Race/Ethnicity Questions 201-210

THE QUESTION:
R210: It seems that there are a great deal of blacks who are “reverends.” Is this a title that is easily attainable? How does one become a “reverend”? Are the qualifications the same for whites as for blacks?
POSTED APRIL 24, 1998
Stan <stan192@aol.com>
New York, N.Y.

ANSWER 1:
“Reverend” is synonymous with minister, pastor and preacher. As far as I know, most reverends in the African-American community earn the title through divinity school.
POSTED SEPT. 1, 1998
Diane, Durham , NC
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THE QUESTION:
R209: I’ve noticed that many Chaldeans do not keep the outside of their homes and yards in good shape. Is this something not felt to be important to them?
POSTED APRIL 23, 1998
B.H., 30, male, Sterling Heights, MI
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THE QUESTION:
R208: I would like to hear what the women of the Mideast/Arab part of the world have to say about the state of the world as they see it.
POSTED APRIL 23, 1998
Ricardo, Detroit
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THE QUESTION:
R207: It seems African-Americans have taken larger roles in sports such as basketball and football, but don’t participate as much in other areas of athletics (ice hockey, tennis, etc.) Why aren’t African-Americans interested in these sports as much?
POSTED APRIL 23, 1998
Matthew B. <0023471@gps.gp.k12.mi.us>, Grosse Pointe City, MI

ANSWER 1:
This is pretty much a situation where access and money determine involvement. All that’s required to play basketball and football are a ball, which almost everyone can afford, and a field or court, which are free and easy to find in most neighborhoods. For hockey, tennis and golf, you need expensive equipment and entry to a golf course, tennis courts or ice rink, which are facilities not commonly found in poor neighborhoods.
POSTED APRIL 24, 1998
Sara, Oakland, CA

FURTHER NOTICE:
Blacks are making inroads in some of the sports you mentioned. A lot of what you consider a lack of participation is economics. To play basketball, all you need is a ball or to just show up at a court and play. Football is more or less the same. I was signing my son up for roller hockey, which can later lead to ice hockey, and it was going to cost me about $400 plus the sign-up fee. And he may not even like it. My kids swim on a swim team, costing about $300 a quarter. With tennis, you have to usually join a club. Blacks do most of the same sports as whites when given a chance, but sometimes it’s a matter of having access to the facilities. To run, all you need are your feet and shoes. To bowl, you need shoes, balls and to pay the lane fees. A lot of blacks cannot afford to give their kids ice-skating lessons or gymnastic lessons. The few who do usually do well. With Venus Williams and Tiger Woods, (tennis and golf players, respectively) shown more in the media, black kids are starting to want to play those sports. We’ll see what the future holds.
POSTED APRIL 26, 1998
Jas, black <themoas@aol.com>, Pensacola, FL

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
There have been numerous African Americans in figure skating in the past (Bobby Beauchamp and Atoy Williams to name two); however, when Debi Thomas made the national and Olympic spotlight, a lot of African-American kids saw her and wanted to skate like her. I know a few people who turned the beat around and taught themselves how to figure skate either because of economics or because of subtle discrimination at a rink. My fiancee and I, who are black, have been skating for 20 years and have seen the gradual increase in black skaters, adults included. Sometimes it’s a matter of priorities and not necessarily economics – if it’s important for some of us to wear a long weave or fake nails over our child’s interest in skating, then that’s where the money goes. Sometimes it’s a matter of sacrifices – take that weave money and buy a good pair of skates so that child could emulate Debi Thomas and possibly become a better, disciplined and focused person.
POSTED SEPT. 29, 1998
Cee Gee, African American, West Orange, NJ
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THE QUESTION:
R206: My younger brother is having a problem with his race. Our mother is black and his father is Greek. My brother’s skin color is very light, and he has thin hair as if he were white. He is 13, lives in an African-American community and attends a public school that is majority black. The problem is he has been picked on because of the way he looks. He has been in fights and has been kicked out of school. Sometimes he feels the teachers pick him out from the rest of the class for no reason when they are having a problem controlling their class. He now wonders if all his problems are caused by the way he looks. My brother doesn’t know what he is anymore or where he fits in. He doesn’t know if he should be black or Greek. What should or could he do?
POSTED APRIL 21, 1998
Denise C., 20, black
Detroit, MI
(Director’s Note: A reply from someone with a background in mixed-heritage services or programs, potentially with knowledge of resources this person could access, would be preferred.)

ANSWER 1:
In school, if you’re a late bloomer, overweight, short, wear glasses, look different from the norm (i.e. mixed heritage), answer too many of the teacher’s questions or set yourself apart in any way (by choice or not by choice), there is a good chance you will be harassed. I have many stories of being harrassed because of my mixed cultural background, and one of my best friends who went through school with me was constantly in fights and picked on because of his weight. There are some sad people out there who only feel good about themselves when they try to put others down. As far as what “heritage” he should follow – that is a very personal choice. I choose to consider myself a plain old American, but there are times when I take note of certain cultural holidays because of my black/Mexican backround. However, I am not choosing one heritage over another by doing so.
POSTED APRIL 23, 1998
Dan, Detroit, MI

FURTHER NOTICE:
My sons have similar problems (their mom is black, I’m white), and they often get bothered, too. The thing that helps them be strong is to talk to them, let them know they are unique and special (and they are) and let them know where each of their characteristics comes from. My older son’s hair is more like his mothers, my younger son’s hair is more like mine. We talk about it. Talking with him, letting him know that who and what he is is OK, is the best thing you can do. Let him know that being different is OK and that he doesn’t have to go out of his way to hide his difference or promote it.
POSTED APRIL 23, 1998
Alex, 39 <aleavens@mindspring.com>
Lawrenceville, GA

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
As the single parent of a culturally mixed child (white/African American) I have been asked many times over the years questions regarding society’s acceptance of her. We lived in the North her first seven years and here in the South the last 11. I have made every effort to allow my child to realize the benefits of her mixed heritage and be proud of it. However, color was never an issue here in the home and I believe that is a major reason she never had a problem. I was careful to live in mixed areas, have her attend racially mixed schools and continuously stressed her individuality and the fact her uniqueness allowed her to be the best of both worlds. As a social worker, I can safely say that her attitude is probably even healthier than mine on the issue of race. She sees neither black or white in her mirror. She sees herself. May I suggest that your brother be allowed to socialize and mix with all cultures so that he can find his owns likes and dislikes based not on color but on value? While my daughter’s father was not involved in her life in any way, she has taken great interest in her Afro-American culture, having found the rich heritage of this culture most interesting and exciting.
POSTED MAY 4, 1998
K. Taylor <kdm05@bellsouth.net>, Jacksonville, FL

FURTHER NOTICE 3:
I am Arabic, black, white, East Indian, native South American Indian, Spanish and Portuguese. Though I am fairly dark-skinned I have been told I don’t “look” black. There is a myth that the black community (as a whole) is totally accepting of their mixed children. Some blacks are, some aren’t. I too have been beaten, ostracized and ridiculed by blacks for not being “pure” or “really” black. The decision your brother is facing is the difficult decision that all mixed children struggle with. That decision is whether to mono-racially or multi-racially identify. I faced it at 16 and was very confused. Please let your brother know that the racial choice he makes will not change how people treat him. He must understand this is a personal choice, and he should not let social or political powers influence it. Even after his choice is made it will take time for him to become fully comfortable with it. For more information on mixed peoples and their lives go to http://www.webcom.com/intvoice. Also, there is http://www.myshoes.com, a site for children who are racially mixed and are light or look white. I gain strength in knowing I am not alone. My decision was to multiracially identify, though it has not changed how people of all races deal with me. It is the choice I am happy with. Please support his choice, whatever it is. Best wishes!
POSTED AUG. 28, 1998
Sylena, 20, multiracial, Boston, MA
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THE QUESTION:
R205: Through the periods of America’s development, black folk have always been there, militarily and in the construction and feeding of the country, serving with honor and loyalty. With the influx of new immigrants who were former enemies, such as Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese, what does this still-existing loyalty from Black America mean to whites today?
Mike, black, <CAROLMIKE@EROLS.COM>
Wheaton, MD

ANSWER 1:
That loyalty means the same to me as my father’s, grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s. They served in World War I, World War II and Vietnam – they happen to be white, but that should not make a difference to one’s loyalty to one’s country.
POSTED APRIL 23,1998
Dan, Royal Oak, MI

FURTHER NOTICE:
I spent 10 years in the active duty military and am now in the state Guard primarily because of the sense of duty I feel I owe this country. I know that the first man killed in the Boston Massacre was black (one of our first patriots) and recognize the contributions made by the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, the 9th Cavalry in the Indian Campaigns, the 10th Cavalry being next to Teddy Roosevelt’s ‘”Rough Riders” in the Battle of San Juan/Kettle Hill, the Tuskegee Airmen, etc. Knowing this, it sickens and shocks me when I see blacks put this country down when they have been here for generations and contributed much more than I. However, what the Nisei Regiment did in WWII is commendable, as well as the contributions made by the Navaho code breakers. I see many children of the Vietnamese boat people graduating from our service academies also. So my answer is no, it doesn’t bother me when I see those of other races enjoying the freedoms of this country. The only thing that bothers me is their lack of historical perspective. Most kids in this country of any race haven’t got a clue about Pearl Harbor, but they know all about Jefferson owning slaves. I find the whole thing very sad
POSTED JUNE 16, 1998
David Y., European-American <LttlGTO@aol.com>, Oakland, CA
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THE QUESTION:
R204: Is it true that in the black community, black woman-white man relationships are frowned upon more – or receive more opposition – than black man-white woman relationships?
POSTED APRIL 21, 1998
J. Joseph, Detroit, MI

ANSWER 1:
See the interesting answer by a mom to R97. My experience and observations are that it is just the opposite: Black man/white woman is still the most emotionally charged combination, and the objections seem to come most from white men and black women. I think it has to do with a) the white male power structure finding it threatening and b) the black sisterhood feeling there are not enough black men due to drugs, poverty, a horrible imbalance in the criminal justice system and gang violence, so if a black man dates a white woman, it can be seen as a rejection of the black woman and a narrowing of romantic choices for them. When a black woman dates a white man, however (and this is happening much more often here in the Bay Area), many people see it as a way for her to move up the socioeconomic ladder.
POSTED APRIL 26, 1998
Joan, San Francisco

FURTHER NOTICE:
We must have lived in a different Bay Area than you do – my wife and I lived there for 10 years, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I saw a black female/white male couple, but quite often saw white female/black male couples. For years, we were the only interracial couple we knew, and we knew a lot of folks. (I’m white, my wife’s black). I also disagree with your analysis about the couplings – I think a permanent union (i.e. marriage) between a black female and white male is sort of the least socially accepted. Most white guys think it’s great if a white guy is dating a black girl, but terrible if he’s going to marry her. (“What happened? Did she get pregnant? Are you sure you’re the father? Blah, blah, blah…”) Nobody ever stops to think that you might be together because you feel like you belong to each other, because you feel as though this person understands you better than anyone else ever has or could. (I fell in love with my wife the first time I ever saw her in Spanish class – one look and I knew my heart belonged to her and always would. It’s belonged to her 20 years now.)
POSTED MAY 2, 1998
Alex, 39, white <aleavens@mindspring.com>
Lawrenceville, GA
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THE QUESTION:
R203: Director’s Paraphrase: Z. of Bellingham, Wash., feels the Nation of Islam is a black supremacist organization. He wonders why white supremacist organizations such as neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan have been violently suppressed by white people, but that African Americans embrace the Nation of Islam. Y? would prefer either a member of the Nation of Islam or someone who has studied the organization to describe its purpose and history, and to then address the question.
POSTED APRIL 21, 1998

ANSWER 1:
The Nation Of Islam espouses black separatism, not supremacy. White supremacist groups contend the present U.S. government is illegitimate and that acts of violent resistance are justified. The Nation of Islam’s “Muslim Program” states: We recognize and respect American citizens as independent peoples, and we respect their laws which govern this nation.” The violent suppression of white supremacists is not because the government simply finds white supremacy an odious ideology that needs to be stamped out, but because white supremacists have committed acts of violence against the United States and its residents, ranging from bank robbings and murders to the terrorist bombings in Oklahoma City and at the Atlanta Olympics. While the Nation of Islam has said many inflammatory and infuriating things about whites in general, and Jews in particular, it has yet to be proved they’ve blown anyone up.
POSTED APRIL 23, 1998
Jay B., black <jayboyd@ameritech.net>
Detroit, MI

FURTHER NOTICE:
To Jay B.: How do you know white supremacists were involved in the Atlanta Olympic bombing? I am not a white supremacist but am offended you would think only a white person would do this. Why couldn’t a black or Asian or Indian have done it?
POSTED APRIL 30, 1998
Kate, 18, Troy, NY

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
To Kate: 1) The voice of the caller who called Atlanta Police prior to the explosion was described as that of a white man, probably an American. 2) The Atlanta bomb contained parts that link it to a bombing of a clinic in Birmingham, Ala. This incident occurred in January of this year. The FBI traced these parts to a machine shop in North Carolina, where a friend of their prime suspect happens to work. 3) The presumption of innocence is not a privilege, it’s a right. But it isn’t the only right. We, you, me, everybody, has the right to think or believe whatever we want. We are only bound to presume someone is innocent when called for jury duty. So unless by some unforeseen turn of events, the FBI charges some non-whites for the Atlanta bombing, and by some even stranger circumstance, the venue of the trial is changed to Detroit and I’m chosen to sit on the jury, I’m totally within my rights to believe,based on what I’ve seen and heard, whatever I want.
POSTED APRIL 30, 1998
Jay B., black male <jayboyd@ameritech.net>
Detroit, MI

FURTHER NOTICE 3:
For the sake of argument, let us suppose that the Nation of Islam is now merely a black separatist sect. There are a few marginal groups that claim to be white separatists, rather than supremacists, and they are marginal because the vast majority of whites don’t buy into that spurious distinction. The only reason for racial separatism is a core premise that other races are inferior.
POSTED MAY 14, 1998
Z., Bellingham, WA

FURTHER NOTICE 4:
You have a point, Z.; however, the fact remains that as of yet, there is no evidence Louis Farrakhan or the NOI has done anything illegal. Be you black or white, preaching racial supremacy/separation is protected under the First Amendment. Robbing banks and committing murder, which some white supremacists have done, to further one’s racist agenda is not protected.
POSTED MAY 26, 1998
Jay B. <jayboyd@ameritech.net>, Detroit, MI

FURTHER NOTICE 5:
My point is that racism should be unpopular, not illegal. Overt white racists – even law-abiding ones – have not been significantly popular in this country for 30 years, and their popularity has been declining since 1865. Overt black racists, by contrast, are more popular than ever. Is white racism the only kind of racism that is wrong?
POSTED JUNE 12, 1998
Z.,Bellingham, WA
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THE QUESTION:
R202: Why are white males fixated on the female breast?
POSTED APRIL 21, 1998
Martin, Dallas, Texas

ANSWER 1:
It’s not just white males. Count me in, too!
POSTED APRIL 23, 1998
Jay B., black male <jayboyd@ameritech.net>
Detroit, MI

FURTHER NOTICE:
Working in the fashion industry has taught me the ones who are concerned with women’s breasts are women. Women are always commenting on what is wrong or right about their bodies. If men really felt the way women claim they do about the female anatomy, there would be a whole lot of single women in the world. Overall, the men I have this with admit they comment on breasts and hips/butt a lot because women do the same (shoulders, chest, butt, thighs).
POSTED APRIL 24, 1998
Karmen, 22 <ricki615@aol.com>, Detroit, MI

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
Why not be? The female body, with some obvious exceptions, is one of God’s most beautiful creations.
POSTED JUNE 5, 1998
Blake, 34, red-blooded white male, San Diego County, CA
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THE QUESTION:
R201: Growing up in Queens, N.Y., it was a “requirement” that you knew how to play chess. I wonder : Do white people believe blacks don’t play chess, since the media only shows blacks in physical activities?
POSTED APRIL 21, 1998
Jas, black <themoas@aol.com>, Pensacola, FL

ANSWER 1:
I would have to say I’d never thought about it. In fact, I never really think about chess at all – but if someone had asked me to close my eyes and picture a chess player, my automatic mental image probably wouldn’t have been a black. Thanks for raising my consciousness a little.
POSTED MAY 2, 1998
A. Morgan, 33, white, Houston

FURTHER NOTICE:
When I walk by the park, almost all the people playing chess are black. So I have not held the notion that all chess players are from the former Soviet Union for a long time. By the way, the chess board is a great metaphor: Black and white facing off against each other. But without the differences in color and pieces, there would be no game.
POSTED JUNE 8, 1998
thsmith, 28, white, Los Angeles, CA

FURTHER NOTICE 2:
FYI, in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, Lawrence Fishburne, who is black, plays the part of a champion park chess player.
POSTED JUNE 25, 1998
Jeffrey D., KY

FURTHER NOTICE 3:
One of my fond childhood memories is my 12th year, when every day after school I had a standing Chess game with the only Chinese boy in the neighborhood. He always won (I wasn’t a great Chess player) but I liked that, because it was a challenge. We played on the front steps of his house, and I was never invited inside; being the only “ethnic” family in the neighborhood, I think they felt isolated and rejected by the whites. My very first friends in this world were the two sons of the black couple next door (a different, but also all-white and racist neighborhood), who were my heroes – one was a born scientist and taught me cool science stuff, and the other was an incredible athlete. They were the ones who taught me all the childhood games (“Hands Down” was a favorite), and I remember watching them play Chess, but I was too young to learn it then. To me, they wore an air of wisdom and strategic mystery as they played, which of course both frustrated me with the desire to join in and inspired in me a love for the game. Ever since, I think of playing Chess as something very mature, sophisticated and mysterious. I’m still bad at Chess, as I don’t possess much of those three qualities!
POSTED OCT. 22, 1998
The Well, 37, Caucasian (British mix) <the_well@pacbell.net>, San Diego, CA
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