Kinda Disappointed

I don't know if it's the Olympics or what, but I am sadly disappointed at what is available this year for Black History month stories. Truly, I know we all wish that there were no need for such a thing. I have Scottish blood in me, and there is no "Scotch History Month". However, I do enjoy hearing the great biographies of those historical figures who shaped the rights and privileges that brought African Americans (AA) to where they are today.

I am not finding programming on PBS that I normally see. I can totally recommend the movie "Blind Side". I haven't seen it, but if it is at all close to the true story I have read, you must be prepared to cry.

So while I have been MIA, and wondering what to blog about, I got a nice message from one of my reader's, Hutch. Here is one of his recommendations for good movies honoring African American's for whom we owe a huge thanks. Their pioneering efforts brought all of us things today that we take for granted. Here is Hutch's message to me:

"S and I saw a movie the other night that you and M should watch. Normally, I'm no so forth-right with my movie suggestions, but I think in this case, it's appropriate, especially with this being Black History month. It's called "Something the Lord Made." It's not a "Christian" film by any means, the title just comes from a line by one of the main characters. We scored the movie from the public library, so you might be able to do the same. The two main actors are Alan Rickman and Mos Def. It's quality acting.

It's the story of Dr. Blalock and Vivien Thomas, the two men who invented and performed (in the 1940s) the first surgical fix for the congenital heart defect, Tetralogy of Fallot (what our oldest girl was born with). Only the kicker is that Blalock was white and Thomas was black. So for a long time, only Blalock and other doctors got credit. Anyway, interesting story for us because of the medical side (and given Lizzie's history, I wept like a school girl... but that's beside the point)... but after watching it I thought of you and Mike. The story of Vivien Thomas is one that I think your boys might like (he went on to write an autobiography later in life... it's now on my wish list).

Anywho, long message short, I recommend the film to you and Mike. It's not for your boys since there is some *choice* language, but I really think you would enjoy it."


There you have it. I have rearranged my Netflix queue.

Black History Month!

And I will be trying to do my best to bring you some of the interesting stories I find along the way that bring honor to African Americans (AA) who paved the way for the opportunities many of us enjoy today.

I am slightly disappointed at PBS. Usually, in February, I can point friends to great programming appreciating the history of AA's, not so this February. So we go to other routes.

About 60 years ago, a doctor took a tissue sample from an impoverished AA woman. She didn't know it had been taken from her, but we reap the benefits today. That sample has grown and grown. It is still used today, and has been to some remarkable places. As always, with AA history you do see questionable practices (taking tissue without consent), but it's wonderful to hear the happy ending. Her contribution to science has benefited all of us today. Thank you Henrietta!

Click here.

Wave Your Arms Wildly....A Little Smoke is in the Air

I am full of all kinds of sarcasm right now. So keep that in mind as you read my words, but not my quotes.

I listened to talk radio tonight. I realize this is against Obama's wishes, but tough. I am so sick of him right now and his policies. Carter's statement recently about Wilson's damaging (although I fully agree with his outburst, it may not have been the most mature way to say it) shout out to Obama.

Carter's statement that those who oppose Obama (speaking about Wilson's outburst) is just about if not more offensive and immature. The more I think about it and mull it over, I am incensed.

Silly sarcasm here.....does the fact that I disagree with my African American kids on a daily basis make me a racist?? According to Jimmy Carter it does.

So as I listened to that ghastly (*sarcasm*) talk radio tonight, I heard a bullet list of history regarding the Democratic Party and the racial history of our country. I do believe that man I am about to quote was the man I heard interviewed on the radio tonight, Wayne Perryman. I do stand corrected if that is who I didn't hear. The information is the same.

Bottom line....the Democratic Party not only has a dubious history in the history of race in this country. It is a shameful history. So before Carter goes off calling people racists for disagreeing with the President. He needs to turn around and look at the history of the party he has chosen to align himself with. The same party that committed these injustices during Carter's lifetime. The party that opposed at great length the Civil Rights Movement during Carter's adulthood. His memory seems to be fading, truly. He needs to make some effort to improve the living history of his party before he starts casting stones. Period.

So wave your arms wildly, Carter is blowing smoke and needs to go back to retirement before making such an offensive comment to anyone. While in retirement he could make some calls to his colleagues about changing the face of the Democratic party's history.

Grab a cup of coffee and be amazed. Thank you Mr. Perryman. You have inspired me. Click here for the link of where I copy/pasted this quote from.


"Most people are either a Democrat by design, or a Democrat by deception. That is either they were well aware the racist history of the Democrat Party and still chose to be Democrat, or they were deceived into thinking that the Democratic Party is a party that sincerely cared about Black people.

History reveals that every piece of racist legislation that was ever passed and every racist terrorist attack that was ever inflicted on African Americans, was initiated by the members of the Democratic Party. From the formation of the Democratic Party in 1792 to the Civil Rights movement of 1960's, Congressional records show the Democrat Party passed no specific laws to help Blacks, every law that they introduced into Congress was designed to hurt blacks in 1894 Repeal Act. The chronicles of history shows that during the past 160 years the Democratic Party legislated Jim Crows laws, Black Codes and a multitude of other laws at the state and federal level to deny African Americans their rights as citizens.

History reveals that the Republican Party was formed in 1854 to abolish slavery and challenge other racist legislative acts initiated by the Democratic Party.

Some called it the Civil War, others called it the War Between the States, but to the African Americans at that time, it was the War Between the Democrats and the Republicans over slavery. The Democrats gave their lives to expand it, Republican gave their lives to ban it.

During the Senate debates on the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, it was revealed that members of the Democratic Party formed many terrorist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan to murder and intimidate African Americans voters. The Ku Klux Klan Act was a bill introduced by a Republican Congress to stop Klan Activities. Senate debates revealed that the Klan was the terrorist arm of the Democratic Party.

History reveals that Democrats lynched, burned, mutilated and murdered thousands of blacks and completely destroyed entire towns and communities occupied by middle class Blacks, including Rosewood, Florida, the Greenwood District in Tulsa Oklahoma, and Wilmington, North Carolina to name a few.

After the Civil War, Democrats murdered several hundred black elected officials (in the South) to regain control of the southern government. All of the elected officials up to 1935 were Republicans. As of 2004, the Democrat Party (the oldest political party in America) has never elected a black man to the United States Senate, the Republicans have elected three.

History reveals that it was Thaddeus Stevens, a Radical Republican that introduced legislation to give African Americans the so-called 40 acres and a mule and Democrats overwhelmingly voted against the bill. Today many white Democrats are opposed to paying African Americans trillions of dollars in Reparation Pay, money that should be paid by the Democratic Party.

History reveals that it was Abolitionists and Radical Republicans such as Henry L. Morehouse and General Oliver Howard that started many of the traditional Black colleges, while Democrats fought to keep them closed. Many of our traditional Black colleges are named after white Republicans.

Congressional records show it was Democrats that strongly opposed the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments. These three Amendments were introduced by Republicans to abolish slavery, give citizenship to all African Americans born in the United States and, give Blacks the right to vote.

Congressional records show that Democrats were opposed to passing the following laws that were introduced by Republicans to achieve civil rights for African Americans:

Civil Rights Act 1866
Reconstruction Act of 1867
Freedman Bureau Extension Act of 1866
Enforcement Act of 1870
Force Act of 1871
Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Civil Rights Act of 1960

And during the 60's many Democrats fought hard to defeat the

1964 Civil Rights Act
1965 Voting Rights Acts
1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Act

Court records shows that it was the Democrats that supported the Dred Scott Decision. The decision classified Blacks and property rather than people. It was also the racist Jim Crow practices initiated by Democrats that brought about the two landmark cases of Plessy v Ferguson and Brown v. The Board of Education.

At the turn of the century (1900), Southern Democrats continued to oppress African Americans by placing thousands in hard-core prison labor camps. According to most historians, the prison camps were far worst than slavery. The prisoners were required to work from 10-14 hours a day, six to seven days a week in temperatures that exceeded 100 degrees and in temperatures that fell well below zero. The camps provided free labor for building railroads, mining coal-mines and for draining snake and alligator invested swamps and rivers. Blacks were transported from one project to another in rolling cages similar to the ones used to transfer circus animals. One fourth of the prison populations were children ages 6 to 18. Young Cy Williams age 12, was sentenced to 20 years for stealing a horse that he was too small to ride. Eight-year old Will Evans was sentenced to 2 years of hard labor for taking some change from a store counter and six-year old Mary Gay was sentenced to 30 days for taking a hat. While authorities sent whites to jail for the same offenses, they sent blacks to the prison camps with much longer sentences. Thousands died from malaria, frost bites, heat strokes, shackle poisoning, others were buried alive in collapsing mines, or blown to pieces in tunnel explosions, and still others drowned in swamps or were beaten and shot to death. Every southern black citizen was a potential prisoner for any alleged small offense, including violating evening curfews. Through the prison camp system, southern owners of railroads, mines and farms had an unlimited source of free labor. The black prisoners played a major role the South's economic development. Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative, said, in his opinion, "the prison camps were a new form of slavery, but far more inhumane."

History reveals that it was three white persons that opposed the Democrat's racist practices who started the NAACP.

Dr. Martin Luther King, several Civil Rights leaders and many historians reported that during the first two years of his administration, President John F. Kennedy ignored Dr. King's request for Civil Rights. The chronicles of history reveal that it was only after television coverage of riots and several demonstrations did President Kennedy feel a need to introduce the 1963 Civil Rights Act. At that time, experts believe the nation was headed toward a major race war.

History reveals that it was Democratic Attorney General, Robert Kennedy that approved the secret wire taps on Dr, Martin Luther King Jr., and it was Democratic President Lyndon Johnson that referred to Dr. King as " that n****r preacher." Senator Byrd referred to Dr. King as a "trouble maker" who causes trouble and then runs like a "coward," when trouble breaks out.

Over the strong objections of racist Republican Senator Jessie Helms, Republican President Ronald Reagan, signed into law, a bill to make Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday. Several Republican Senators convinced President Reagan this was the right thing to do.

Congressional records show after signing the 1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Act and issuing Executive Order 11478, Richard Nixon, a Republican, that started what we know as Affirmative Action.

On December 15, 1994, federal Judge David V. Kenyon issued a court order to the Clinton Administration in the Case of Fairchild v Robert Reich Secretary of Labor (#CV92-5765 Kn). The order demanded that Secretary Reich and the Clinton Administration force 100 west coast shipping to develop an Affirmative Action plan to stop discrimination against, African Americans, Hispanics, Female and Disabled Workers. Female employees were being sexually harrassed, Hispanic were being denied promotions and training, Disable Workers were being laid off, and African Americans were being force to work in an environment where they had job classification called " N****r Jobs." Clinton left office six years later and never complied with the court order. The companies still do not have an Affirmative Action Plan.

President Clinton sent 20, 000 troops to protect the white citizens of Europe's Bosnia, but sent no troops to Africa's Rwanda to protect the black citizens there. Consequently over 800,000 Africans were massacre

During the 2003 Democratic Primary debates, the Rev. Al Sharpton, said the Democrat take the black vote for granted and treat African American like a mistress. They [Democrats} will take us to the dance, but they don't want to take us home to meet mama."

On December 3, 2002, President Clinton spoke to Democratic Leadership Council in New York regarding the future of the Democratic Party and how they could retake the White House. At no time did he address Civil Rights issues for blacks or doing things to improve the conditions of African Americans. His only reference to Civil Rights was Civil Rights for Gays. His only reference to improving communities was his recommendation to revisit the Marshall Plan to re-build communities in other countries. His entire speech was aired on C-Span.

After exclusively giving the Democrats their votes for the past 25 years, the average African American cannot point to one piece of civil rights legislation sponsored solely by the Democratic Party that was specifically designed to eradicate the unique problems that African Americans face today. Congressional records show that all previous legislation (since 1964) had strong bi-partisan support, even though some Democrats debated and voted against these laws.

After reviewing all of the evidence, many believe America would have never experienced racism to the degree that it has, had not the Democrats promoted it through:

Racist Legislation
Terrorist Organizations
Negative Media Communications
Bias Education
Relentless Intimidation
And Flawed Adjudication.

The racism established and promoted by members of the Democratic Party affected and infected the entire nation from 1856 with the Dred Scott decision, to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case. But they never offered or issued an apology.

Today both parties must remember their past. The Democrats must remember the terrible things they did to Blacks and apologize and the Republicans must remember the terrific things they did for Blacks and re-commit to complete the work that their predecessors started and died for.

Sigh....

I am not one for political correctness. I really am not, but today, I found myself in want of it. Badly.

BH is a charming young boy. He is so engaging and thoughtful. When I pick him up from summer day camp every day, one of the teachers, who is my age, just goes on and on about the silly things he says. I love it.

Today, however, not so much. She stops me as I am driving away and asks me to roll down the window. The boys hear all of this. Here goes:

Her: I have this friend. She is *whispers* white. Her husband is *whispers* black. (I am already irritated by that alone. Race isn't a something that is so secretive we have to whisper for good gravy's sake!). So ummm.....that makes her kids *whispers* mulatto.

I am just nodding as she talks about how the hair is so different of their kids, and how great they are. I am just nodding away yet kind of just irritated inside. I don't correct her at all because she is trying to be nice. She is irritating me, but she is trying to be nice.

Why am I irritated?

*Never, ever do we whisper whether someone is black or white. Be proud about it. I am proud to be white, of Scottish descent. Period. I am so proud of my children and their African descent. Out loud.

*If you want to be truly politically correct, you say African American, or Anglo American. I say white all the time, but I never say black. I always say African American. Am I trying to avoid offending someone? No. I am trying to teach my kids how to be respectful of their race.

*Also, cross racial relationships don't need to be whispered about. None of these things she was referring to need to whispered about! Think about the impression that will leave my kids with if they think every time their race is brought up, it needs to be whispered about, especially from a teacher!

*I never ever say mulatto. Why? Well the Anglo definition of mulatto means "the first-generation offspring of a black person and a white person" from Merriam Webster. Keep looking at the etymology of the word which is "Spanish mulato, from mulo mule, from Latin mulus".

Now here is where African Americans get offended by the word "mulatto". The meaning of the word mule means " a hybrid between a horse and a donkey ; especially : the offspring of a male donkey and a mare". And we can all imagine how that would make us feel if we were thought to be mules. I don't like the word myself, never have.

*What is the correct word? It isn't hard. Bi-racial. It's a nice word because it can meaning any kind of cross racial relationship that results in offspring, and it doesn't have an etymology that makes me cringe.

And there you go. It isn't hard. But in three sentences, I was done with that conversation. Just a thought.

This Just Has Me Spinning a Bit

Years and years ago, when we adopted JM, some words were said to me that still ring in my ears today. I have to tell you this so you understand the point at the end.

We adopted our oldest son from Houston, TX. When we flew down to Houston to pick him up, I remember sitting in the adoption agency in Texas waiting for his foster parent to bring him to us. He had been born about 3 weeks before and she was caring for him after he was released from the hospital. So we chatted with the adoption worker.

This agency does have a kind of specialty in placing African American (AA) children with families. I don't remember how it happened, but we got onto the subject of race. I remember telling her that where we live in the Pacific Northwest, it really is laid back in terms of race. It's just a strange enough place that even if my family seems weird to someone else, they also seem weird.

And she said this, which are the words I hear repeated in my head a lot, "The majority of our AA children we place with families in the Pacific Northwest. You have to remember this is still The South. People still get burning crosses in their front yards here." We went onto to talk about that even if a white family wanted to adopt an AA child, most of the time they don't want to invite that kind of attention. It made me sad.

Jump ahead about 2 to 3 years. My hubbie is actively looking for a PhD program and finds a potentially good one in Louisville, KY. We talked about whether we would sell our house or rent it, how long it would take, etc. The words repeated themselves in my ears again, and I reminded my husband, Kentucky was part of the south. We needed to take the racial temperature of what it would be like if our colorful family went outside and played ball in our front yard or walked in the grocery store or the mall. I asked him to talk very candidly to the director of the program about what are racial attitudes like in Louisville. I also had the idea of all of us flying out there and walking around, and seeing the tone of the stares in people's eyes. Isn't it a shame we had to and still have to think that way?

I have an AA friend who has explained to me that she actually does that to this day. If she travels for her work, she asks around to see what the racial climate is for her work, and decides what places to visit or museums to see based upon that. Again, crying shame.

This is where I got rattled in the last few days. A woman who lives on the coast of Oregon, and her adopted AA son got the nice little gift last weekend of a burning cross in their yard. Click here for the link.

It is so sad. The one light at the end of this....the neighbor who said, "If the law doesn't drive them out we will." It's a town of 200 people, I am sure someone knows something and at the very least, it won't be tolerated.

That woman in the interview could be me, and it just shakes me a bit. The repeated words came back, "there are still burning crosses in people's yards."

Yes, there are.

Tuesday is the Day

Okay, I just checked our local PBS listings. Tuesday morning, okay really late Monday, however you want to split that hair--at 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning, will be one installment of the compelling documentary "African American Lives". I am not kidding, this is beyond wonderful.

The next episode of it will be on Tuesday night at 10 p.m. where it's "African American Lives" all about Oprah. Because she is Oprah, she gets her own special title for it. Whatever, it's still good, and they talk to other celebrities other than Oprah.

Again, I totally recommend these documentaries in particular, I am not sure the concrete reason why, but they are heartwarming. Plus, this is fairly recent history. Only within two or three generations, we can trace back to slave roots. I do feel we need to appreciate that and glean whatever fresh history we can from it.

Get ready for a tear or two.

Scandal Turns to Joy

Forty years ago, a Boston firefighter dared to give mouth to mouth resuscitation to an African American 2 month old baby, and saved her life. No regard to what people might think, he just did it. In a city that was rocked by the violence of the civil rights movement. Get ready to cry, hats off to this wonderful man.

Click here for the link. Watch the video, and grab a tissue. Heroes all around us, and it's fun to read about them.

Who Came First? Rosa or Claudette?

And what sparked the civil rights movement? Depends on who you talk to and what you're reading. Emmett Louis Till's lynching certainly started something in Mississippi. Rosa Parks started the bus boycott in Alabama that certainly started civil rights in Alabama, with Martin Luther King's endorsement.

But did you know Claudette Colvin threw a bus fit before Rosa? Well, it was several months before that Claudette did technically. But, civil rights leaders wanted to pick their battles wisely. Unfortunately for Claudette, she was a feisty fifteen year old at the time. She was dragged off the bus by police kicking and screaming. Additionally, a few months after the incident, she was pregnant by a much older man. I have to give credit to civil rights leaders, they wanted to make sure the person who would represent their cause in court would be a bit more polished.

But you know what, the bus boycott was in the making and set the stage for Rosa a few months after Claudette. It was not just Rosa who was frustrated over bus rules, and Claudette shined a light on that.

So while she wasn't immortalized like Rosa, we raise our hats to Claudette. It gives us hope that feisty teenagers can accomplish much and even get their moment of fame decades later. Here is the link where I found this little known piece of history.

PBS Heads Up

For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, please keep your eyes out for these three documentaries this week. For those of you not in this area, please check your local PBS guide for a couple of good documentaries that I absolutely recommend.

1) Better Hour: The Legacy of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was a staunch abolitionist and a devout Christian. I only caught the last half of this last year and it wasn't shown again. Please check your listings for it. It is on at 3 am this Friday, 2/6. So, either set your tivo, or stay up, take your pick. Honestly, I don't have tivo, so I may be trying to set the VCR!

2) Local PBS folks, this Sunday night, 2/8, at 11 pm, is a local documentary called "Local Color" which was done in 1991 talking about our local struggle for civil rights, the sacrifice of both blacks and whites to make that happen. I am really excited to see this.

3) Also at 3 am is a series called "Slavery and the Making of America" and that is going on all this week. So again, set your VCR/tivo if you can. Again, I only caught the last of that last year, and truly enjoyed what little I did see. It is a series that chronicles slavery from start to the Civil War, and even beyond that to Jim Crow law and the civil rights movement.

I need to figure out my vcr again. I am going to miss these if I don't get on them!

Great Movie to Start it All Off

I inadvertently watched this movie today. I was watching it while coaxing BH to take his nap. It was on the IFC Channel (Independent Film Channel, 550 on DirecTV). We like to watch independent films and have seen a few good ones, but watch out. Independent films can be a disguise for some pornographic things too. But if you find a good one, it's great to see movies that aren't typical Hollywood cookie cutter movies. It's also great to see famous actors that we all know (James Spader, Hillary Swank, Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, etc) doing really different things.

Anyway, this was on this afternoon, and the description had the story line being about a husband who displays homosexual tendencies. Um, yes, but it's so much more than that. It is also about interracial relationships during the 50's. I won't give it away, but yes, there is a homosexual story line, and it's not glorifying. In fact, it's quite devastating. You will see one kissing scene of two men kissing, and it's when she's about to walk into the office if you want to take a sec to look away. I pretty much ignored that story line.

I was incredibly intrigued by the story line of the interracial couple and how dangerous that was in the 50's. How much of a sacrifice it was to continue such a relationship, and what hardship could befall such a family.

Fascinating.

There are no sex scenes in this movie. No violence, a few F bombs. For an independent film, quite refreshing! I hope it's shown more this month. One nice thing about the IFC channel, no commercials. It's literally like watching a DVD.

What a great movie to stumble upon as I begin my African American history month search for good stuff.

African American History Month

It is here again! Last year, for those who have been with me that long, you might remember, I tried to put up some posts that were kind of cool and relevant to African American History month. Mostly the discoveries I have made in becoming fluent in that culture. Why? Because as a parent of African American children, it is my responsibility to bring their culture to them when they can't attain it.

I encourage you, if you are kind of interested in this, try a few things that you may not think to try. You don't have to go to a march or try soul food, although you're missing out on that, but just check out some of the things that you see being offered.

1) Keep your eyes on PBS. I am not kidding, they have some really great documentaries. One of them that brought me to tears last year is called "Banished". Why? Because it goes into communities that have not moved past 1960, and it's 2007, I believe, when it was made. It shocked me beyond belief to watch this woman stumble on her words to not say the "n" word which seemed to come so easily to her and she finally coughed up "colored". Well, that was a poor second choice. And she is about 10 years older than me. The civil rights movement is not over is some parts of this country, unfortunately.

I love one thing about PBS, they don't have an ax to grind. Honestly, they just show the history.

2) Some really cool things on tracing African American ancestry called "African American Lives" I am sure will air on PBS. You can see a link on the sidebar. Very cool documentary that traces back ancestry of famous African Americans we know today. The one that most touched me was when they traced by Morgan Freeman's ancestry. Many times, after slaves were declared free, African Americans changed their family name. Guess what Morgan's family changed to? Free man. Cool huh? And he's living history of that today.

One "nice" thing about slavery, slaves were property, and property owners kept meticulous records of their property. So in many respects, it is easier to trace Morgan Freeman's history than my own.

3) Look back on my blog under the label "African American History" to last February. I did several posts that are very good for kids regarding African American history, why my city has a predominantly "black" section of town, what horrifying event sparked the civil rights movement, etc. I will also try to post some of my new discoveries this year of movies, documentaries, etc.

Where is my head at this year? Martin Luther King Jr. The more I know about that man, the more I respect him. In an age of war, his biggest mantra during the civil rights movement was no violence. The older I get, and the more I see why violence happens, I am astounded that civil rights happened without violence from his followers. I know others belonging to other groups, both white and black, engaged in violence. But King stuck to his word. I really have a lot of respect for that.

So, I am excited! I am excited to learn new things, and present them to my kids. It is exciting to trace such a rich history, and to see where the African American movement is today compared to 40 years ago. And there are so many heroes to remember who gave their heart and soul to changing the minds of people. It gives me tingles to show these heroes to my kids. Join me!

Vanport?? Where?

It doesn't exist anymore but it's where a lot of the racial change of this city came about. This is the post I promised. Here is my history lesson on the African American community in my city as we close this year's Black History month. I have enjoyed taking in some of the specials on TV, reading the books, and looking to the past. I have definitely appreciated that we have come a long way, and the future looks bright.

Now let me tell you my brief story. When I first moved to this city in 1991, I was a young, single, college student. I moved into a shack of a house in North Portland--which was then the hood. It was considered very black with lots of crime, which it was. The house next to mine was a crack house, and I heard gunfire occasionally and saw the cops a lot. The house across the street from that one was burned out and gutted from a house fire and no one cared. Since then, the crack house is gone and has been renovated--it is the showplace of the block. The burned out house has been rebuilt and sold for a major profit. The shack I lived in is still the cruddy shack it was back then. Some things don't change.

This link, click here, is the best synopsis of the basic story. I'll give you my version as well, because I have pulled from a few other sources as well.

Several things came to converge on this city in the 1940's. World War II was huge, and there was a huge demand for warships. Black labor was cheap, and African Americans were coming here by the thousands for work. There was a real estate code written forbidding real estate agents from selling minorities homes in white neighborhoods. And there was a flood that rearranged the living arrangements so nicely put in place. Sounds like the stuff of great novels!

First, the racial climate leading up to the 1940's. According to my research, the rewritten Oregon constitution around the turn of the century did not allow AA's to move into the state. The KKK was in full force with a membership of 200,000. Additionally, where could an AA person live anyway? No one would sell them a home. Yet, minority neighborhoods were not being built, because Oregonians did not allow them in the state anyway. I am sure it felt airtight.

That all changed when Pearl Harbor was bombed and this country need Liberty Ships on the west coast like crazy. Enter entrepreneur Henry Kaiser. He put together the largest ship building plant right here on the Columbia River. He put out advertisements across the country looking for workers. From the east and from the south came workers. Suddenly the AA population swelled to 6,000 in 1944 when just two years before it was one third that. Before this big boom, that small population of AA was allowed to live in a small spot called Albina, which is in North Portland. Well, this sudden boom made it impossible to fit all those people there.

Kaiser assumed the city would build affordable housing, not so. Some kind of compromise was met, and low incoming housing was built on the edge of the city. That is a nice word for the edge of the city and the edge of a levy. It was slums, from the descriptions I found, but it seemed to be the temporary fix at the time.

Until 1948. The levy broke. Here are some brief stories on the flood. This man, click here, actually witnessed the flood and the levy breaking and trying to escape. His story is harrowing. This lady, click here, remembers just meandering the city in the aftermath hoping for the hand out that would save her. What is interesting about her story is how a light colored relative was able to "pass" as a white person and was able to purchase a house. And how very uncomfortable that was. Very few were sympathetic to AA's in dire need after the flood. But it's interesting how that flood caused the melting pot to be stirred. I can't help but think that things in this city would have a lot different, and not for the better, had that flood not happened. It forced people to soften, open their hearts, and help others. Some didn't, but some did.

Jump ahead. The war is over, AA's have a home, mostly in the north side of town. The Albina neighborhood and the former Vanport seemed to be where the majority of these people stayed. If you travel between the Albina neighborhood and the former Vanport area, that is the North Portland area, for the most part, that we know today. Then the civil rights movement began. To make a long story short, suddenly the Constitution is changing, suddenly housing codes change, slowly the same changes that begin to be seen around the country are happening here.

Then a mysterious thing happened. The nineties. That same north end of town is one of the oldest places in the city with three story homes, hardwood floors, gingerbread woodwork, and young couples want to move in for the charm. Two things helped that. The geography. This city is surrounded by hills and rivers. It's hard to expand. Plus, urban growth laws put the kabosh on a lot of growth. Many experts say those laws inadvertently forced people to move in next to each other and think of the neighborhood and not who your neighbor was.

I think if we took a moment and looked at other big cities we might find the same kind of demographics for similar reasons. It makes me wonder about the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles. It makes me wonder about Detroit, MI. Referencing the documentary "Banished" where AA's were banished away from cities, I am not proud to say that my city did one step less than that and banished AA's to a small part of the city "so that we wouldn't have to put an officer on each corner". It is amazing to me the correlation (here comes a can of worms) people make when they see an AA person and they instantly think crime is going to happen. I have a side note to that at the end of this post.....

We have success. This article, click here, points out that segregation in this great city has decreased dramatically since the nineties, to the notice of other urban areas such as Chicago and Detroit--who are still very very racially divided. Not so here. Yes, the Albina neighborhood is still very much there. It is still very much AA and celebrates it's heritage. It is also very Latino, very white, and very diverse. It has had a great revival in the last few years, it gives me chills. It's stories like this that give me hope and also shows we are heading in the right direction.

One of my favorite coffee shops in this city is in Albina. I am always up for a cuppa somethin' if anyone ever wants to join me.

I pray the end of your Black History month is as fulfilling as mine has been. We'll do this again next year.

NOTE: At the beginning of this school year, my husband and a bunch of brand new, fresh faced freshman have a get together. It's a tradition and really helps students feel welcomed and comfortable. Lots of these students come from places far away, and not always diverse cities. One of these students was a rural kid from Idaho. He was talking about how safe he felt on campus. He mentioned that he saw these "scary looking teenagers walking through campus". I asked him what they looked like. Sure enough, they were basically high school students, walking through campus with their big sweatshirts and baggy pants--and AA. I gently pointed out that this part of town is very diverse and there is a high school nearby. Those were just high school students cutting through the campus to go home, no big deal.

I am still encouraged. Why? Because that young man is no longer in Idaho and getting a look at the diverse country we live in. I am thankful those high school students are cutting through a Christian campus and maybe even stopping to chat with someone. That may not have happened only a few years ago in my lifetime.

PS Can I ask a silly question of my faithful readers? I have a very very faithful reader who visits my blog 2-3 times a day from Pittsburg, Illinois or somewhere near there. I have no idea where Pittsburg, IL is! Can you post to me (I won't publish who you are unless you give me permission) who you are? In other words, if you post a comment, I have to moderate it first, and I won't put it on the blog unless you say it's okay. I'll delete it if you want. The suspense is killing me!

More African American History

UPDATE: In my area of the country, this isn't on the schedule to be shown again. However, the website for this documentary is just as compelling. Click here. Also, there is a mini clip video of the introduction giving the historical background. Again, quite amazing and makes me want to learn more. Hence, my future post about my community.....



I am sicker than a dog! I just took some more Mucinex, let's hope that unclogs this drain....

After everyone went to bed last night, I watched the third and final installment of "Pride and Prejudice". After that, on PBS, was an independent documentary called "Banished". It talks about three different communities, although there are many more, that right around the turn of the century, post Civil War, banished whole populations of African Americans (AA) from their community. In the three communities highlighted, it was by force, intimidation and at gunpoint. Two of them happened right after lynchings. To this day, those communities have zero populations of African American citizens. People left their homes and property with the clothes on their backs, and their properties were confiscated.

I strongly encourage you to watch this if you get the chance. It is not for young viewers, mainly because there are black and white photos of the lynchings.

I was so angry when it was over. Why? Because those communities are still all white to this day, and they see nothing wrong with that. One community promotes itself as a great way to retire. The filmmaker who made this is African American, and he is sitting down with a retired man. Filmmaker asks, what made you decide to live here to retire. Man answers two benign answers, One, the cost of living is low, two, blah blah blah and three, and definitely the most important, there are no "coloreds here". He then looked right at the filmmaker with a look on his face of, and what are you going to say to that?

They also interviewed a KKK (yes, the KKK!) leader in one of these communities who was trying to explain how cross burnings were really cross lightings in celebration of the Celtic tradition where crosses are illuminated. The filmmaker called that pile of garbage for what it was. A really disingenuous attempt at denying that cross burnings were a source of terror to Southern AA for decades, and even to this day. KKK dude hadn't much to say to that.

One white retired lady was asked about the banishment events she remembers as a girl, and she took three tries to find a word for an AA person, she literally stumbled three times. Why? Three times she almost said the "n" word, and finally came up with "colored". It's amazing how sticking a camera in someone's face makes them think twice about saying a word that one probably says on a regular basis.

I am not a silly person, I know that racism still exists. I was absolutely flabbergasted watching these whole communities still acting like it's 1955, and Jim Crow laws were still in effect. Plus, these communities see absolutely nothing wrong at all with it. The racist remarks that came out of their mouths were absolutely appalling.

The third community they focused on had a silver lining. A white pastor made it very clear, that is not what he or his congregation believes, and has made some great headway in repairing race relations. Keep in mind, it's an uphill battle--there are still no minorities living in his community to this day.

Next post will be about a similar kind of situation that happened in the city I live in. Those of you who live in my city, you know our street addresses have NE, SE, SW, and NW. We also have the area where the addresses begin with N. No, it isn't a reference to the "n" word. However, have you ever wondered why that area of town is predominantly African American? Even today? I'll tell you all about it once I am better. Plus, long posts can be boring.

If you have tivo, check your PBS listing for this absolutely fascinating documentary. It was made in 2005, so I wouldn't at all be surprised if it were on Netflix already. It's only an hour and a half, and really opened my eyes.

I wish it opened my nasal passages as well.

Side note here, JM, our oldest, was born in Texas. When we were sitting in the adoption agency in Texas talking to the adoption worker, we got an eyeful. She said most of her AA babies available for adoption are placed with families in the Pacific Northwest. We asked why. I will never forget what she said, "We still live in the south here. Cross burnings still happen here."

Emmett Louis Till

If you haven't heard of Emmett Louis Till, well let me tell you what I have learned. He was the catalyst to the civil rights movement. I should say it differently, his murder/lynching in 1955 at the age of fourteen was.

What the heck is this about AM? Well, this is Black History month, and I am absorbing what I can. Why? Because my kids are black. Simple enough. They need to know who Emmett Till was and what happened to him. Maybe not at this moment, but sometime in their lives I need to be able to explain to them who this young man was.

I finally saw the riveting documentary tonight. "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till". Please put it on your Netflix list. I have been wanting to watch it a long time and had the time tonight. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is not gratuitous in what is shown. It is eyewitness accounts with photographs to tell the story. The only picture I warn you about, the picture of Emmett's body post mortem. Please know he was beaten, tortured and shot. It is not pretty at all. He was 14.

I won't completely rehash the story. He was a young boy, born in Chicago, visiting relatives in Mississippi. He didn't know he needed to mind his p's and q's in Mississippi. I didn't know that in 1955 in Mississippi a black person could not even speak to a white person. You nodded or shook your head. I didn't know that when purchasing an item, black people could not even touch the hand of a white person, which was an issue if giving or receiving change. Guess what happened when prankster Emmett whistled at a young woman? He could do that in Chicago, he didn't realize he couldn't do that in Mississippi. He lost his life.

I give my hats off and honor to Emmett Till's mother. Her son's body was almost buried in Mississippi when she called that off. She spent a lot of money bringing her son's body back to Chicago only to discover she couldn't get the casket open. Wonder why those folks in Mississippi wouldn't let the casket be opened? She almost took a hammer to it until her funeral director defied his orders and said he would get it open for her. Well it is horrifying. She also insisted on having an open casket funeral. Insisted on it. Good for her. She insisted that this not be brushed away. If you see the post mortem picture, she obviously and painfully was making a statement. Her son's death/murder would not go unnoticed. That took a lot of guts. I can't imagine walking by that casket, which most of the black community did at the time, and seeing his battered body up close. The black and white picture alone was enough for me.

What is amazing to me in this documentary--there is a family member of Emmett Till's that still to this day insisted on her face being shadowed so you couldn't see her. The producer gave the simple explanation "she still resides in Mississippi". Amazing.

I also hadn't realized what a pivotal role Medgar Evars played in the efforts to prosecute the murderers, which was a farce of a trial. Medgar Evars was murdered a few years after this trial. That will be another post someday.

Great historical documentary. I recommend it highly. I'll let you know what else I come across this month.

Who Needs Insomnia?

Again, I love February! I fell asleep watching PBS last night, and I am so bummed I missed so much! Black History month has been fun to celebrate and enjoy through PBS this month so far.

Please watch your local stations for the incredible series called "African American Lives 2". Click here for details. Just click "play" on the little clip, and you will get a very good overview of the series. Very simply, it is genealogy. The narrator has chosen a few prominent African American celebrities and traced their roots, and found some incredible things. For instance, Don Cheadle's family was owned by Chickasaw Indians in Oklahoma! When the Emancipation Proclamation was declared, the Indians were sovereign and didn't have to comply to that order, and didn't. His family remained slaves in a no-man's-land kind of situation for 30 more years. Amazing!

Morgan Freeman. His last name comes from the Emancipation Proclamation. Many freed slaves changed their names to reflect a new identity, and Freeman was his ancestors chosen name. Also, his great great grandmother was in an interracial "marriage" that was never sanctioned by anybody. But from looking closely, it is obvious this woman and her man loved each other and lived together for 35 years, and were buried next to each other. Her last name on the tombstone is his last name. It was touching to see.

Chris Rock showed his tender side when he was told his great great grandfather enlisted as a soldier in the black army to fight for the freedom of slaves. When the war was over and reconstruction was the big hope of the south, he became a state senator! Once reconstruction came to an end, he was destitute. It is amazing history.

I totally recommend this series. Mainly, it is so interesting, yet not with an angry tone or an ax to grind. It is an appreciation of the history of African Americans, where they came from, how they worked hard for the future, and had hope for the future.

After that was over, then came the documentary on William Wilberforce, the Briton who was a staunch abolitionist, and fought hard for the rights of slaves. This show is not for youngsters-- there is nothing gratuitous but certainly recounted stories of slave abuse that might be too much for kids. What is so cool, he was a staunch Christian as well. The statement that rang in my ears the best before I fell asleep was, "Here is a man of faith, who used that to make social change."

Amen.

I am sure all this month, these two shows will be repeated. I know the "African American Lives 2" is on at three in the morning in a few days. Please tivo it. It is amazing.

I will be purchasing soon the DVD set of "African American Lives" that first aired in 2006 as well as this one. It is so interesting, and something I can share with the kids. This series is absolutely appropriate for children, and would be a great history lesson this month.

Black History Month

I always get this confused! I need to get over it. Here is where I get confused, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is in January. President's Day is in February. Yet, Black History Month is in February. I got it now!

Anyway, as a mom of African American (AA) children, I am always looking out for these things. I have an obligation to my kids to bring their culture to them. I knew that was the case the moment I held them in my arms. It wouldn't be fair to ask them to know everything about white culture just because I am white. It would also cripple them as AA adult living and moving in our world. I also think it has made me a better person in general to think through the eyes of my kids. Plus both of our kids have some biological family history in southern states--in other words, they have a high probability of having slave ancestry. I want/need for them to know their history in a positive, not angry, look to the future, kind of way.

So, this time of year seems to be when all the stops come out and all kinds of great resources are available. I love it! I am always looking for great movies, stories, books, authors, role models, that I can put in front of my kids. I also appreciate that it seems like professional sports are cleaning house. For awhile in our city, the local NBA team had AA team members on the news almost weekly standing before a judge on any kind of charge. I can honestly say, that hasn't happened in a long time at least locally.

So here is what I found I thought I would share with you.

**Connections Academy just listed on their website an exhaustive list of respected authors for kids of all ages, into college years. Also, they are holding "read ins" in different locations nationally. Here is the link for read ins. The reading list is here. I got an invitation email for the read ins just today, and they sound great for kids.

**I am also pretty impressed with the History Channel's list of basic resources. Click here for those.

**I just found this incredibly exhaustive website for teachers (or homeschool moms, take your pick) that has a lot of printables. I am impressed by the music, games, coloring sheets, history, books, etc that are listed. This site alone will keep me busy for awhile. Click here.

**Also, there are books on my sidebar that I want to highlight. "Cry the Beloved Country" is a must for any teenager or above. It has some pretty intense moments that make it PG-13. It is a fictional story based in South Africa. It has an absolutely wonderful story of redemption in the end. It also highlights the tragic history of South Africa that we are still living today.

**Another book I recommend that isn't on the sidebar, although the illustration to the left is from this book. "Twelve Years a Slave" by Solomon Northrup. It is the true slave narrative of Solomon as told by him, and he is amazingly eloquent. Click here for a very brief summary of the story. He was a free man living in New York state. He was kidnapped, beaten and sold into slavery in Louisiana, one of the worst states in terms of slave abuse. It is an absolute miracle he was rescued. When you read the part where his family comes to the farm he is working at, and he recognizes them as his rescuers, his heart wrenching drop to his knees, raising his arms to Jesus in pure joy and thanks. It is a miracle. It is a true story, and I totally recommend it to everyone. It has some intense spots, so maybe 8-10 years or older would be appropriate for reading.

One sad thing about Solomon. He only lived a few years after being rescued. Being a slave took a toll on him physically, and he speaks to that. What I think is a shame, he died the same year that Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves. I am sure Solomon would have tried to contact those that were left behind when he was rescued. He had significant relationships with them and was very concerned for them when he left.

**I also recommend movies like "Glory Road", "Remember the Titans", or even "Radio". All of them are truth based stories about AA athletes during the civil rights movement. All of them are positive and would be appropriate for kids about eight and older. All of them make me cry.

**Update 2/4/2008. Let me add one more movie to the list. I just watched it today. "Antwone Fischer" starring Derek Luke and Denzel--all movies are better with Denzel in them. But this is definitely an adult movie. It is the true story of Antwone Fischer and his survival as a kid in the hood, being abused by foster parents, finding his family, and "beating everyone who beat him". Some very adult discussions (ie children being molested, drug abuse, murder, etc.) although nothing gratuitous. It will make you cry. If you can get the DVD there are some great interviews with the real Antwone. What a great story of redemption and survival.


I know this isn't something all of do with such focus. However, it's nice to have the resources and to share this with others.