2008 Woodie Awards
Knowledge and tolerance over ignorance and prejudice
Maurice M. McKiernan
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Commentary
The start of February has got me thinking about black history.
As a white male, I haven't experienced the strenuous position of a minority - but I certainly am getting a glimpse this semester.
The course is A150: A Survey of the Culture of Black Americans.
I waltzed into the classroom expecting my peers to be predominantly black. Out of the 26 students, four are white females, I'm the only white male and the rest are at least in part African-American, with the exception of one Latina woman.
I sat down and immediately began to realize what a wonderful situation this was for me as a writer and reflector.
I had worked with Marion County probationers down on 16th Street and Sherman Boulevard at the Brookside Park. I was most certainly the minority there, but a couple of the guys were white.
This A150 course was the first time I had been almost fully immersed as the minority for an extended time.
The experience has been wonderful: a mix of enlightening guilt and fevered passion.
In the past, I have always handled any talk of slavery and African-American culture with a due amount of respect; in my childhood, I idolized black athletes; in high school, my date to the prom was black; I have long been a fan of Frederick Douglass, yet, I never felt any intrinsically tangible ties toward his situation. Slavery was something that happened in the past, and did not directly pertain to me.
To a certain degree, I thought that it didn't affect me, nor should it affect others who were not directly involved.
I was wrong.
As someone who prides himself on having an open mind, I began to rethink my stance while in the A150 course - I began to see how important ancestors have always been to African-Americans and how relating to their experiences is central to that culture.
Furthermore, I learned about what some scholars call "the construction of whiteness." For example, European minorities, such as Germans and the Irish, came to the New World and found that they were no longer German and Irish (or minorities); now they had the opportunity to experience upward social mobility by being told that they were "white" and inherently superior to blacks. Being that they were the minority in Europe, they found this "whiteness" as a way to further their stature - which inevitably led to the status of blacks withering away.
In grade school, most everyone was told about the terrible conditions that the slaves had to endure - but I never fully comprehended it until our class watched "Amistad."
About halfway through the movie, a very powerful scene comes up where nearly 50 slaves were shackled to large rocks and thrown overboard the ship to drown because "rations had been miscalculated." Watching this scene is most certainly a "lump in the throat" inducer.
For the reasons previously listed, I have a challenge for you, IUPUI: please take 10 minutes of your time and watch the "Amistad" clip that I have included a link for; it is a very powerful, correct depiction of the way slaves were treated. Warning: it is very graphic, with bloody torture, murder and nudity.
Knowledge and tolerance are two great aspects of humanity - it is time that we practice them to compensate for our past of ignorance and prejudice.
Here's the 10-minute "Amistad" link: Amistad
As a white male, I haven't experienced the strenuous position of a minority - but I certainly am getting a glimpse this semester.
The course is A150: A Survey of the Culture of Black Americans.
I waltzed into the classroom expecting my peers to be predominantly black. Out of the 26 students, four are white females, I'm the only white male and the rest are at least in part African-American, with the exception of one Latina woman.
I sat down and immediately began to realize what a wonderful situation this was for me as a writer and reflector.
I had worked with Marion County probationers down on 16th Street and Sherman Boulevard at the Brookside Park. I was most certainly the minority there, but a couple of the guys were white.
This A150 course was the first time I had been almost fully immersed as the minority for an extended time.
The experience has been wonderful: a mix of enlightening guilt and fevered passion.
In the past, I have always handled any talk of slavery and African-American culture with a due amount of respect; in my childhood, I idolized black athletes; in high school, my date to the prom was black; I have long been a fan of Frederick Douglass, yet, I never felt any intrinsically tangible ties toward his situation. Slavery was something that happened in the past, and did not directly pertain to me.
To a certain degree, I thought that it didn't affect me, nor should it affect others who were not directly involved.
I was wrong.
As someone who prides himself on having an open mind, I began to rethink my stance while in the A150 course - I began to see how important ancestors have always been to African-Americans and how relating to their experiences is central to that culture.
Furthermore, I learned about what some scholars call "the construction of whiteness." For example, European minorities, such as Germans and the Irish, came to the New World and found that they were no longer German and Irish (or minorities); now they had the opportunity to experience upward social mobility by being told that they were "white" and inherently superior to blacks. Being that they were the minority in Europe, they found this "whiteness" as a way to further their stature - which inevitably led to the status of blacks withering away.
In grade school, most everyone was told about the terrible conditions that the slaves had to endure - but I never fully comprehended it until our class watched "Amistad."
About halfway through the movie, a very powerful scene comes up where nearly 50 slaves were shackled to large rocks and thrown overboard the ship to drown because "rations had been miscalculated." Watching this scene is most certainly a "lump in the throat" inducer.
For the reasons previously listed, I have a challenge for you, IUPUI: please take 10 minutes of your time and watch the "Amistad" clip that I have included a link for; it is a very powerful, correct depiction of the way slaves were treated. Warning: it is very graphic, with bloody torture, murder and nudity.
Knowledge and tolerance are two great aspects of humanity - it is time that we practice them to compensate for our past of ignorance and prejudice.
Here's the 10-minute "Amistad" link: Amistad
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