If Black/Brown Children Are Old Enough To Experience Racism-White Children Are Old Enough To Learn..

[kpete]

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Walleye]

1. They like to give the Supreme Court credit for integrating schools.

We had a segregated system when I started school and our schools integrated when I was in about the sixth grade. The grown-ups may have decided to do it but it was up to us kids to make it work, let’s face it. If we could deal with that, I would think kids today could deal with the history of it.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Valid point...nt

[sop]

3. One of the privileges of being white in America is remaining oblivious to the evils of racism.

[jaxexpat]

4. Good point.

White people resent that others would deny them their "right" to enjoy their obliviousness. That's their REAL gripe.

[Talitha]

5. K&R

[IronLionZion]

6. The earlier they learn about it, the sooner we might have less of it

[Percy]

7. Perfectly said.

I came to the US at 8 years old. The country I came from had no black people except for African exchange students who came to study at the universities. They were always thought of with the highest regard as people from the continent of Africa. No different than us as human beings and with a unique culture of their own, just like Asians or South Americans who would pass through.

But even as I small child after coming to the US with little understanding of how the world works, I saw the discrimination against black people. I knew it was an injustice and it was the first time I really felt empathy on that scale. I suppose I could see it vividly because I was transplanted into a new culture and context, as opposed to having become accustomed, acclimated and indoctrinated to how things ran. There's a name for that now, systemic racism.

Because of this realization, when going back to my home country to visit, I saw that same injustice existed there too, but I hadn't noticed it before. It was directed toward the Roma people, Gypsies, and it was now clear as day.

I can report as far as the Roma today, the wrongs were acknowledged by the government and new laws are in place to try to compensate for those wrongs. They have made a great difference in many ways from many perspectives. About time it happened and I look forward to more being done in the US too.