Well, now I've gone and done it! Was looking forward to entertaining and light reading in retirement but Leonard Pitts Jr, whose columns appear frequently in our local paper, challenged people (especially Whites) to understand African-American history better as a further step forward healing the racial divide. So I'm accepting his challenge by tackling the subject book which is at the top of his recommended reading list.
I have no illusions about being quite ignorant about this subject. A 'Black History' course I took in college helped but it barely made a dent in my lack of understanding. Mr. Pitts' persistent claims of White ignorance forced me confront the extent of mine. Honestly, it's considerable. Mr. Pitts' theory is that White ignorance is a primary cause of inadequate progress against racism so I began wondering whether he might be correct. I have one concern about his claim but one thing needs to be said first.
Regardless of my opinion about his theory, I believe that reducing ignorance is progress and is its own reward, even if nothing 'tangible' comes of it. That's at least one key reason I'm attempting this challenging read.
As to Mr. Pitts' theory that White ignorance about African-American history and the African-American experience gets significantly in the way of better African-American success and achievement, I have some concerns about that. We have to be careful with our expectations what that will accomplish. Elimination of ignorance by itself doesn't automatically fix anything but I think Mr. Pitts and Dr. Franklin understand it's a necessary step. Irrational prejudice, fear, antipathy, or apathy can still exist. Progress is dependent on what's done with what one learns.
Also, I wonder whether elimination of our ignorance is really what most African-Americans are after. It seems to me that many African-Americans want Whites to understand their pain and/or the pain of their ancestors. Is it the cathartic experience they want or can it accomplish a major tangible improvement in their lives? Actually, I don't know but I wonder. Perhaps a better question is can we Whites really learn their pain?
I think that a 'sufficient' understanding of their pain may be impossible to achieve to the extent they want. How can anyone think that we Whites can understand their pain and discrimination experiences without actually going through it ourselves? I don't understand how reducing or even eliminating our ignorance can lead us to 'understand' it to the extent they want. I think it's like going off to fight in a war. How can anyone understand a soldier's experiences, feelings and the life-changing impacts about his battlefield experiences without also going through it?
Also, it sometimes appears that many African-Americans just want to keep punishing us Whites in whatever way they can (e.g., Rev Wright and the recent celebration of white cop killings by an African-American in Oakland CA) rather than have us simply read about their pain.
I've long respected Dr. John Hope Franklin's accomplishments. His death recently is a great loss to us all. For those of you who may not have heard much about him, let me quote part of his biography from the book I'm reading (7th edition by the way):
"Dr. Franklin is a former President of the Southern Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, the American Studies Association, the American Historical Assication, and the Society of Phi Beta Kappa. Among Dr. Franklin's awards are the Jefferson Medal of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Clarence Holte Literary Prize, The Jefferson Medal of the American Philosophical Society, and the National Endowment for the Humanities Charles Frankel Award, presented by President Clinton in 1993. He holds one-hundred honorary degrees (as of the book's 7th printing). (Holding Master's and Doctorate degrees from Harvard) he was Chairman of the Department of History at Brooklyn College and at the University of Chicago, where he was the John Matthews Manly Distinguished Service Preofessor Emeritus of History. He was a Fulbright Professor in Australia and Pitt Professor of American History and Institutions at Cambridge University in England"
Anyone with such impressive credentials deserves our highest respect. The least I can do out of respect for this great American and to honor his life is read his most notable literary accomplishment.
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