God Bless Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King day has me contemplating the discussion, or non-discussion, race relations in this country. I didn't have much contact with African Americans as a child. I went to Beaverton High in the early 80's. "Lilly white" Beaverton. I think we had three African Americans in the whole school.

Between my Junior and Senior years in high school I attended a marine science program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. I remember sitting in class six days a week, long days. My desk partner was an African American lady teacher. I remember it was a thrill for me. I had heard bad things about African Americans through the prejudice remarks of certain family members, but I always knew they weren't true. I don't remember having a huge amount of conversation with the lady at my table. I just remember she was very pleasant and it made me feel bad for the prejudicial remarks I had heard in my family, and the separation of the races that I knew still existed.

Yes, I read a biography of Dr. Martin Luther King years ago that showed his good and bad side. He was human; he fell into the traps of the flesh. But his message was power. We are all God's children. Common sense -- its truth seems so obvious -- yet even today the conversation between the races is very uncomfortable.

I find myself having difficulty deciding which term is more proper -- African American or Black. "Black" seems more inclusive to me, in the not every dark-skinned person is of African descent (or do all genetic lines go there?) Nelson, a friend of mine and former coworker, was from Nigeria. I don't think he was American, so as far as I know, so I don't believe the moniker African American would fit him.

I have such a huge mix of nationalities in my heritage that I would not know where to begin to find such label for myself. European American? I don't like that. My father told me that I had some Indian heritage in me. I think he said Iroquois in me, but he may of said Cherokee, I don't quite remember now.

I am American. Any person born here is American in my book. White is the color of my skin, but it is a poor discriptor of who I am.

I am an American with a disability. I have have cerebral palsy. "Handicapped," "physically challenged," "crippled," "retard," "disabled." I have been called all these labels. Some I find offensive and derogatory. Retard I always find offensive; it is delivered as a put-down.

Crippled is a term I am wishy washy with. From a young person I take it as a slam because I figure they should know better. When an elderly person uses that term, I have trouble faulting them. It was the term used in their day. I don't judge them for using a term they grew up with.

It does not bother me if someone describes me as "disabled" as a way to pick me out of a crowd.

It is not so much as what you call me as what you mean when you call me that.

I suppose that all labels, even African American and disabled, are bad. We are people with names and identities. We are not "all alike" whatever group people may associate us with.

Even so, as long as inequalities exist, we will need to use the labels to identify groups in need of special support.

Chicken and egg scenario, if you will. We need to discriminate between groups to provide needed support for individuals, but if we provided needed support for individuals (each other) we would have no need to discriminate between groups.

Does this make any sense?