personal impulses towards laziness in the futile hope that the stains upon our flag could ever one day be wiped clean. Our shared cultural heritage is part of each of us, and we can no easier deny it from ourselves than we could our personal experiences that have made us who and what we are. That's the burden of attempting to maintain a living and breathing democracy.
Last week's report of the ancestral connection between Al Sharpton and Strom Thurmond is the most extraordinary national story of the young year because of both what it says about who we have been and about who we are capable of becoming. Reverend Sharpton's reaction deserves attention. The mere writing of his name will now be enough to take the institution of slavery out of the abstract and place it into his daily life. For me, it's the geneological aspects that resonate. My family heritage is a passion of mine, aided by the research of relatives and the existence of church records in Germany that date back centuries. The discovery of deep roots has created an extraordinary sense of pride within me, as well as a feeling of strength from which to tackle a world with so few answers to its biggest questions.
For the descendents of slaves, the research of family trees often produce only the discovery of stunted branches, a lack of available information altogether, shame, and sadness. There are painful realities to be revealed, and it's especially confusing and trying for children, who are first absorbing their personal and shared histories during a period of such amazing identity development. I was moved by this piece today from author Debra Dickerson, who is raising a pair of biracial children in upstate New York. Dickerson is a woman bringing up infants in the 21st Century that still has personal recollections of a relative born in slavery. The span of her life is but a drop of water in the bucket of human history.
Resting on laurels and losing touch with forebears who lifted us to such extraordinary heights is quite clearly the wrong approach. We need to confront the bad as well as the good in our past-- despite the heartache, pain, and especially, fatigue, which is the most insidious detriment of all. Rev. Sharpton gave us the cue last week from his unique perspective-- be fearless about resolving the problems of today, and constantly ask yourself what you're doing to make your ancestors proud.
posted by CM @ 7:01 PM
3 Comments:
I still remember the day when I realized that knowing one's ancestral descent could invoke discomfort and even shame rather than pride and a sense of belonging to a larger world community.
On the first day of an ancient history class sophomore year of High School, the teacher, in order to demonstrate that we all had roots from around the world, called on every student to list his various ethnicities to the best of his ability.
Incidentally, the vast majority of the kids were "white", though they all had some deeper understanding of their roots. I heard responses like: "Jewish family from Poland" (the fact that he is allowed to identify himself as "white" is a recent development in Western society--another fascinating topic), and "My mom's family's from Greece and my Dad's South American." When it was my turn, I proudly and briefly announced my Welsh/Celtic and German blood. In addition to that German descent I share with Chris (and possibly Aaron) I had recently learned that my surname was derived from the name of a Celtic river goddess who lends her name to rivers in Scotland and Wales. I find word etymologies endlessly fascinating, especially when the word is my name!
In the midst of the process, I was attacked with a sudden sense of empathy for the one black kid in the class, realizing that he was no doubt thinking of his descending from slaves. When it was his turn, he just kind of shrugged and said, "Uuhhh I'm black."
Whether a black person feels shame when they talk about their ancestry is a matter of choice. Some might feel vindicated that they were able to convince people that slavery was wrong and fought to get it abolished.
The real issue brought up at the beginning of Chris's original post is how a black person today defines their life through their ancestry. If they say they can't succeed in life simply because they are black - then I have no respect for that person. The US is full of endless opportunity for someone who doesn't make excuses and doesn't give up.
As for the feelings of ancestral shame, that should probably fall more on the whites. We are the ones who tried to keep such an obvious crime as slavery an accepted practice for centuries. I am German, and my people are responsible for the Holocaust. These are both choices white people made and when talked about should bring a little feeling of shame. (Not a lot of shame though because the people talking about it probably never killed a Jew or had a slave).
Slavery was not a choice to blacks and should never cause shame. Blacks today should have a feeling of pride that they have the chances at success that their ancestors were denied.
I guess I am trying to make the point that our ancestors do not determine the type of people we are today. The frustrating part to me is when a person blames their lot in life on history. I say go out and make your own history.
Perhaps shame was too strong a word. My point (perhaps unclear) is that black people, with the exception of Alex Hailey and Oprah, have no or little opportunity to understand their personal heritage beyond the collective knowledge of the West African slave trade, which of course can and has been a source of empowerment and collectivization for the black community.
Like Al Sharpton, a black person's last name can never open up avenues to explore his African ancestry. His Anglo name is artificially imposed upon him and I understand and support those blacks who change their names to actual African ones.
I do however realize that it is my unique bias as one interested in historical linguistics to feel this way.
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