While slavery is a large component of the modern black experience in the Americas Dogan has a very good point by suggesting we cannot be trapped by it. There were millions more transported by the slave trade to the middle east than the Americas, and their treatment was far worse, men were castrated, and women had their newborn babies killed, because Arabs feared blacks as much as the Europeans did. No one complains about the black experience at the hands of Arabs. That may be because, contrary to the African slave experience in the Americas, the majority of African slaves in the mid east were not allowed to procreate or have families of their own. I bring this up not to point fingers, but to suggest that the situation over here in the West can easily be overcome if we stop dwelling on one point. The best way to show respect for the lives of the people who lost theirs in the struggle for freedom is to use ours wisely. To build, and to expand positively. Embracing the optimism of people like Shamed Dogan, and running with it.

In essence, this particular problem–the killings–is a spiritual problem addressed by Christianity, Islam, and Judaism among others.

From a Christian and Judaism perspective, killing, violence is sin against God and man. Human life is of equal value regardless of skin color.

Interracial marriage is an individual solution for two people who love each other and want to spend their lives together and may want to start a family. The solution to racism is to eliminate hatred, ignorance and disparity between people of different skin colors. Hatred of others because of their perceived differences based solely on appearance (skin color, hair texture, etc.) (i.e.- my white Corvette is much faster than your black Corvette…), ignorance of not only history but the culture and the machinations of life in the US (economic issues, opportunity, etc.) and of course the disparity in economic power and opportunity between the races.

Long story short- whites kill blacks, blacks kill blacks and the younger generations lacking in historical perspective and therefore the knowledge and wisdom of experience of how we all got here to be begin with are left to pick up the pieces.

To the black man doubting Maria’s “blackness”- that seems to be a problem with blacks. Why do you doubt her “blackness”? She did in fact grow up in a mixed neighborhood in a predominantly black city (University City). That would be the district that she represents. How are you helping your community by being hateful to your own people? Oh, and how does this address racism by doubting a person’s “blackness”? Personally I try to judge people by their actions regardless of their appearance or circumstances and I’ll let the Good Lord make his final judgments in good time.

The kid is obviously naive and he meant well but if you watch the body language of the other people at the table as he speaks they all look so uncomfortable! Is that because they agreed with him?

Though I admit that Maria’s response might have not been the most astute “soundbite”-ready response that you might expect from the political media machine that you’re used to watching (most national and even higher-up locals have people writing their speeches and responses and carefully measure their words so as not to seem inarticulate or upset their constituency)- the rebuttal to his statement would have taken hours to fully explore. I also wonder if you watched the rest of the forum to be able to put that moment in context…

In America we come from many different cultures and ideologies. The challenges presented by such diversity cannot be addressed Polyanna-style as Shamed suggests.

By eliminating “artificial racial distinctions” thru intermarriage, Shamed contends our race problems could be solved. It sounds like a modern-twist on ethnic cleansing to me.

Maria however encourages us to address the underlying problems of prejudice and preference head on so that appearances would no longer have the power to divide and conquer us.

Currently we’re living in a world full of them (appearances), not grappling with how they came to be, what purposes they serve or how we can effectively set a new cause in motion.

I think it would be revolutionary to hold a Truth and Reconciliation Conference as they did in South Africa.

Then we could truly work towards having a sense of cohesion and unity here, and we could leave all of the finger-pointing, hurt and anger behind.

Veronica O’Brien’s husband is white and black people attack her because of it. 11/05/2007 9:50 PM”

Her husband has nothing to do with how people treat her. It has to do with how she treats others–horribly. Most reproach her for her mean spiritedness, rudeness, crassness, and self-important attitude.

Daddy is in jail because of three strikes laws which destroy the black family, that’s where he is. He is in jail because of the powder cocaine – crack disparity. We want the African American family to be strong, yet African American males are in prison mostly for living in the white governmentally created ghetto while having few choices.

Dogan’s point about Daddy was right on point. Fix that and you fix a lot of things. Maria’s ignorant statement was that dad’s in our community have always been missing. That’s flat out false. It became a bigger problem when we let the man take care of us with government programs. Maria just wants more taking care of from the government.