A Surviving Facts Blog
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When I wrote my blog for Black History Month, I knew it could be controversial. Response to my article confirmed it was. I offended many people from various racial and ethnic groups and political mindsets. I also started a conversation that has opened my mind even more to the racial and ethic conflict we currently see in America.
The comments I received both on my blog and through Medium fell into two primary buckets. One group was white men offended by my writing about this topic without acknowledging various heroic deeds performed by white men. These comments always referred to my being a “white woman,” which they assumed from my photo, and seems to be an issue for them, perhaps because I’m not a white woman carrying their party line. Not once did any of the Black Americans who responded refer to my race, probably because they know that pictures alone never tell the full story of someone’s genetics. The Black Americans who responded appreciated my effort to understand their perspective and be an ally. They also pointed out areas where I could advance my thinking. I very much appreciated their efforts to bring me into their thinking so that I can continue to learn.
Two comments that came into my inbox shared a different concern. They felt that I had not adequately acknowledged the suffering of the Jewish people. I tried to remedy this gap by adding an introductory note and changing some of the wording in the article. I wrote this article for Black History month and did not intend in any way to minimize the Jewish experience. I know Jews have been tortured for centuries— millennia!— and enslaved. I don’t think it’s well known, however, that Hitler did indeed study American slavery and the Black code and Jim Crow laws that came out of it. There’s a book on the topic, if you’re interested. What Hitler did to the Jews in Europe was atrocious and cruel and hard to describe in mere words. I was not comparing the Jewish Holocaust and systemic torture of Black slaves in America. Rather, I was noting that while Hitler’s bias surely came from hundreds of years of Jewish persecution, his ideas for creating a state system to murder an entire group of people was deeply influenced by American slavery. This is historically accurate.
Interestingly, most Black Americans who responded felt the comparison between Jewish suffering and American slavery to be “spot on.” Blacks carry suffering with them just as Jewish people carry their suffering too. The agonies of marginalized and abused groups of people is a connection point, it seemed, for these readers rather than a comparison or minimization. The difference in the two perspectives fascinated me. I wondered if my corrections and adjustments were adequate enough for my Jewish readers, though, as noted, only two left comments. I also wondered if I had emphasized the Jewish experience more whether this approach would have affected the perception of the Black readers, especially during Black History Month.
One astute reader taught me about the horrific connection between slavery and cannibalism. He sent me articles and videos which led me down a dark tunnel of education. White Europeans killed and fed Africans to the slaves enchained in the bowls of the ships. Africans knew this because slaves disappeared from their chains while the pigs and goats kept in pens above them remained unslaughtered. The food they were served was fetid and unfamiliar. Researching this led to many hours in the abyss of white European and American atrocities.
This blog received more reading, “likes” and comments than any other blog I’ve written, affirming the painful topic of slavery for both Black and white Americans. I wrote the article to share my own learning about becoming a better ally. I want to be able to write and speak about the hard stuff we tend to avoid, often because we are fearing offending someone. Having embarked on this journey, I can confirm that people will be offended, no matter the race, ethnicity, religion or political viewpoints. Does this mean I would do something different? Probably not. The conversation that started and the comments that followed were thought-provoking and enriching. I learned from the many thoughtful comments and criticisms I got. If writing leads to better thinking and profound learning, then it has achieved its ultimate goal.
I would love to hear from you, even if, especially if, you disagree. Perhaps we can bring back the American tradition of debate. Please like and share this blog with others. Subscribe to receive it by email and go directly to the Walk the Moon website (www.walk-the-moon.com) to peruse the full collection of articles and updates. You can email me from the Walk the Moon website as well.
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