Feel like Crying...A Proud Cry

[couturesista]

I just sat here and read every post on this thread and I have to say for the first time EVER here on Spektra, I feel that there are alot of racist and closed-minded people on this board and their passing off hatred and ignorance for opinions, I'm not buying it. Some of u sound sooooo ridiculous and racist that its sickens me. All the OP did was say she was proud of Obama's accomplishments and she was proud of her country. When 9/11 happened she felt the same way, and that had nothing to do with race. If you have nothing nice to type don't type anything at all. SHe didn't pose a question of who's race suffered more or why she chose to remember the past. Dammit the speech, just like MLK was monumental, just like Kennedys' speech and Ghandi or Mandela's, God i'm so pissed off by this racial bullshit and people who have been sheltered their whole freakin life and soon as they google something all of sudden their experts on the topic. Bitch, please. Racism is alive and well, some of u just proved it! I'm done!!!!

 

[PMBG83]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lafemmenoir Why couldn't this have stayed positive? If it offends you to realize there are so many different ethnicities, avoid posts/threads etc that deal with it. I DO accept people who are happy for white pride or date white only etc. I don't care about who checks what box, I don't make those forms. I acknowledged the OPs sentiment. I think it's pants to bring someone down for being happy about something that history said would not happen just like advancement for women, etc. I'm about being positive for ALL. I can't say it's historic for McCain because he has achieved something that has been done. We have to accept their are some things where colour is an issue. I can't use the same shades of makeup as a blonde fair skin blue eyed woman, but should I ignore that? If you think it's bad, be the change you want to see and tell the media outlets to stop bringing colour into it, tell product manufacturers and all other outlets that bring colour into play. I don't see why it brings you angst that someone else can feel pride whether it be race, gender, sexual orientation, age or weight.

Completely agreed! Asking how Id feel about if someone said the same sentiments and they were white about a white individual....thatd be good for them! I wouldnt be questioning why they felt the way they felt about it be they black white etc.
One stomp team in brooklyn was the first all latina team to win one of those tournaments...I was glad for them I didnt go on and wonder why they and other latinas were so happy for them.

 

[purrtykitty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by couturesista If you have nothing nice to type don't type anything at all.

Quote:

Bitch, please. Racism is alive and well, some of u just proved it! I'm done!!!!

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

 

[couturesista]

Quote:

Originally Posted by purrtykitty People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

I didn't throw a stone honey, I threw a cinder block, thank you!!!

If it does not apply to u, then let it roll off ur back like water.

 

[PMBG83]

Quote:

Originally Posted by couturesista I didn't throw a stone honey, I threw a cinder block, thank you!!! If it does not apply to u, then let it roll off ur back like water.

Nice.

 

[lizardprincesa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by benzito_714 This day is so profound for me as it marks the anniversary of the brutal killing of Emmet Till, the "I Have a Dream Speech" and now the first black man accepting a nomination for presidency. My husband and I were joking about how this makes us want to cry but honestly it does. As a Black woman the past injustices have been ingrained in my being but this day has taken those injustices and made them a strong foundation for change and empowerment. Now my daughter will know a new America and for that a new world. It is amazing that through all the pain there is really a hope and not just Obama but the willingness of Americans to progress. I do for the first time feel proud to be an American (aside from watching the Olympics or after 9/11). This is truly being proud as America is marching forward in ensuring that America holds true to its promise to all Americans (as written in the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and any of the other founding documents). I understand that Obama has not taken office yet and his views still need to be tested and fully understood but I am confident that he is a positive change. I also commend John McCain's ad congratulating Obama and speaking briefly of the importance of this day in African American history as well as American history. I want to call everyone I know and talk about it-I have never been this into politics.

Dear benzito_714, I am so happy you posted this! I cannot possibly say i understand all your emotions, as my ethnic history is different from yours.
You wrote your post so well...wow...

You cite a few extremely important points here, & you do so gracefully and with kindness. i don't believe you've wasted even one word ...
My feelings about the Republican candidate are not very positive, and you have even made me look at these thoughts (although I cannot possibly support a person who believes continued fighting is an option...for one thing).

But I was not even aware he had said these words to Obama.

Like you, i have never been so interested in politics. I believe having become a mom nearly 5 years ago has caused me to listen...and when I began to hear Obama's message of Change, that was it for me. I want my son to grow up in a world which *celebrates* individual ~diversity~ , as well as sees people of all ethnic backgrounds working together harmoniously at
affecting positive change in this Universe.
​

Quote:

As a Black woman the past injustices have been ingrained in my being but this day has taken those injustices and made them a strong foundation for change and empowerment.

Your words here are awesome.

We all have feelings "ingrained in {our beings}," but only through our actions, small, as well as huge, like Obama's candidacy, can we affect change.

(Sorry...I am not writing this well, as I'm exhausted.)

*Your* action of writing this post is not a small deed. You are a positive human being who is helping to "build a foundation for change and empowerment."


I have had feelings "ingrained" in me because I have relatives who died in the Holocaust. These murders did not occur here in this country, though.

Although I am a caucasian woman, I'd say I'm a hyphenated "other" on those forms-I am always puzzled as to what to write, as my heritage is largely Eastern European, but is also Middle-Eastern (my grandfather was born in Jerusalem, which was under the Ottoman Empire at the time...he came here as a young child.)
​

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Now my daughter will know a new America and for that a new world.

Love sent to your daughter.xxxx

Our children are absolutely part of a new world, which, with all its challenges and pain, is ripe with possibility and Hope.
​

Quote:

It is amazing that through all the pain there is really a hope and not just Obama but the willingness of Americans to progress.

Yes! We were thrilled to see the various people speak on behalf of Obama, people from various areas of this nation and of various ethnic backgrounds.
I was in tears of joy at seeing this "willingness" of these people to move forward.

*Isn't* it amazing how positive change is so often born of pain?
It's horrid, yet true.

All of us have been born, all the world's humanitarian leaders, as well as the world's monsters, through the mother's pain...
You have really made me think...
​

Hope...

Your background and mine are different, but I feel you are my sister, as we are both women, mothers, and we are both human. We share many common feelings, while some experiences you have had, I have not. I have felt prejudice, though, when someone has discovered I was born Jewish; I feel it even more Today, and probably always will, as my son is remarkable; he is a beautiful little boy who was born with an extra chromosone. His Trisomy 21 does not make him a "sweet, good-Hearted angel" (altho he is one, as much as any child his age; he's also naughty.) Although people who see me usually do not see I am Jewish by birth,
they do see my son even before they see me
(I am
a disappearing woman, I sometimes feel.)
​

I am probably being very selfish in writing this post.
I didn't intend it to be about me.
*You* made me think & prompted me to write.

I am so very joyful that you posted,so grateful that you are an enlightened human being (most people seem to be on this track now, but not all; however,
I do believe most of the posters here feel positive about Change.)

Please forgive me if I've written too much,
when this is a thread *you* started.

I send you heartVibes and Hugs. Thanks so much for posting.

xxxxCherylFaithxxxx


​

 

[M.A.C. head.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvs Queen And by this logic I am of Scots-Irish, Seminole, Cherokee, German decent who was born in America who now lives in Austria. That would make me a Scots-Irish-Seminole-Cherokee-German-Austrian-American.

Yes...exactly...it's just too complicated to do that for everyone; because by that logic African American people would have to be labeled Somalian-Nigerian-Egyptian-Americans, or whatever their heritage may be.

The point is that slavery stripped black people of their cultural knowledge. You can call a white person European American. It's the same as calling a black person African American. It's just lumping people into a general group for lack of a way to efficiently distinguish them.

 

[PMBG83]

Quote:

Originally Posted by couturesista Bitch, please.

Is basically just a phrase used in our community when something is said and we dont believe it or believe it false. Just taking a stab at the context in which cs most likely meant it.

 

[laperle]

see, benzito? we also have lizardprincesa!

we all feel! we're speaking from our hearts, but we know everyone takes things in a different perspective.

maybe it's just me, but i relate with people in so many ways and none has to do with this "race" concept.

as for someone who mentioned different skin foundations (products in general, actually), i have a NC45-50 cousin and i'm a NW15. appart from that, we do share all the other items and everyone of us make them work and do our best to help each other. Her half sister is light as milk and we all love them equally.

I have other WOC close friends who have experienced pretty racist situations thoughout life and it makes me sad, once I love them very much.

 

[Corvs Queen]

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Originally Posted by M.A.C. head. You can call a white person European American.

Never, EVER have I heard any white person referred to as such. In America, your skin is white you are Caucasian. There are no other options. If you are born in America, you are American. Point blank. Call that statement racist or whatever but if you really think about it, it's just the opposite of racist. And once more, if you are looking to be offended by my posts, then you will be. Everyone interprets everything differently.

 

[florabundance]

What is going on in this thread?
The way I understand it, Benzito was posting something heartfelt to show her pride in Obama, and what his achievements represent. I am neither black nor an American citizen, but I respect the history of black Americans and so respect and encourage this thread.

Then again, Kimmy's point on not putting so much emphasis on race is valuable too. Some may feel that Obama's achievements as a MAN should be congratulated and respected, not solely as a BLACK man. Which I can understand too.

However, and I know this will sound incredibly childish, I have just finished reading 'To Kill A Mockingbird' for the first time, and if ever a piece of literature truly embodied a period of time in history it was this book, for me. Some people have written on here "oh black Africans were slaves before blah blah blah", but that to me is an incredibly ignorant comment. The book showed me that the slavery that black people experienced in America continued mentally, subconsciously long after it had become physically outlawed.

What Obama represents is not only an honest, hardworking man that MANY people (regardless of race and colour) can relate to, but a man who has symbollically risen from the ashes of the racism that caused the death of Emmett Till, the racism that caused the repeated persecution of the Scottsboro Boys - men whose lives and deaths are symbolic of an era in which black people were looked upon barely as people, let alone as potential presidents of the United States.

 

[couturesista]

Quote:

Originally Posted by florabundance What is going on in this thread? The way I understand it, Benzito was posting something heartfelt to show her pride in Obama, and what his achievements represent. I am neither black nor an American citizen, but I respect the history of black Americans and so respect and encourage this thread. Then again, Kimmy's point on not putting so much emphasis on race is valuable too. Some may feel that Obama's achievements as a MAN should be congratulated and respected, not solely as a BLACK man. Which I can understand too. However, and I know this will sound incredibly childish, I have just finished reading 'To Kill A Mockingbird' for the first time, and if ever a piece of literature truly embodied a period of time in history it was this book, for me. Some people have written on here "oh black Africans were slaves before blah blah blah", but that to me is an incredibly ignorant comment. The book showed me that the slavery that black people experienced in America continued mentally, subconsciously long after it had become physically outlawed. What Obama represents is not only an honest, hardworking man that MANY people (regardless of race and colour) can relate to, but a man who has symbollically risen from the ashes of the racism that caused the death of Emmett Till, the racism that caused the repeated persecution of the Scottsboro Boys - men whose lives and deaths are symbolic of an era in which black people were looked upon barely as people, let alone as potential presidents of the United States.

 

[PMBG83]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvs Queen Never, EVER have I heard any white person referred to as such. In America, your skin is white you are Caucasian. There are no other options. If you are born in America, you are American. Point blank. Call that statement racist or whatever but if you really think about it, it's just the opposite of racist. And once more, if you are looking to be offended by my posts, then you will be. Everyone interprets everything differently.

Its not offenseive you just dont know what your talking about. when police officers do racial profiling it isnt "three young americans in the car its three african or latino american males in the car". Of course people will say that they are american, but alot of times(for ethnic people) its the ethnicity prefix then the american. When I go to anywhere where Im not filling out the/a form directly and someone else is doing it they ask for the race question(just to make sure Im african american and not latina) "African American right?

 

[PMBG83]

Some people have written on here "oh black Africans were slaves before blah blah blah", but that to me is an incredibly ignorant comment. The slavery that black people experienced in America continued mentally, subconsciously long after it had become physically outlawed.



Thank you florabundance! Alot of people dont realize just how exactly slavery is still affecting us today. And that bullsh*t mess they come up about we use to sell ourselves as slaves among our own back in our country makes me livid because its so asinine. Like since we were doing it to ourselves they could come along and think it was alright to play some simon says mess.

 

[M.A.C. head.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvs Queen Never, EVER have I heard any white person referred to as such. In America, your skin is white you are Caucasian. There are no other options. If you are born in America, you are American. Point blank. Call that statement racist or whatever but if you really think about it, it's just the opposite of racist. And once more, if you are looking to be offended by my posts, then you will be. Everyone interprets everything differently.

OH. MY. GOD.

I am really trying to refrain from being completely rude, but you're making it very difficult. It's like you WANT to offend someone by continuing to point out "you're going to be offended if you want to be" STFU ABOUT IT ALREADY! WE GET IT! Who cares? I'm not offended by anything you've said, I'm just trying to have a discussion and trade opinions and information. You're of no significance to me, so your words don't offend me, they just irritate me a bit, because they're backwards.

You may have never heard of it, but others have. Yes, in American culture if someones skin is "white" they are called "white" or "Caucasion". Just as if someone's skin is "black" they are called "black". The parallel to Caucasian [Caucasoid] is "Negroid" which more than likely isn't used because of the progression to the word "nigger", so black people are called BLACK or AFRICAN AMERICAN.

I don't know how many other ways I can say it, and I don't know why I have to KEEP explaining it.

 

[kimmy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PMBG83 Thank you florabundance! Alot of people dont realize just how exactly slavery is still affecting us today. And that bullsh*t mess they come up about we use to sell ourselves as slaves among our own back in our country makes me livid because its so asinine. Like since we were doing it to ourselves they could come along and think it was alright to play some simon says mess.

i see where you come up with the argument that the black community is still suffering from the affects of racism, however, my point is that every community is suffering from a past injustice. i feel like it's up to us to put that stuff behind us, you know?

obama is talking about change...so why don't we take it upon ourselves to set the change in motion? race will be an issue as long as we make it one. once society says "enough is enough," and we all stop playing the respective victim, we can finally fix what's broken.

i really, sincerely wish that america could move forward from the whole race issue.

 

[PMBG83]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimmy i see where you come up with the argument that the black community is still suffering from the affects of racism, however, my point is that every community is suffering from a past injustice. i feel like it's up to us to put that stuff behind us, you know? obama is talking about change...so why don't we take it upon ourselves to set the change in motion? race will be an issue as long as we make it one. once society says "enough is enough," and we all stop playing the respective victim, we can finally fix what's broken. i really, sincerely wish that america could move forward from the whole race issue.

Right but Im concerned with my community in particular b/c thats the one Im apart of which is scruntized in the media(most of the time, IMO). In addition if some one from a particular culture or ethinic background was happy for someone else of their background making it to a prestigeous place I wouldnt wonder why they are happy for them. Thats wonderful that you feel we should put it behind us but it will never be that way. Case in point while benzito expressed how happy she is through this thread people wanted to know why, to any other black person they already know why she made this post and why she feels the way she does(which the people who asked why were not african american) which seperates the communities right off. Secondly in addition to the latter reason the wondering why we just dont except Obama as a man, instead of a black man in his position is. I know you wish we could move on but white america made and in engrained race to be an issue for generations to come(from black women having hair issues to family life). Nor do I believe everyone is playing the respective victim.

 

[CantAffordMAC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvs Queen Another thing, why is that Obama is labeled African American? To the best of my knowledge, he is American. Period. He was born in America so he's American. That would be like me saying I am Scots-American. I don't get to check that when I am asked my race on legal forms. I get to check "Caucasian".

This is just a side comment. But isnt Obama black and white? Just like me? I usually get bent out of shape when a biracial person calls themself only one race, because I feel as though its denying your other race....however I guess I am starting to see why they do this. I am black and white myself, and nobody EVER thinks Im only black, or only white. Actually everyone thinks Im Hispanic.... growing up being both races, and not being accepted by either one because you werent white or black enough is hard. When I have to check the box on any form, I dont know WHAT to choose, because I dont consider myself just a black woman or just a white woman, Im both. So I dont get to check any box, unless its "other" but Im not really "other", Im just multiple choices.

I've never been much into politics, and honestly I havent really paid much attention to this election.....but reading this topic actually put it into perspective for me. Knowing everything that Africans/African Americans have been through in the past, and how far America has come.....its amazing. Who would have thought back then that we would actually have an African American running for president, with so many supporters (regardless WHAT their race is)?? Not saying that other cultures didnt have their rough times and horrible pasts as well, we all have. This is historical and...huge, no matter how you look at it.

I just registered to vote a few days ago, and Im so glad I did. Im glad that I have the freedom and right to vote for whoever I want. Its just very exciting for me. Even if Obama doesnt win, its a huge thing thats happening right now. Of course, everyone wishes that race wasnt such a big deal, but our past makes it a big deal (if we would have never had Africans as slaves, then maybe it wouldnt be an issue, etc).....Im not sayign we should just suck it up, because race will always be an issue. But isnt having an African American president/candidate proof that things CAN change and that race doesnt always have to be an issue?? Things are only getting better, so arguing about who's race had it worse is silly.....its right in front of our eyes that things are changing for the better.

 

[Corvs Queen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PMBG83 Case in point while benzito expressed how happy she is through this thread people wanted to know why

This comment might not have been directed towards me but if it was I want to point out not once did I ever ask "why".


I agree with a lot of what Kimmy has posted and I honestly feel that we are coming from the same place. Color is just that, color! Does it make you smarter, better, richer, stronger, faster, entitled? No. I just want everyone to be people. Not an African American Famale Branch Manager or White Male Jailer. Get my point? If it wasn't constantly brought up like it has been for years and years and years then maybe, just maybe people will make a progression into something new and wonderful. Something different than what has been handed down generation by generation.

 

[florabundance]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvs Queen I just want everyone to be people. Not an African American Famale Branch Manager or White Male Jailer. Get my point? If it wasn't constantly brought up like it has been for years and years and years then maybe, just maybe people will make a progression into something new and wonderful. Something different than what has been handed down generation by generation.

People have always been, and will always be, defined/identified somewhat by their race. For better and for worse. Belonging to an ethnicity is something to be proud of, and many people feel either a vocalised OR unspoken pride in those of their ethnic background who are making great achievements - whether publically or privately. Of course, some people might not feel that same pride. Each to their own.