tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post8035233636679666790..comments2013-05-14T17:38:17.881-07:00Comments on GW English 3810: 20th Century U.S. Black Freedom Movements Class Blog: White role in Black Freedom Movement Elizabeth Pittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257158252306308004noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post-80373861167111998942013-04-25T19:14:16.114-07:002013-04-25T19:14:16.114-07:00I think this brings up a very interesting debate t...I think this brings up a very interesting debate that we perhaps could have covered in class. I am guilty of referring to the oppressive white society as "they" when in actual fact I am a product of it and have lived within in it my entire life. I have found this problematic in my studying of freedom movements as it is nearly impossible for me to understand the struggles of minorities in society when I am part of the majority. <br /><br />I found some of these issues problematic when it came to my paper. I discuss how historical interpretation regarding the role of women civil rights movement has changed over the years. However most of the historians are white and many of them are men. Neither category faced the dual oppression of race and gender that they people they are writing about felt, so can they really offer an opinion? Or should these factors be taken into account when studying history?Scarlet McNallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08976837859244725093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post-74161304606943659302013-04-20T09:55:22.135-07:002013-04-20T09:55:22.135-07:00Good questions, Maria. And nice response, Dayna. T...Good questions, Maria. And nice response, Dayna. This is something I think a great deal about. My ongoing method of grappling with the issue is to strive to be cognizant of my privilege whenever engaging in anti-racist struggles. I've got to make it clear that I am not claiming any racial injury when I fight against structural and cultural racism, lest I reify some of the most problematic aspects of paternalistic white advocacy on the part of disenfranchised people. I think it's important to remain in dialogue about this with people around me, always acknowledging that I have more to learn and that I am always-already part of the problem despite my best efforts to be part of a solution. Chelsey Faloonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01129266377441722823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9010086309974781816.post-29783594607895995082013-04-19T15:07:12.019-07:002013-04-19T15:07:12.019-07:00This is certainly a difficult question to answer M...This is certainly a difficult question to answer Maria, and I don't think that I can be of much help to you. I often wonder myself in class why some people detach themselves from their own whiteness in order to seem neutral or not to seem racist, using words like "they" when referring to white people even in a more current context. I think the role of white people in Black freedom movements is difficult to define because a white person would have to be conscious of race in a way that acknowledges and ignores it simultaneously. (I know that doesn't make any sense) But I think the most important part of the role, especially today, is to not be too progressive in the sense that you're completely oblivious to the history of the race because of their ability to overcome centuries of discrimination and seemingly reach a leveled playing field. In other words, don;t pretend to live in a post-racist society because Black people aren't there yet. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13277774448707922945noreply@blogger.com