Quote:
Originally posted by blue
I agree, but I think part of the point was so many were blaming whites for it.
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You mean because we took a whole race of people, kidnapped them, sold them into slavery, and purposely attempted to destroy any culture or sense of community they may have brought with them?
And because when we freed them we made promises for reparations in the form of land and equipment so that they could work themselves into our society but then withdrew the offer?
My European ancestors came here because they wanted to. While some may have deliberately assimiliated themselves, they did so by choice. Noone beat them for praying in their own religion, trying to educate themselves, or speaking in their native language.
Something similar was tried with native Americans, although it was a little more subtle since they were not technically slaves.
BTW, I do not think reparations are the way to go, since every single ex-slave is now dead, but let's acknowledge that the original problem is one that Americans deliberately created, and that we spent most of the 20th century in self denial over this and allowing segregation, de facto and de jure, to keep an entire class of people in a system of schools and jobs which were inferior.
Yes people need to meet us halfway, accept personal responsibility, and rebuild their own community ties and supports. But let's not kid ourselves - a big part of the problem is still with 'the system' and not with the people caught in it.