Now that an entire generation has grown up in post-civil rights America, can we have an honest conversation about the past and its impact on individuals and communities?
Created: 07/16/14
Replies: 11
Join Date: 10/15/10
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Join Date: 10/16/10
Posts: 1011
I think honest conversations about this happen all the time, but I think they're prone to misunderstanding and misinterpretation. We each bring a cultural bias to the discussion, which makes it very difficult to really understand what the other person is really saying or feeling.
Join Date: 02/03/14
Posts: 274
Join Date: 09/07/12
Posts: 152
It's certainly possible among some members of our society. Unfortunately, white supremacists still exist, and meaningful conversation about the pre-civil rights era will never be possible with them.
Join Date: 09/16/11
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Join Date: 03/30/14
Posts: 54
Any conversation where participants believe they are being honest and telling their truth is an honest conversation.....others just may not like what's being said. The people who participated in the slavery system are dead so we can only use historical documents etc to hear their voices. Those who live with the legacy of slavery can only tell our own truths and hope others will listen with an open mind. Change can be so slow and we can be so impatient. It's all about treating others as we wish to be treated...respect.
Join Date: 10/16/10
Posts: 1011
@ Retired Reader - I'm interested in your statement that "it depends on who is having the conversation." What did you mean? Which people do you think can have an honest conversation, and which can't?
Join Date: 06/25/13
Posts: 347
I believe people try to have honest conversations, however, this is am emotional subject and that will keep getting in the way. I was brought up in Minnesota by parents that did not teach us about differences in race. My father had many friends, all kinds. I was in high school when the schools in the south were being intergraded. I did not realize they were not.
Join Date: 09/30/13
Posts: 13
Honest conversations can be held but this is an emotional subject for many. If you are African American you remember going to segregated schools, drinking from water fountains and using restrooms labeled "Colored" - I personally remember pulling into a restaurant that displayed a large sign in the window "We do not serve n…..s here". Many people don't want to talk about or share these kinds of memories.
Join Date: 04/15/11
Posts: 89
I think it depends a great deal on who is trying to have the conversation and where the participants have spent their lives. As the Canadian above mentioned, I wonder why it would be difficult to be honest about it. Racism still exists and the only way to eradicate it is by alerting people (children in school and young people especially) to what it means and how it harms society as a whole.
Join Date: 02/23/14
Posts: 46
Join Date: 12/04/11
Posts: 63
I agree with all of the above..you can have an honest conversation..after all, facts are facts and it did happen. But how we view it and live with it is very personal and emotional depending on our experiences.
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