Having a lot of time to sit equals a lot of time to think, and so my thoughts logically steered toward famous sitters in history.
In February 1960 there was some very important sitting going on in this country. A group of students -- Negro students, the press called them back then -- defied the institution of racial segregation in the South and seated themselves at the Whites-only lunch counter at the Woolworth's store in downtown Greensboro, NC. They peacefully, quietly waited to be waited on. The students were ignored, however, while White customers were served their customary coffees and club sandwiches.
Over the following two months, sit-ins protesting segregation took place in over 50 cities across the country. Finally, in July 1960, Woolworth's desegregated its Greensboro store. The Civil Rights movement that grew over the next decade made race-based discrimination illegal, and gradually something resembling equality took hold in the United States. This is history to many of us, but when my daughter and I sat down to watch a PBS special about the Civil Rights movement, my chicklet couldn't believe
that there was ever a time in this country when segregation based solely on the color of a person's skin existed. I guess they skipped over that part in her own history classes.While you won't see "Whites Only" signs on any lunch counters today, there are still a disturbing number of closed minds about. But 21st century racists justify their hatred for brown-skinned "others" by blaming them for "taking" scarce jobs and for being undeserving beneficiaries of government resources that are in short supply, in actuality due to legislative and corporate greed. And there are too many malcontents who see armed confrontation as the way to address their perceived inequalities.
Maybe we are past the days of peaceful sit-ins as a means toward maintaining (or is it once again achieving) social and economic justice. But then again, maybe we sedentary bloggers are doing our part to educate and incite others. We can take a stand, and sit proud.
EDIT: Sit-ins haven't gone by the wayside after all: students sat-in at Dickinson College in PA and successfully brought about a change in that school's sexual misconduct policy.
(Photo credit here.)
I clearly recall growing up in the south experiencing whites only signs every where. And as a child, I never thought there was something wrong with that, but I also had no "natural" leanings that way...in retrospect. My point is, discrimination is a learned thing, and apparently it is still being taught to children who then become bigoted adults, but covertly. You can be sure, the violent tendencies are still there and the "tradition" lives on.
ReplyDeleteOh, excellent! You have put your misfortunate to work for all of us and thank you for sitting and thinking.
ReplyDeleteSOOOOO glad you posted on the Greensboro Sit-in here! Last year, Ms. Henny Red and I co-wrote a post for our respective individual blogs (will post links by request only); it was an experience that I remembered personally as a Greensboro gal and that Ms. Henny knew of in detail from her family (I've got a year or two on her, age-wise) and from her own childhood experiences in the Jim Crow South.
This is a lesson we never want to see forgotten. It was the power of a handful of individuals to turn a nation on its ear. Those of us who were children and young teens when it happened took the lesson to heart and put it to work against similar racial travesties and other issues--war, women's rights, etc. We learned it from the sufragettes and from the union workers.
And then it began to seem that many of us had forgotten. I was certain I had failed to teach my children the lesson of the power of the few in the face of mighty wrongs when things got quiet in '09. There had been the wonderful activism to get Mr. Obama elected and then a stunned, depressed, disheartened hush fell over the country.
Apparently, we were watching, waiting to see if we were needed. Turns out, we were. We are. And we're starting to prove that the lessons were never really forgotten, after all. Hold onto your hats, Hens.
And welcome, jadedj! We're so delighted to hear from you, another sharp Southern woman! Please make yourself at home here.
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall during the late 1960’s that Southern restaurants such as the Pickrick, Lester Maddox, proprietor, had a sign the read something to the effect "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone."
ReplyDeleteBig ass court case from the ACLU and that sign came down. And all signs like that. That was Georgia 1968.
Fast forward 40 years and I’m eating at a Latino joint in San Diego and SON OF A BITCH!!!
There is that sign. No kidding ‘We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.” Fucking Californicate, refusing to serve somebody.
I think I pissed off my hostess when I said in an elevated voice, ‘I dare you to put a sign like that, shit, up in Georgia’.
The food was good and they did serve me.
I left a nice tip.
Beggers.
Well, Loulou certainly has JJ pegged, although some might question the sharp part.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, good post Intelli, ahem, I mean Layla. I kind of expected the gay rights movement to do sit-ins but they seem to have decided to parade instead. I suppose that pretty much explains why they are called "gay."
Like JJ, I too grew up in the racist deep south. And also like JJ, I reached the same learned conclusion.
The people I blame for the civil rights struggle as much as anyone reside in the pulpits all across this country. The churches failed to provide moral leadership then, and for the most part, they're failing again now.
JJ, my parents taught me not to be bigoted, but today my mama makes me ashamed because of some of the racist things she says, and seems to believe. I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteLouLou, the country seems to have such a short memory, doesn't it?
(Oh, and...giggle...JJ is no lady. He does have a sensitive side though, I believe.)
Punch, honey, irony seems to follow you around like a thirsty kitten follows a milk cow. Or something like that.
Mr. C - where I grew up, in Southern Pennsylvania, racism was less blatant but still all too common. It never made sense to me as a child, and still doesn't.
Punch's comment above got me to wondering just what the law says about refusing service. (Blame my curiosity on the fact that every other day from 1971 to 1975 I typed up all of my former husband's law school notes for him because he couldn't read his own writing. Except for those on community property. Hmmm...but I digress.)
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who's interested, here's an interesting article I found on Legalzoom.com:
http://www.legalzoom.com/us-law/equal-rights/right-refuse-service
Ima June, interesting article indeed. Then again, I wouldn't want to spend my meager wages at any establishment that didn't want to serve me, anyway.
ReplyDeleteHens, I do apologize if the boys get a bit rowdy. Fortunately they are only truly disrespectful to each other. And Republicans.
Layla, what a thoughful tribute to the value of sitting. I think that Ms. Rosa Parks would also concur that sometimes sitting down is a powerful act.
ReplyDeleteMs. Henny, I was thinking about Rosa Parks, too. I can't imagine ever possessing the bravery it took for her to act on her own!
ReplyDeleteGood post! You know, hubby was just in D.C. and was struck by how all the workers in lower-paying/service jobs (restaurant servers, etc) were African-American. This is something I always note when I visit the US, too, particularly the farther south you go. It's something I just haven't seen the equivalent of here in Canada, NOT that we don't have racism (because we do!) Still, the difference is very striking when we visit the US. Don't know if that's relevant, but it makes me think there's still a version of segregation, but it's more subtle now. Hmmm... I can only speak from the privileged white chick viewpoint, which is not all that knowledgeable.
ReplyDeleteWell, as a blogger, I spend a bunch of time sitting, but I was unable to put a shine on that fact until now. It might not hold up till morning, but I'll go to bed happy.
ReplyDelete