KNOWING WHO YOU ARE IS HALF THE BATTLE

I’m disgusted by the history of this country [trigger warning: hate crimes, racism, murder]

meghonestep:

I was in my perspectives on aftrican american males class today, and I heard some things that I am partly disgusted by, and partly pissed off that I’ve never learned about it before. I’m sick of the history of this country being hidden from me because I’m white, and because the history books i’ve read were by white males. I’m tired of the idea that white people need to be coddled. Maybe some like it, I don’t. I want to know what happened in this country. I don’t want to be coddled. Tell it to me straight, if i’m expressing ideas of white privilege without my knowledge, put me in my place. I’m no better than anyone else, so PLEASE. tell me off. Tell me i’m privileged, tell me that the words that just came out of my mouth have racist roots. tell me. So what’s bringing this about is that we learned about an incident today that I had never heard of, that needs to be heard more often.

“Hampton Smith, a white farmer, had the reputation of ill treating his Negro employees. Among those whom he abused was Sidney Johnson, a Negro peon, whose fine of thirty dollars he had paid when he was up before the court for gaming. After having been beaten and abused, the Negro shot and killed Smith as he sat in his window at home He also shot and wounded Smith’s wife.

For this murder a mob of white men of Georgia for a week, May 17 to 24, engaged in a hunt for the guilty man, and in the meantime lynched the following innocent persons: Will Head, Will Thompson, Hayes Turner, Mary Turner, his wife, for loudly proclaiming her husband’s innocence, Chime Riley and four unidentified Negroes. Mary Turner was pregnant and was hung by her feet. Gasoline was thrown on her clothing and it was set on fire. Her body was cut open and her infant fell to the ground with a little cry, to be crushed to death by the heel of one of the white men present. The mother’s body was then riddled with bullets. The murderer, Sidney Johnson, was at length located in a house in Valdosta.”

Mary turner, 8 months pregnant, hung by her feet and burned to death. Her infant was cut from her stomach and the baby girl was stomped on and killed. In light of this and other knowledge that I’ve gained, I’m forced to question everything that I’ve ever been taught. I also feel the need to address the concept of “white pride” and those who complain that it’s racist that people are allowed to be proud that they’re black but we aren’t allowed to be proud that we’re white. My answer to that? We have absolutely nothing. NOTHING. to be proud of. not one damn thing. That story? that real event. How could anyone have the audacity to be proud after reading a story like that. The white community did not pull themselves up from nothing, they took it. Everything that has been gained was taken from someone else. This country was taken from the native americans, we don’t even have a culture because it’s been taken from everyone else. So what exactly is there to be proud of? Please tell me. because from where I’m standing, there is absolutely nothing to be proud of. at. all.

This is my girl Meghon, who is slowly but surely learning how to decode the white privilege that has been programmed into her head since birth. And honestly, she’s only hit the tip of the iceberg with how horrible whiteness has been. It runs SO. DEEP.

(Source: wallofpeople)

Reblog / 160 notes.

Posted on February 26th at 5:34 AM
Tagged as: reblog. trigger warning. tw: hate crimes. tw: murder. tw: racism. racism. hate crimes. murder.
Reblogged from: so-treu
Originally posted by: wallofpeople