Racism 2012

As we move through 2012, we have been exposed to many different versions of what may come to pass. It is the end of the world as we know it, it is the beginning of a new utopian existence, we may see comets, we may experience rapture, we may live through earthquakes or die by fire. The truth is there are many predictions that reverberate within our souls, there are those of us who have had visions since childhood. Yet, the fact remains that we do not know what is to come. I feel that many who believe that this year will end time have relinquished themselves to eat, drink & be merry. For some, it has become a copout, an excuse to live it up until we die. I think there are many issues that are being actively avoided due to the unsettling nature of the predictions regarding this year. What happens on January 1st, 2013? All the issues we are ignoring will remain. One in particular that troubles me is racism.

I was moved strongly by Spirit to stop at a certain convenient store as I was travelling to the gym. I listened and was horrified as I walked in to overhear two older men discussing what a certain "colored" woman had said. My blood boiled quickly and as I was walking out of the store I rebuked them saying, "What are we still stuck in 1952? I wonder, what color are you?"

My father says I was out of line because the men were older and in their youth "colored" was an acceptable term for African American. As I saw the man drive away in his brand new Cadillac, I wondered.

Recently at Club Atlanta, among a group of amazing lyricists and poets, Huggy Bear was featuring and stated that the Dream is dead. So many African Americans feel like we have made it no where. So many White Americans feel that minorities are getting more than there fair share to make up for past wrongs that people alive had nothing to do with.

As a loyal follower of Dr. Martin Luther King, and a woman with many Black friends, I am distraught by the continuing racial unrest. My own mother was shocked when she found out that I had begun frequenting a Black club and that I was introduced to the stage as a sistah. She said Blacks down here are not the same as they are up North and she thought after what had happened with the Martin young man that they would look at me with hatred and not want me among them.

I say none of this to dishonor anyone, espeically not my mother. However, we are still in very big trouble. Many groups of highly intelligent and socially active African Americans remain Afro-centric. Many White Americans still have all the wrong ideas about Black Heritage.

All stories are relevant to the perception of those telling them, the perception of those listening to them: I was not a rich child. I understand what it is to struggle. I still know the feeling of finally replacing that old worn out pair of shoes. I own one pair of Nike's. I own one solid pair of work shoes. I am grateful for all that I have. I think many people do not see struggle because they have not known struggle.

Whatever our individual story is, we should be able to cross lines of perception and use our natural human empathy to overstand another's point of view. From some sides of the story, the only answer will be a race war. I have heard it reverberate deeply more than once. For a woman who is loved and revered by many races, many cultures & many religions, this disturbs me deeply.

What is to be done? We need cultural Revolution. Where to begin? I think a good first step would be a round table of speaking and listening. A forum of some sort. The system is broken. We all know that. What is to be done is the relevant question. What are we capable of doing that will dissolve racism once and for all?

The Dream is alive. We are capable of finding the Promised Land. Spiritual unity can be reality. When are we going to know ourselves so intimately that we can affectively hear the heart beat of another soul? Where is the next step? How many are willing to take it?

I am a bridge. A peace maker. A revolutionary. A poetess. I am a woman on a mission. Won't you give peace a chance?

One light in the darkness can be seen. We are many voices. WE are ONE. A rainbow could not be so beautiful with only one strand of color. Even some of the most intelligent and fluent minds are racist. It is time to watch the Dream be born again. It is our time to rise.