Wise Words From Morgan Freeman Regarding Race

[OhioChick]

"Freeman has come out publicly against the celebration of Black History Month and does not participate in any related events, saying that "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history." He says the only way to end racism is to stop talking about it, and he notes that there is no "white history month." Freeman once said on an interview with 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace: "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man".<6>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Freeman

I've always admired Morgan Freeman as a truly wonderful human being. :)

[Johonny]

1. Yeah but

I grew up in American white suburb in the 1970s. About the only black or women history I learned was... pretty much none. It would be nice if social economic factors were equal and people got a balanced historical view of the country, but they did't when I was I school. This sounds a lot like the reasoning behind destroying affirmative action. Pretending social-economic factors exist in a system seem like a poor way to hand a system.

[Olney Blue]

2. Obama/Freeman 08

:)

[OhioChick]

5. Should Edwards not Work Out....

I could go for that ticket!
:toast:

[bigtree]

3. stop talking about it?

not very well thought out. although I can imagine quite a few folks who wish minorities would just shut up about it.

[OhioChick]

6. I Think What He Means

is that we're all just "humans" and to view one another as just that.

[bigtree]

12. we have cultural differences originating from our respective communities

Disregarding those differences isn't the solution. We should, and will, continue to, both, talk about racism and celebrate our heritage. Openly acknowledging and celebrating our diversity will foster more understanding between races than muzzling ourselves out of some fear of being 'divisive'.

[NMDemDist2]

4. I'll never forget a scene in the movie "A Time to Kill"

when the Samuel Jackson character told Matthew McConaughey's character

"The fact is you are just like all the rest of them. When you look at me, you don't see a man, you see a black man."

it was a powerful moment for this old white woman. since then I almost never mention race when talking about a person's appearance. It made me a better person. Do I still do it? yes.

but not nearly as often and I look into the person rather than the appearance.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

13. One of my top 10 movies ... and even better book!

And I agree ... that's a very powerful moment in the movie.

[sandnsea]

7. I'm French-American

and I resent the hell out of the fact that my American heritage is barely mentioned at all, and that most US French historic sites have been allowed to fall to ruin.

Freeman is wrong. This is a country that is supposed to celebrate those who came together to build it. French, Irish, German, Italian, Mexican, African, all of us. It is not just an extension of Britain which is what those who write the history books would like people to believe.

There will always be something different between individuals. We need to learn to embrace differences, not pretend them away.

[OhioChick]

8. But....

If you have a person of each color and heritage stuck on a desert island, do race and ethnicity really matter? No, and they shouldn't in every day life.

[sandnsea]

9. Who said they did?

Nobody has to be defined by their culture if they don't want to be. But why shouldn't people be able to talk about the differences their culture has brought to their lives, the way they view their work, their art, whatever. We just have to all pretend we're exactly the same? That just doesn't even make any sense to me.

[Taverner]

11. Exactly

What I see is that Freeman is just sick and tired of race affecting everything . And he wishes it didn't.

[RavensChick]

15. And he's certainly not alone!

As a black woman, I grew up in an era where black power was all the rage, afros, protests, and the like. Yet as time went on, I've seen a very slow acceptance of just living together on one accord as one race--the human race. I attended public school in Washington, DC in a mostly white neighborhood, went to the University of the District of Columbia with the most diverse student population anywhere in the world; and the jobs I held since graduating, Federal and private sector, have been a mix of many cultures and ideals.

I'm only sorry to see racism rearing its very, very ugly head in recent years, but that will NEVER stop me from learning about people, loving them for who they are, and appreciating their cultures. The only problem I have, sadly, is with Aftican Americans, who are raising their children and grandchildren that if it ain't black, throw it back! Excuse me, but the last time I looked in the mirror, I'm still black, I'm still a kind, caring, and loving 40+ year old woman living in the greatest country in the world (in spite of Bush fucking up everything for us in the last 7 years), where I have the freedom to do what many, young and old, in other countries are denied because of their color and gender.

Has it ever occured to anyone that someday, we will be living in a world where the color of your skin isn't gonna matter? What you say, how you carry yourself, even how you dress won't be looked upon in a negative way. I know we're not living in a perfect world, but it's coming. That's what I believe. Until then, look beyond race. Admire those who are making a difference in fighting the real issue--ignorance!

[MedleyMisty]

14. But they do to a lot of people

and we can't just sweep it all under the rug and pretend it's not real. Sure, in a world without institutional racism where the only way white people could hurt non-white people was with words and personal interactions it might help if we stopped using the words. But in our world, the problem is way deeper than words and personal interactions.

I think that people who are well-off and far removed from socioeconomic realities and who have never been the target of prejudice themselves think that it's just words. It's not. It's the way our society works. Doesn't matter what words you use, won't change the fact that most of the rich and powerful people in the country are white and a disproportionate number of the poor and powerless are not and that our whole society works to keep it that way.

[ismnotwasm]

10. Respectfully, I don't agree with Mr Freeman.

I grew up in an era of revisionist history and overt racism. Now it's a era of semi-revisionist history, depending on who you read or trust, and covert racism.

Many of our black youth are disenfranchised by a combination of racism and poverty. Too many don't know the legacy of historically significant black women and men who took the world forward.

Too many are in prison with sentences due to institutionalized racist laws. Neighborhoods are still segregated. So are schools, both by color and socio-economic considerations. While much progress had been made, it's not enough to say it's all good now.

While I would love to be "color blind" that's not the reality I live in, and not what I see around me.

Pretending color doesn't exist, to me, is not the way to end racism.

[Bucky]

16. I teach American history. I guarantee you we teach white history

Actually I don't make a big deal out of black history month. I try to make sure I work in an accurate picture of the full American picture during the course of the year. In terms of the curriculum, Black History Month comes while we're studying World War One, the Jazz Age, and the Depression. That's actually a pretty good time to get a reminder to keep my course well rounded. Otherwise black history just turns into Civil War, Civil Rights, and that dude who invented the gas mask.