i say this all the time, but you really have so many stories to tell, they ought to be written down somewhere. that's amazing history.
I'm 43, and was one of the first generations back in Fort Worth who started school in an integrated environment (both my older brothers started in black only schools, then were moved to integrated schools when desegregation hit Texas). But I was still in the minority in many cases. Looking at my first grade class picture, I seem to recall perhaps 5 blacks and two or three Mexicans in a class of 20 or so. That's actually better than many of y'all probably had, I admit, but there is still the issue of who's *running* things, which was mostly white folks. And even the well intentioned ones needed to be educated. My first grade teacher (who was white) loved me, loved and respected my older brothers, who she taught, greatly respected my family. But one day she decided to reward to everyone in the class who made a "A" on a test. So, each kid got a cool assignment: one girl got to pass out papers, another got to take up papers, one boy got to go buy drinks for the class, and another got the most coveted job of all, which was cleaning the erasers out back. (Everyone loved that 'cause it meant banging the erasers against something and watching the chalk dust fly!). That night, i went home and told my mom about it. "Momma", I said, "I made an 'A' on my test and i got a reward!" I then first proceeded to tell my mom what the other kids got, and then she said "And what did you get?" Proudly, I proclaimed, "I got to pick up all the trash off the floor!" "What?!" I remember my mom snapping. "I got to stay after class and pick up all the trash", i repeated, oblivious. "I picked up all the paper and put it in the garbage can". Well, thirty-plus years later, I still remember my vague confusion at Mamma seeming to be displeased. I didn't get why she didn't gush over my accomplishment. Later, I found out she told my dad when he got home from work what happened and the very next day, getting home from his third shift job, Dad got dressed, put on the old man hat and shiny shoes, and went to have a talk with my teacher. When he confronted her, she was completey clueless, but Dad schooled her. He spoke of how he and Mom had spent too many years working to give us boys a better life to have me treated like a janitor. He asked why I was the one relegated to trash detail. "Well all the kids got some kind of reward", my teacher sputtered, "and that's the one i chose for him". "If that's your idea of a reward, you can keep it!" Dad replied. "Why don't you just go back to putting gold stars on their papers like they did when i was a child?" Well, she was flustered but in time she got it. And like many white people back then, she didn't really "get it", but she complied with my dad's wishes. Sometimes all you can ask from people is compliance, and understanding will have to come later. But I'm pretty sure it all sank in later, because i never picked up trash again as a reward. Neither did any other kid in my class, black, white, or Mexican. The kicker? I never knew about this whole incident until i was well into my '20s. My folks didn't want to sour me on my teacher, didn't want to burden me with the whole thing. But thanks to them, the next time I got an "A" my reward? A cup of sweet-as-honey grape juice! As an adult, i later found out there were many such instances throughout my school life. Many times when my parents called or visited teachers or principals making sure I wasn't being ignored, mistreated, or treated differently because of my color. I believe there were other trash-like incidents they corrected. Some I knew about, most I didn't as they were handled behind the scenes, quietly-but-firmly, my parents fighting the fights so I could enjoy childhood and school as much as possible. Ain't that something? -------------- Original message -------------- From: "Reece Jennings" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Well-said, Keith! I remember being the only Black child in my first grade class. One of two in the whole school (sister in kindergarten). And we had to read Black Sambo! I remember feeling confused, and I'm sure that I tied the story to the poetry my little classmates had me take home to my mom. "Pee-u, you stink, like a N****R in a sink, Pee-u, you smell, like a N****R in a well." My mom went to the school. I don't know what happened. I just know that there were no more poems after that. Of course, it was the parents who put their children up to that. I wonder what my classmates taught their children? And their grandchildren? And remember the 'Hokey Pokey'? "You put your right foot in you take your right foot out. That's what it's all about" Well...I was always directed to put my butt in... I'm 60 now. Those memories are just a day old. I treat everybody well because I'm a good person. But do NOT f**k with me racially, or you get to see my other side. I used to be afraid of what I might do, so I didn't do a lot. I'm not afraid now. (snide, cruel chuckle...) When I was a police sergeant, most of my officers never saw me angry. They had no need to. But the two who chose to test me...THEY know! And there is still one woman who, after 20 years, is scared to death that I might try to help her. See, we were in a booking area, and she was giving 3 of my officers a 'ration of s**t', refusing to enter a cell. I just walked up to her, took her by the upper arm, and asked her to enter the cell. She almost RAN into the cell. I never raised my voice, I said 'Could you please just do what they asked?' And all the while I was squeezing her arm enough that I could have easily twisted and broken it. All with a smile. Isn't life good? :o) Maurice Jennings Have you or someone you know been threatened with foreclosure? KEEP your home and Stop Foreclosure in its Tracks! Get a Free, No Obligation Evaluation => http://www.legacyhomesavers.com <http://www.legacyhomesavers.com/> _____ From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 11:45 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Site Details Most Racist Disney 'Toons agreed. well, frankly, many white people still don't get it. They see these are harmless things, or don't see any racism at all (like the light-skinned Arab in the posts who's offended that someone criticizes the Caucasian Aladdin). Or, if they do finally see the racism, they have that "it was in the past. let it go" attitude. And there's there's the black person who wrote the long post saying the images aren't damaging to young black kids as long as we don't *tell* the kids that the images are racist. WTF is that about??? -------------- Original message -------------- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:GWashin891%40aol.com> com I'm more shocked, though not surprised about all of the comments defending Disney, especially on the obvious ones. But hey that's our world today. -GTW ************************************** Check out AOL's list of 2007's hottest products. (http://money. <http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001> aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
