ClydeStyle

Tag: belonging

  • What should America do with it’s minority population?

    Have you ever wondered why America didn’t just send African-Americans back to Africa after the signing of the emancipation proclamation?

    I know if I were a white guy saying this, it would look racist, but this is something I have always wondered because clearly, the majority of America did not want people of color here.

    There are so many disparities in America, from healthcare, criminal justice, housing, wealth, and such. Black men have been label so negatively that it would have made sense.

    After doing some research, I found that there were black organizations that wanted equality here because this is where slaves though they belonged after being abducted and separated from their homeland.

    So we stayed to be treated horribly with a few of us making it big.

    Many whites believe that Blacks should have risen up and created something big for themselves. They should have by now created whole communities to their benefit. History tells us they did, but can you guys what happened?

    Several race-driven massacres and instances of racial violence against African Americans have occurred in the U.S. history. Here is a list of some which happened in just the month of August:

    • August 1896: Polk County Massacre White workers in Arkansas attacked Black workers who were coming to work on the Kansas City, Pittsburg, and Gulf Railway. This attack resulted in the deaths of three African Americans and eight wounded.
    • August 14-16, 1908: Springfield Massacre (Springfield Race Riot of 1908) A mob of approximately 5,000 white individuals launched an attack on African Americans in Springfield, Illinois. The massacre resulted in six Black individuals being shot and killed, two lynched, and about two thousand driven out of the city. This event was one of the catalysts for the formation of the NAACP.
    • August 11, 1965: Watts Riots Beginning on August 11, 1965, and lasting for six days, a series of violent confrontations erupted between Los Angeles police and residents of Watts and other predominantly African American neighborhoods of South-Central Los Angeles. The Watts riots resulted in the deaths of 34 people and more than 1,000 injuries.
    • August 30, 1919: The Knoxville Riot This event involved a white mob attacking the Black community in Knoxville, Tennessee.
    • August 1947: Fernwood Park Race Riot This riot occurred in Chicago in mid-August. 

    Literally, whole communities were created by black folks and destroyed by white folks. Tulsa, or Black Wallstreet, is the most notable circumstance, but Willmingotn, NC and Rosewood, FL were equal devastating.

    During reconstructioning this happened all the time. So, you don’t want us to make it on our own, and you don’t want to send us back. What is left?

    Now, ICE is being used to eliminate brown people. Maybe America should be honest about what she really wants.

  • The blessing and curse of belonging

    God created all humans with a desire to belong. Humans desire to fit into a group to satisfy this fundamental need for connection.

    When America began, we understood that our ancestors relied on group cooperation for survival, protection, resources, and social support.

    We have a psychological need for grouping, which fosters a sense of security, reduces feelings of isolation, and contributes to positive self-esteem. For its conception, belonging is a good thing intended to unify and benefit each other.

    Well, somewhere along the way, we learned bias. We started dividing ourselves by our differences. Then, without empirical data, someone said one race was better than another. Hate began to infiltrate our ranks. You see, part of being a member of a group and reaping the benefits thereof, we begin to feel obligated to the group, and this leads to conformity — this is a part of the belonging curse.

    Conformity means that if my group goes left, I don’t want to leave the group because of the benefits, so I will just stay silent.

    Imagine benefitting as an active part of the group, and then the leaders of the group decide the want to start discrimination practices. Conformity makes you not leave the group, but you now have a choice. You could stay silent and do nothing, but you would be just as guilty as the perpetrators. Or, you could speak out — truth to power — and let the leaders know how wrong they are.

    We have many silent partners in groups today. They have benefitted from a certain privilege and feel guilty over their horrendous past. There are some that have the audacity to say it wasn’t me. No, it wasn’t, but it was the group you benefit from.

    Our president recently signed an executive order to allow businesses to discriminate. Belonging still gives us a choice. What are you doing with yours?