2A
NEWS/The Charlotte Post
February 15, 1996
Mixed citizens want proper respect
for their unique heritage, lineage
Continued from page 1A -
interracial relationships, con
sensual or otherwise, has
made the African American
race truly one of many colors.
But, in today’s modern
world, a growing number of
interracial marriages are pro
ducing a new generation of
people who, like Shalati,
acknowledge both of their
parental backgrounds.
In the introduction to her
book, “Black, White, Other,”
Lise Funderburg notes that
conventional wisdom assumes
“Children of interracial unions
are bom into a racial nether
world, destined to be confused,
maladjusted, ‘tragic mulat-
toes,’ the perpertual victims of
a racially polarized society.”
Mixed couples are warned,
“But what about the children.”
“Underneath lies a widely
held assumption that the
racial divide between white
and black is vast and
unbridgeable,” Funderburg
said. “And so while two inde
pendent adults may be consid
ered free to deal with the folly
of their choice, they are
appealed to on behalf of the
undeserving offspring who
will supposedly suffer the
results.”
Her book, interviews with 65
"A lot of people view me as white. They say 'he's
something,' but they don't know what. They don't
know how to take me. "
- Edward Shalati
mixed-race offspring, seeks
out their feelings and experi
ences as the black-and-whites
in a black-or-white America.
According to the U.S. Census
Bureau, the number of docu
mented interracial marriages
tripled between 1970 and
1992, from 310,0Q0 to 1.1 mil
lion.
The number of.black/white
couples went up even faster,
increasing 400 percent, from
65,000 to 246,000. The num
ber of black men married to
white women was twice the
number of white men married
to black women.
The offspring from interra
cial relationships are becom
ing a sizeable share of the
American population.
The O.J. Simpson trial
attracted attention to the
trend and will likely attract
more as he battles his in-laws
for custody of his and Nicole
Brown Simpson’s children.
Funderburg notes, “Despite
growing numbers, public
images of mixed-race people —
who have been part of the
American landscape since the
first Africans reached
America’s shores — remain
scarce.”
And, the increase in interra
cial marriages is forcing gov
ernment to consider changing
the way it categories citizens
by race.
The federal Office of
Management and Budget,
after congressional hearings
in 1993 and administrative
hearings last year, may rec
ommend changes in 1997, in
time for the 2000 census.
The census bureau is plan
ning a test survey of 50,000
households in 1996 to help
come up with solutions.
But, according to an article
in Emerge magazine’s
December/January issue, sug
gestions for changes go
beyond just adding a “mixed”
or “multi-racial” category.
Groups such as Hawaiians
and Arabs are demanding
changes, while others, from
political conservatives to some
blacks want to eliminate
racial classifications altogeth-
Any changes could have
implications for government
efforts to track social and eco
nomics statistics, such as how
many African Americans get
bank loans or get steered
away from certain neighbor
hoods. Or, for example,
whether black voters need sin
gle-race districts for adequate
representation.
Arthur Fletcher, a member
of the U.S. Commission on
Civil Rights, testified in 1993
hearings, that he’s worried
about whether many people
previously listed as “Black”
will rush to a “mixed” catego
ry.
Estimates indicate as many
as 75 percent of African
Americans have some mixed
ancestry.
“I can see a whole host of
light-skinned Black
Americans running for the
door the minute they have
another choice,” Fletcher said.
“Black, White, whatever, but
all of a sudden they have a
way of saying, ‘In this discrim
inatory culture of ours...I am
something other than Black.’
“.. I know in the Black com
munity, a large number of
people who...think the eco
nomic opportunities that
would flow from being identi
fied as ‘other,’ whatever other
is, in this culture is an advan
tage and not a liability.”
Shalati sees advantages and
disadvantages in his racial
background. Based on appear
ances alone, he’s most often
identified as white. He’s been
hired for jobs by bosses who
thought he was white.
“But after they realize they
didn’t hire a white person,
immediately you see a change
in behavior in that you are
alienated.”
But “being black does not
only mean your color is black,
it’s how you view the world,”
Shalati said. “A lot of people
view me as white. They say
‘he’s something,’ but they
don’t know what. They don’t
know how to take me. Blacks,
as soon as they listen to you
talk and watch your demeanor
and characteristics you show,
they begin accepting you.”
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Celebrate
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The Heritage Collection
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PAPERTOWN
4420 Monroe Rd.'342-5815
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We must teach black history
MELODYE MICERE STEWART
In the
spirit of
Ma’at
No systematic effort toward
change has been possible, for
taught the same economics,
history, philosophy, literature
Luid religion which have estab
lished the present code of
morals, the Negro's mind has
been brought under the con
trol of his oppressor." Carter
G. Woodson, father of black
histoiy month, wrote about
black miseducation in 1933.
Beginning before our sojourn
from the shores of West Africa
and continuing through our
mass kidnaping, the terrible
Middle Passage, enduring the
horrors of enslavement, the
pain of segregation, the terror
of lynching and, today, insti
tutionalized and insidious
racism - clearly, we have a
powerful story of faith and
heritage to tell.
Yet, we are still the only eth
nic group in America to leave
the cultural and historical
indoctrination of ourselves
and our children to outsiders.
Other ethnic groups have
their own internal institutions
to properly teach the story of
their people to their children
from their particular point of
.view, e.g., Jews/Hebrew
&hool.
Because we do not do this,
the minds of too many of our
children have been brought
under the control of the
oppressor. They do not realize
our history begins at the
beginning of time nor do they
understand that we are an
African people with a rich her
itage.
Even more tragic, too many
of our children believe that
the concept of excellence
belongs to white folks, when,
in fact, we set the standards of
excellence in antiquity. We
cannot expect other people to
tell our story. Nobody will tell
your story like you will tell it.
(Or, why would you expect a
people who treated us wrong
to teach us right?)
The critical importance of
learning and teaching our his
torical lessons is a point which
cannot be overemphasized.
According to an academic
study presented to the
National Association of Social
Workers, black families with
"a sense of racial pride, evi
denced in discussing black
history and racism with their
children, are better equipped
to handle the stresses of
everyday life, set family goals
and achieve material success.”
With the advent of the
Million Man March, the mil
lennium window opened and
the opportunity for the
African American community
to address the internal needs
of the community has arrived.
Martin King wrote, "When a
people are mired in oppres
sion, they realize deliverance
when they have accumulated
the power to enforce change."
Today, African Americans
are the richest Africans on the
planet - we have the most
skills, resources, access to
technology, capital, etc. than
any other African people.
Despite our considerable
wealth and knowledge, black
people have not institutional
ized a mechanism in which to
teach the history of black peo
ple to black people for the pur
pose of our own empower
ment. The result? 'The minds
of too many of our children
(and adults) have been
brought under the control of
the oppressor. Now is the time
for Afiican Americans to make
a commitment to self-knowl
edge for the purpose of self
empowerment. If not now,
when?
UCB
INVESTOR
SERVICES, INC.
Larry "Tony" Crawford
Investment Counselor
Mutual Funds, Annuities,
Tax Free Investments, IRAs,
Asset Allocation, College Planning,
Retirement Planning
310 East John St. (704) 847-4404
Matthews, NC 28105 (800)822-7862
imporlonl Disclosure UCB Investo.'- Services, Inc is o non-Donk subsidiary of United Carolina
Bank. Securities offered Oy it t) Are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
(FDIC); 2) Are not the deposits of United Carolina Bank: 3) Are not the other obiigations of
United Carolina Bank; 4) Are not guaranteed by United Carolina Bank, and 5) Are subject to in
vestment risks including possible loss of the principal amount invested.'
Ship to anchor here
Continued from page 1A
ing to Charlotte. She’s already
planning presentation on
African American inventions
before and during slavery.
“The Henrietta Marie will
not only show the past, but it
is also a self-esteem builder,
even though it is a negative -
a slave ship,” Mills said.
“Because once you see where
you came from and where you
are now, you have got to see
where you are going.”
Ray Swann, president of the
Nubian Divers of Charlotte,
promised the full cooperation
of local African American
divers and said he will ask
NABS president A. Hosea
Jones to come to Charlotte.
“He is one of the two who
went down to put ja (2-ton
commemmorative) plaque on
the Henrietta Marie,” Swann
said. “'The membership is very
excited about this and we cer
tainly appreciate the efforts of
Spirit Square in bringing it
here, despite the loss of inter
est by some other groups.”
Madine Fails, executive
director of the local Urban
League chapter, said she was
also happy to hear that the
exhibit is coming here.
“That sounds great,” said
Fails, who is a member of
Discovery Place’s board of
directors. “It sounds like a
great learning experience. The
African American community,
in particular, needs to get
behind it.”
Discovery Place officials con
sidered but rejected a showing
of the exhibit in the spring of
1998 during a larger exhibit
on undersea exploration.
Rudy Cooper, Discovery
Place’s vice president of
exhibits, objected to the “nega
tive image” portrayed by the
slave ship. “We need to forget
about slavery,” Cooper said.
Discovery Place officials
deny Cooper’s opinion alone
caused them to pass on the
Henrietta Marie exhibit. They
said it did not meet their cri- ■
teria as a “hands on science
display.”
Museum of the New South’s
executive director Emily
Zimmern also passed on the
exhibit. She said the museum
covered the Carolines in the
period since the Civil War.
“As you know we are a
young institution,” Zimmern
said. “ We need to establish
our identity. Regrettably, the
slave ship Henrietta
Marie...doesn’t fit in our mis
sion.”
The Henrietta Marie exhibit
drew 5,000 people to Detroit’s
Museum of African American
History during its Martin
Luther King Day festival, said
museum staffer Kevin
Davidson.
More than 85,000 viewed the
exhibit during a six-month
showing at its home in the
Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage
Society. Mel Fisher’s crew
found the slave ship while
searching for a Spanish
galleon. Several expeditions
were carried out to recover
artifacts, but the hull has not
been disturbed.
“What makes this unique is
the wealth of artifacts,” said
Davidson. “They have shack
les in various sizes, smaller
ones for children.
“This is the first physical
evidence of a slave ship in the
western hemisphere,”
Davidson said. “That is why it
has gotten so much attention.”
“What makes the exhibit
most appealing is there is a
slave ship section you can
actually walk through and feel
like you are in this confined
space.
Other stops on a tour include
Los Angeles, Memphis, Tenn.,
and Atlanta, where it will
open in the fall of 1998.
It will also be exhibited
October 1997 through
January 1998 at the Fort
Worth (Tex.) Museum of
Science and History.
What no
TUI si: p/ioPLi: ham: i \ co.iLMoxy
#1
*2
Harvey Gantt Virginia Massey Jamison
#3
Arthur Griffin
#4
Wialilllan Howard
Shedrlck Barber
Dr. James Samuel
#5
They Are All Former Residents Of Pubuc Housing!
"Success is not bom. It is found in the struggle of achievement."
If you are a “graduate” of Public Housing and proud of it,
YOU ARE INVITED TO A RECEPTION
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