Family Tree Girl

Dr. Shelley Viola Murphy

We Were Never the Problem!

Classify this as a rant. The world is in chaos and it shows the lack of leadership at every aspect. Folks like myself also have fear in our hearts that the past as we knew it, is now our present. I have begun to question: where is all this going, and how will all this end? I am an American with African ancestry. I am so proud of who I am and where I come from. I know I am a “mut” and I call that a true American. This is my country!

Today, I realize things are not only changing, but things I have read about and studied I am seeing on the television and social media. I think we are in the mid 1800s. There are so many things I do not understand either. Why is it that some see something one way and it hits all the common sense things and others see it totally the opposite? I can appreciate others opinion, experiences and skills. But, there is simply a good and bad, yin and yang and a yes or no and of course what’s right and what’s wrong. How is it that folks accept the “wrong” and think it’s alright? All the hate is wrong. Carrying assault rifles to kill African Americans are wrong. I believe some children when they are born, the seed of hate is planted. The “treatment” of African Americans over my life time and more, is wrong. I can go on and on. Common sense, right? We shall see in Nov.

Things about me: I have conducted genealogical research over the last 30 years…maybe that is why I am having this conversation with myself. I do support the Black Lives Matter movement. I do believe there should be lively discussion regarding reparations. I believe the root to some of the hate comes from religion. Someone told white people that they are superior and African Americanss are not human. There are still injustices to people of color in this country. What would this white America do if all the people of color band together? I understand that Africans did not ask to be in America. But we are here and have been here. The African American people have a right to be here, they built this country and built white wealth. The real credit should be given where it is due. As an African American, I am not going anywhere, it’s my country. Think about it, what would happen if the table was turned and African Americans became everything whites claim they are? Hmmm…Another thing, it’s exhausting to live in the USA. It’s exhausting to turn on the television visit social media when I do not support Trump and any of his racist views and actions. He is not fit for the job and has followers. Those that follow must believe what he believes, if not, they would not follow him. Help me understand this. And I have concluded for all that has been done and continues to be done to anyone that is not white: “We were never the problem”! Historians repeatedly tell us what has happened and what is going to happen. People are just not listening. We are repeating what has happened in the past and I am so sorry for what is coming. Look at the list. There really wasn’t a “reconstruction” period after the Civil War, it started but never was finished. It has not been successful at all. We are still trying to reconstruct this country.

black we were never the problem

Enough said.

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familytreegirl

September 1, 2020

Genealogy

4 responses to “We Were Never the Problem!”

Generations of Nomads

September 1, 2020 at 11:34 pm

Rant away! I agree with you and am horrified and heartbroken that it’s so. My tiny bit of optimism is that things are so horrifically terrible right now that I believe there are white people who have had to sit up and pay attention, people whose eyes are more open than they were before Trump took office. Maybe there will be more white allies going forward. I hope.

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Darla Treat Courtney

September 2, 2020 at 10:21 pm

There you go, Shelley, making “good trouble”!

Remember the old Bible school song? “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.” My take is that we are all in this together–black, white, brown, yellow, and red. For most of us, this is quite literally true. It is true within our nation, our neighborhoods, and our families. And maybe that’s the key. As we become more blended–with in-laws and grandchildren, nieces and nephews and cousins of varied hues–we can either retreat into the darker holes of bigotry, or we can embrace the changes around us. I love my brown son-in-law, I cherish my black and brown and yellow and white cousins (and when I find them, I’ll love the red ones, too). One of the benefits of genealogy is to use the secrets of the past to tear down the invisible walls impeding the present, which in turn will allow us to create a richer future. My twig may be white, but my tree blooms with many colors. It did not appear that way when I was young. The warmth of those many colors in our trees was shrouded in confusion and fear. I am grateful for the change.

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1. familytreegirl
  
  September 3, 2020 at 1:45 am
  
  Ditto to everything you said. The blood of my blood, all mine.
  
  Reply
MsLadyJae

September 5, 2020 at 9:47 pm

I hear you loud and clear Shelley, yes Religion has played a definite major roll in how we have been and continue to be viewed by whites. The word has been massaged in so many ways to suit the purpose of the evildoers. We can write a book on that subject alone. You asked, “What would this white America do if all the people of color band together?” They would just do like #45 wants to do, like has been done before; Burn us, Shoot us, and drop Bombs on us AND POISON US. I for one am not taking a vaccine anytime soon. I don’t trust it! We don’t own the kind of firepower to sustain a real barrage from the military. I do take great heart in this generation X who are out demanding changing! They will succeed, they are our only hope.

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