That is the opening line of a piece from my one woman show that I performed at the January Story Jam series in Wimette, Illinois. Wilmette is a mostly affluent, predominantly White suburb of Chicago. I entitled the story "nigger," which tells the story of the first time I was called such by a White person. I have to admit that I had some reservations about presenting a story about being called a nigger to a mostly White audience - for about a minute. Hell, I told the world that I weigh 300 …
Kindness, Knowledge, Empathy, Tolerance and Discourse: Healing Race Relations. It Takes Work.
Kindness, knowledge, empathy, tolerance and discourse. The recent Ferguson decision and the subsequent violence that erupted in that town has brought race relations to the forefront once again. I have witnessed some of the most ignorant assumptions and racist remarks that I have not seen since Barack Obama won the presidency. It seems that many White Americans do not understand Black Americans. And it's almost enough to make me think that many don't care to. But being the eternal optimist I …