The not so Ancient History of Racism in America

All too often, when I speak on the topic of racism in America, the replies I hear tend to center on early American slavery. The person making the reply typically comments on the lack of connection that he or she feels toward people in 'those days' who may have practiced such racist ideologies. Some of those who reply also let it be known that their lack of connection with the past provides them with a sense of detachment from any responsibility for whatever 'situation' people of color find themselves in today.

What I'd like to do is try to illustrate how not so long ago some of our ancestors held firm to some very unjust ideologies. For the purpose of this example, I am going to use a semi-fictional family tree based on my life:

• I was born in 1974. In my lifetime, some of the incidents I have witnessed include the race riots in LA which stemmed from racially motivated police brutality, immigration laws implemented to 'protect' our borders and [working class] job wages, and the rise of race-based debates centered on our nation's first African-American President. Additionally, I was told today about a person who believes that 'blacks are lazy' and 'they go after other jobs where they can hit on white women'. Yes...so long ago.
• My parents were born between the late 1940s and early 1950s. They lived during the immediate aftermath of Jim Crow laws and the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
• My grandparents were born in the late 1920s and early 1930s. They experienced the Great Depression, though very young; the migration of White Americans to the suburbs, otherwise known as the Great White Flight; and the establishment of the post WWII G.I. Bill, for which early discriminatory lending practices helped to establish places like Levittown, PA.
• My great-grandparents were born around the beginning of the 20th century. By this time, the U.S. Supreme Court had recently determined "separate but equal" facilities upheld the legality of the Constitution's 14th Amendment, thereby giving legal precedence to Jim Crow Laws. They were also living when race riots in Illinois precipitated the formation of the NAACP and the establishment of segregated neighborhoods, due in large part to the practice of redlining. My great grandparents lived until I was 8 or 9 years old. Although I didn't get to know them well, I remember having conversations with them and cannot preclude the influence they had on my life.
• My great-great grandparents I did not know, but they were born around the 1880s. They were alive when the U.S. Supreme Court declared the 1875 Civil Rights Act unconstitutional; many public transportation systems were segregated; and the implementation of the Mississippi Plan, which precluded African-Americans from Southern politics.
• My great-great-great grandparents were born around the Civil War era. This is the point in history to which most White Americans with whom I speak refer. This is also the point in history which those same [white] people claim such hardship identifying with. I admit that I don't feel a strong connection to my ancestry, but I also believe that time is a relative concept and that those who tend to view this point in history as 'ancient', do so, at least partially, out of a need to distance themselves from contemporary issues. Another interesting point about the relativity of this timeline is that my grandparents, who had a very significant role in my childhood and hence, my socialization as an adult, may very well have had some direct experiences with their great grandparents who are the same folks mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph. One last point I'd like to raise in terms of this particular segment of the timeline is that of perspective. See, this is a learning process for me as well as anyone else who may read this. In tracing even this semi-fictional lineage back to the Civil War era, there is a significant lesson to be had. If someone of color were to conduct the same activity, what would their perspective be? Under what circumstances would their timeline begin?

This is by no means intended to be an all inclusive, detailed history of slavery or racism in the United States. My point is simply that it has not been very long ago that severely prejudiced behavior was much more overt and there were institutional systems which overtly supported these prejudices. In the 146 years since slavery was abolished, well over 100 of those years were spent trying to achieve what the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were supposed to have provided upon ratification.

I say all of that to say this: I don't share the perception that racism and the effects of racism aren't current issues because slavery ended 'so long ago', or that just because no one I knew personally owned slaves somehow makes me any less responsible for making a sincere effort to help improve the society in which we all live. I don't want anyone to take what I'm saying to mean that I believe I am better than anyone, I don't believe that to be true. I certainly don't always get it right. What I do believe is right, at least for me, is owning my privilege up front, and acknowledging that denial and rationalization have no place in working toward solutions.