Black Men Have Feelings As Well
Jaleel Swauncy,
Memphis, TN
Black men are treated as though they are sub-human or animals with little to no feelings, both emotionally and physically. We are so much more.
Your soul is deeper than skin color
Melissa Pierce,
Bowling Green, OH.
As people, we need to start seeing each other for who they are rather than what they are. People have personalities, souls, and feelings that we are not taking account of when we only see skin color.
I Never Know How to Feel
Anonymous
Plattsburgh, NY
I grew up in a rural upstate NY town–hating everything that seemed bigoted or prejudiced. I loathed a lot of the people I knew in adolescence who held tight to old racist values. I went into college with an open mind and an open heart.
I don’t know what happened next. Our University has a large black population and–even though they had done nothing to me, I began to feel a lot of animosity towards them. The girls who seemed just to act so over the top. The guys who wore suits and tried to compensate for…something? I don’t know. I even began to think that these people smelled ‘different’…
I don’t want to be a racist. I believe we all should have the opportunity to achieve our goals. Yet for whatever reason, I can’t abandon this horrible way of thinking. I disappoint myself a lot.
I’m afraid I’ll hurt your feelings
Eileen Morgan,
Durham, NC.
#afterferguson
I’m part of the “dominant” race with privileges that I did not earn. I’ve been listening and learning about racism a long time, but many times I still “goof up” and say stupid things that hurt the feelings of people of color. I’m really tired of this separation and am willing to continue to be with people and listen and learn. The world is too small and there is so much that we can learn from each other. So let’s all be brave and start telling each other our life stories. I felt encouraged by tonight’s program. I especially need to hear how people across the country are making changes. We can’t ignore the evil of racism among us, but we can’t move forward without visions of hope. Thank you to everyone who took a chance to share their thoughts and dreams on this important PBS program.
What opened my eyes: “flesh-colored” bandages
Irene M. Pepperberg,
Swampscott, MA.
I was in high school, a racially integrated one, in the 60s, discussing racial issues with a contemporary black woman, an honors student, headed for a fine college. I asked her why she was so angry, what kind of discrimination she felt, living in a middle class community, going to a good school. Her answer, spat out at me, made me realize that discrimination was occurring at the very basic levels of her life, in ways I couldn’t ever experience.
Never let someone treat you badly
Keivin Bustillo Hernandez
Brentwood, MD
Many people think that it doesn’t matter how you are? the only thing that only matter is how you are from inside and what you feel. People had to be treat equally not matter how you look or what color you are?
