That's exactly what a leader does. That's what makes him a leader. It's the whole purpose of a leader. That's why it's called leader, and not bystander.
A friend of mine lived briefly in a tiny town in South Carolina, and she remembers that there were nights when you knew not to go out because of the Klan members roaming around and sometimes actually burning crosses on peoples’ lawns.
I grew up in Seattle suburbs, but even there we were taught that the Civil War was not about slavery, and only the simple minded thought it was. The real cause was states rights, textiles, blah blah.
To suggest Barack and Michelle didn’t empower black people is laughable. Anytime Barack Obama came on the tv, I sat up straighter. He was and is a symbol of black possibility and black excellence that many of us grew up hearing about A better example of someone making a group of people feel like victims would be her Republican friends making white people feel like victims because they can’t say certain words* or fly Confederate flags without being called on it.
*as I told someone who had the nerve to ask me why he couldn’t say the n-word, I told him he was free to say it, but to brace himself for the consequences.
I grew up in Arkansas and Alabama in the 50s and early 60s. Professional politicians had a reflex word to dismiss all questions about the cause of the civil war. They would blurt out "Sectionalism" and move on to more serious topics like should the magnolia blossom be the national flower. They wagered nobody would look the word up and fewer would understand that it was a code word for we want to own black people.
I’ve mentioned my own racially-diverse background here before. I grew up in south Louisiana in the 90s, and I wonder what would have been different for me had I been born 20 years earlier—and that scares me. Just thinking about that scares the crap out of me.
That touched me
Fabulous but heartbreaking column Stephen. Thanks for sharing your experiences and telling it like it is.
"... a leader doesn't decide who's right."
That's exactly what a leader does. That's what makes him a leader. It's the whole purpose of a leader. That's why it's called leader, and not bystander.
A friend of mine lived briefly in a tiny town in South Carolina, and she remembers that there were nights when you knew not to go out because of the Klan members roaming around and sometimes actually burning crosses on peoples’ lawns.
I grew up in Seattle suburbs, but even there we were taught that the Civil War was not about slavery, and only the simple minded thought it was. The real cause was states rights, textiles, blah blah.
I can't be racist -- some of my best friends had Black servants!
No Notes, SER- you properly read her for filth.
Nimarata should say hello to one of my little black friends.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/de/65/2c/de652c603de44550393a39681558a33f.jpg
When you identify with the party of White Nationalists it's hard to say anything reasonable about race
To suggest Barack and Michelle didn’t empower black people is laughable. Anytime Barack Obama came on the tv, I sat up straighter. He was and is a symbol of black possibility and black excellence that many of us grew up hearing about A better example of someone making a group of people feel like victims would be her Republican friends making white people feel like victims because they can’t say certain words* or fly Confederate flags without being called on it.
*as I told someone who had the nerve to ask me why he couldn’t say the n-word, I told him he was free to say it, but to brace himself for the consequences.
Wow! So on point. This hit my heart SER. I have so much to learn. Thank you for helping me.
Nimrata needs to hire some Black friends quickly. Go ask Gums which PR company he used when he hired his totally for real Christian girlfriend.
I grew up in Arkansas and Alabama in the 50s and early 60s. Professional politicians had a reflex word to dismiss all questions about the cause of the civil war. They would blurt out "Sectionalism" and move on to more serious topics like should the magnolia blossom be the national flower. They wagered nobody would look the word up and fewer would understand that it was a code word for we want to own black people.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sectionalism
I’ve mentioned my own racially-diverse background here before. I grew up in south Louisiana in the 90s, and I wonder what would have been different for me had I been born 20 years earlier—and that scares me. Just thinking about that scares the crap out of me.
So if I say I think Clarence Thomas has set Black people or minorities back would that be bad? Or wrong? Cuz that guy...
You wouldn’t know Nikki’s black friend. She lives in Canada 🇨🇦