Awakened in America
Awakened in America
S1 Ep #10: Patriotism
In light of the recent United States Presidential Election, Hosts Z and Jess discuss the topic of Patriotism.
Hello weekend. It's your host, Jess Cincy. You'll be hearing some interesting statistics today about those who have fought for our country. And just as a starter for those who don't know, Crispus addicts was a black American in the 17 hundreds, who was the first black American who gave his life for our freedom independence from the British colonies. There were also black military men known as the bucks of America. And according to Wikipedia, they went all black militia that were organized in 1775. So you'll be learning that African-Americans black Americans have been serving in this country, not just as slaves, but have actually put their lives on the line on purpose for all Americans. We hope that you learn something today and as always, we love to hear your comments. Please, don't hesitate to email us@infoandawakenedandamerica.com stay tuned.
Speaker 2:You're listening to awaken in America, two minds on a journey to create dialogue about diversity inclusion and optimism.
Speaker 1:And then, yeah, go ahead. I was going to say, and you know, the irony of that is, um, even the us army website, um, lists African-Americans as having served in every conflict in the United States over the past 200 years, every conflict. So we've put our lives on the line constantly, um, because we are Americans and, you know, as an example in world war II, more than 2.5 million blacks were registered and that's men and women for world war two. And we can see similar numbers over the course of the different Wars, civil war, more than a million lacks volunteered. So, and then, you know, so it's like time and time again, you know, we have this, we have people saying that we're unpatriotic or they're trying to black Americans as writers and, uh, terrorists when we obviously are Patriots because who else? Volunteers to fight in Wars except for Patriots who love their country and yet, and still, um, it seems to be as though we just can't get justice on the other side. So it's like, it's okay to die for your country. But then when you talk about equal rights, Oh no, we can't go there.
Speaker 3:Right? Yeah. And one of the things that I came across to tie it back to what's coming up so soon, you know, the election is upon us. One of the things that I read today that struck me because there is, you know, the current president who's really kind of trying to rally this racist segment of the population and make those ties to the patriotism. So something I read today, not all Trump supporters are racist, but all of them decided that racism isn't a deal breaker. So I think we can all decide on you want to be a closet Trump supporter, because I don't know anybody that's openly a Trump supporter, but if you're a closet, Trump supporter, just think about that for a second, because that is a really legitimate point about white fragility and the role it plays in our society and in this election, I think if you don't want to call yourself racist, okay. I guess, but then accept that racism is not a deal breaker for you because that is what this election, this party is about is writing on.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes. And you know, I feel that it's, um, It's a scary time too, beyond the police violence beyond just surviving as an African-American. Like, I know that I can survive. I told you once. And it's one thing that I live by, which is my ancestors survived the trip, right. So they made it across the waters. They got here, they survived here. I know I can survive, but I shouldn't have to just survive. They died so that I could live, people are asking to live. People are asking to have the same freedoms and experience the same equality for education, for housing. Um, it just seems so simple. And yet it's, it's tied to money. Yes. And you know, it's tied to equal politics
Speaker 3:Education.
Speaker 1:As a matter of fact, what was, is that Lincoln freed the slaves that won the Confederate side so that they could fight, but the union ones, they weren't free so they could fight in the war. Yeah. Yeah. In other words, you know, you use this to help win the war. Of course. How do I feel about that? I mean, it's water under the bridge, but it just speaks to the larger umbrella here of the lack of respect for, um, for everything that we've done for this country. You know, the land that we've toiled, the inventions like soybeans and salad, dressings and stoplights and blood transfusions, and, you know, the list goes on and on it's like, you just don't want to acknowledge the simple truths about black people. And I guess it's because it would decrease your status, decrease your status this somehow. I mean, that's, that's the only thing that makes sense logically to me. I can't understand any other reason why people would work so hard. Um, I dunno
Speaker 3:To oppress. Yeah. And on that note, I've been reading about, we talked about, you know, the difference in the right to bear arms and what that means between African-Americans and white people. And the, the ways that we're both, both races are expected to protect our country the same by putting our lives on the line. But when it comes to getting rewarded or getting compensated, there's a big difference. And there's a lot written about this. Um, I was reading something on history.com, but I know Atlantic and a lot of, uh, different sources have cited this, but the GI bill after world war two was really instrumental in keeping segregation in place. And one of the ways that was done was, you know, there was a big push to get people to enlist. There's a lot of promises made about what you're going to get as a veteran when you come back. So for thinking about that in the forties, that's a pretty good selling point for given the history of the country for African-Americans, they're thinking maybe this is a chance to level the playing field a little bit more provide for your family and this and that. So they come back from the war and then the way that the mortgages were distributed, first of all, there were people like this Congressman and Mississippi who really lobbied so that the distribution of the GI bill and what a provided could be given on the state level and not the federal government level. So that was a big difference because the Southern States, they're still wanting to enforce Jim Crow era stuff and keep things segregated. So once they were kind of given that control, that really changed the way that people were going to be compensated for African-Americans specifically. And the numbers are just crazy. I came across in New York and New Jersey States alone. There were 67,000 mortgages insured by the GI bill and fewer than 100 of those went to non-whites. So, uh, the VA could only co-sign, but the banks were given basically free reign to discriminate and choose to lend to white people over minorities. So what does that mean for us today? Well, we talk about things like generational wealth and redlining, and this was an opportunity to build a nest egg, to live in a more affluent area, and that was taken away. So that's a big deal in where we are today. And the other problem with the way the GI bill was distributed was, um, involving the education gap. So people were applying to colleges and if you were African-American, you were most, most likely being turned, turned away. And so then they were being funneled back to the African-American colleges. And because those were so flooded with applicants, they actually had to turn African-Americans away because they didn't have the resources and they were too spread too thin. So they were at something like 20,000 applicants that were turned away from college that who were veterans who had served our country, put their lives on the line, came back, applied to college and couldn't get in anywhere. So when we're talking about things like the educational gap and the economic gap that really widened, widened both of those and, um, history.com actually said it ultimately shut doors to 1.2 million African-American veterans for the, where they could've potentially advanced for the educational and economic gap. And then it goes on to say in 2017 census data showed the white household median income, 68,000 145 versus the African-American median household income, 40,258. Wow. Again, if you're going, I don't think systemic racism exists. Then what you're saying is African-American people are born because they are African-American with an inability to make as much money as a white person. Right. That's why you're saying exactly. It must be something wrong with you, right? So in the interest of accepting where we are with systemic racism and accepting that it's a problem and ultimately empowering people, hopefully, you know, as, as the optimistic takeaway, empowering them to acknowledge it, take accountability and then start making some of those small changes that we talked about. Hopefully getting to know more African-American people becoming friends, supporting black owned businesses, um, kind of finding ways that you can introduce your children to leaders in the community who are African-American, whether it's a family doctor or a dentist, or, um, a mentor, a teacher, we have to find ways in our everyday lives to debunk the ways that implicit bias have woven themselves into our American culture in our, our society. If we're gonna actually try to make things better.
Speaker 1:And, uh, Tim wise I'll bring him up again. Uh, why like me, he also mentioned using himself as an example, um, and his children about how the implicit bias can also work with movies, your children watch videos that they may see, and that, you know, you need to also use those opportunities to clarify when you yourself understand that something is discriminatory or, you know, if something is, if something is trying to imply that a race is somehow inferior or could not be this, or could not be that, that you need to take time to say, well, maybe we should consider that, you know, anybody can be an astronaut. Anybody can be, you know, because many of the books still there's some new books now, but many of the books still have like one image for who's achieving everything. And you really need to pay attention to that. And it's not saying you don't want your children to be proud of their ethnicity because you do, but they're not going to lack that because that's the overwhelming majority of information that's still exists. So you need to change the narrative in order for them to think differently and think outside the box, like, yeah, of course there are black doctors. Of course there are black officers. Of course, blacks are good guys. And you know, like if you don't have those conversations, if you don't seek out the resources, the library books, you know, um, then you're going to do your child a disservice because they're going to, into a world that is framed a certain kind of way. And the only way to change that for their generation and the next generations is for you to start doing it at home. And they're going to believe you you're, you're the, you're the parent.
Speaker 3:Right? And it requires that initiative. I think on the white people like myself to seek out those learning opportunities for your children, because it doesn't suffice to just not address it. Um, by doing that, you're not helping the, you know, normalizing the discussion is a key part, I think, in this. And that can start really early. The things I was reading, it was talking about children start to understand differences in skin color is early as like four and five. So
Speaker 1:Yeah, we had that in our class, remember in the preschool class, the kids, you know, had their faces colored on a string. And it was funny to see like, you know, kids pick different crayons. Steven
Speaker 3:Identified as African-American that day. And I loved it. I was so excited.
Speaker 1:He brought it home. I was like, that's how it should be. And that is,
Speaker 3:But I can foster that thinking in him that we're all the same, you know? And they're at such crucial ages when they're little like that, to really absorb that and see you living that yourself because ultimately, whereas they're important, but it's really the actions that are going to show them that this is how society should be, you know, and that requires effort. So on, on our parts as white people. And I think that's something that little by little, you know, you can make this commitment to doing better and doing more, and it's not, it's not going to happen overnight as I can testify to myself. It's, it's hard and it's really emotional and you learn a lot about yourself and a lot of it is ugly, but that reckoning has to happen for us to be able to move forward and to teach our kids to do better. So that's kind of what I tell myself on the days when I'm like, what am I doing with this podcast? I don't even know anything about this and here I am trying to help people. But that's my point, I think, is just to be relatable in this moment that we're in, because I know my, you know, um, my small little population of white mom, friends that I speak with it say the same thing about feeling this compulsion to do something and wanting to do something and not knowing what to do by the way on that note. I want to point out something that I also learned in the last few weeks, which is I made this mistake myself to you. So I want to apologize again for that, but when I was new to this discussion and things were happening in George Floyd and everything was getting going with black lives matter. I know I asked you more than once. Um, how can I help? What can I do? So the thing that I learned, I listened, I did listen in with Dr. Ebro, max Kendi and Dr. Robin de Angelo. And one of the things Robin Angelo mentions is never ask your friend, your friend, that's an, African-American what you can do to help because that's putting the emotional, psychological onus back on them as if they owe it to you too. And you know, what you can do instead to reframe it is do some reading on your own, you know, kind of do your research and show that you're invested in this cause, and then it doesn't come across as if you're expecting them to do your homework for you basically. But, um, yeah, that was my aha moment. I was like, I definitely did that to Z and I apologize.
Speaker 1:And, you know, I didn't, I didn't take it for that. Um, but you know, I've, I've been told by my family that I'm a slight odd ball as a child. I was a little bit different. I'm very eclectic with music and different things like this. And, um, but I'm, I'm grateful for being the way that I am. And I, things like that. I probably just brushed it off my shoulder. Um, because to be honest with you, if you don't brush a lot of things off your shoulders as a person to come,
Speaker 3:The fact that you have a smile on your face when you're having these dark conversations is a Testament to how you have, you know, learned or been born with this ability to just rise above. Yeah,
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. I mean, so, um, you know, it was kind of like that thing where, you know, your kids saying, mommy, can you make me breakfast? And you're like, okay, as you really need a second cup of coffee, it's kind of like that, you know, you just kind of push through it and you get it done. You know, you love them. And you're like, yeah, I'm going to do this. You know,
Speaker 3:But that is a very watered down example, you know, breakfast versus people, you know, have been directly affected by discrimination, racism, police brutality.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It's not for the, it's not for the faint-hearted it isn't, but I don't want white progressives to become discouraged because there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Okay. And the treasure at the end of the rainbow is the generations to come. So, you know, I think we have to, we have to think of it that way and that if we don't see, I mean, I never thought I would see a black president and my husband and friends of mine, cousins, we all discuss it amongst ourselves. And we never thought in our time that we would see an African-American president and it happened
Speaker 3:When you first told me that I was like, really? Cause I, because of my white privilege, I guess I'd never really thought about how unlikely that would be because of systemic racism and what's going on country, you know? And then when you said multiple times, I still can't believe that we had an African-American president. Um, every time you say that I'm like, really, because we should be there, you know,
Speaker 1:We should, but we're in so many ways as we're seeing that, that was an anomaly.
Speaker 3:And I think that's a Testament to where you view things, you know, in terms of the progress that we've made over the years as a country, um, being African-American versus the way that I thought of. Yeah, we're good. There's no racism. Why wouldn't we have an African-American president, my previous self, you know, and only more recently have I learned what I've learned and, you know, made this commitment to myself to keep learning about it. But, um, that's, that's a, that's a Testament right there. Yes. Yes. I think you had a takeaway to share. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I have a takeaway before I give my takeaway. I did want to say that just for the history buffs and I am not one. So, um, but just for the history people, I did want to acknowledge that when I said that, um, the slaves, um, on the Confederate side, which is obviously predominantly the South, um, we're allowed to be, um, in the war. I also wanted to say that that was in January. Um, that was, uh, in January of 1863. So by December, then the Northern in Maryland and those States, then they were also freed the message took a while to get to them. But it was also the fact that that was a strategic move. So certain ones were freed first and then kind of, so I just wanted to clarify that the, because yes, the emancipation proclamation did exist when it was put into the law. However, comma, it didn't all happen at the same time. It actually, it took up to two years
Speaker 3:As we know from Juneteenth and what that commemorates.
Speaker 1:So, um, but yes, so to leave on a pleasant note, uh, I was watching a national geographic documentary about the oldest living will war two veteran, uh, a man by the name of Mr. Richard, over 1,009 years old. And, you know, just watching him in the documentary, he was just so pleasant, you know, and as an African-American man, you, you know, I have to imagine that he encountered segregation like so many times in his life and was told what he couldn't do and had so many obstacles. He said, he's never even touched a credit card. Like he only pays cash. Um, he still takes his driving tests and he goes to church. Yeah. And, um, you know, so I just, um, I was in awe, um, and he had all his faculties, you know, he feeds his little cats and stuff. I mean, so, so cute. But, um, um, at the end of bit, he said something that my grandfather used to say, and it just blew my mind because I hadn't heard it since my grandfather passed. And also, yeah. So my grandfather served in world war two. Yes. Um, and in the, uh, Asian Pacific war and he got a bronze star, Willie Williams and, um, and yes, and he said, I may give out, but I never give up. And I like to leave everyone with that I make about, but I never give up. So just when it gets hard, digesting all this, and that's all I have to do,
Speaker 3:A percent is just digest and learn and be a student of it. That's what I also tell myself is you've had to live this and I have had the privilege of learning about it as an adult. So there you go. We all have more to learn. And I know now I will be a forever student of this and I will be forever learning. And, um, thanks again, Z for being such a strong, positive, empathetic, and, um, patient friend to me.
Speaker 1:And thank you also for just being willing to go down this, I call it the rabbit hole with me really at times it really is endless. And, um, and I know it's emotionally taxing and I, yes, I, I understand that you don't live it, but you still signed up for it and you stuck with it. And I admire you for that. And I, I give big hair hugs.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. And front end listeners. That's why we haven't been recording for a couple of weeks. We were trying to process everything. And as you know, there's more momentum and more headlines around black lives matter. And we really try to be organized with our thoughts and the way that we, even though we want it to be a dialogue, we really put a lot of effort into trying to make this educational and informal. So we would love to hear from you, if you have any things you'd like to hear more about, if you think we went on and on about something that was really boring and off topic, please share with us. Um, our email is in the description of our podcast, but it's info@awakenedinamerica.com. And, uh, yeah, we would love to know what you think would be interesting to hear more about.
Speaker 2:And if you're looking for a citations, I'll be happy to provide them for you. Yeah.
Speaker 3:She is a wealth of knowledge, really on all things related to race and racism and educating ourselves, no matter what your age or where you are in this, um, in this journey. So thank you all for tuning in and for going through all these emotions with us. And, um, we will talk to you next time.
Speaker 2:Yes. Stay awakened.
Speaker 3:Thanks everyone for listening to today's episode about patriotism. One last correction we wanted to make Mr. Overton was actually 109 years, not 112 years old at the time of filming way to go. Mr. Overton still equally impressive. And finally just wanted to leave you all with the idea that patriotism should mean the same for all of us. If you're serving our country, you're putting your lives on the line and we appreciate you. And we thank you. So stay safe and stay healthy. Thank you for listening to awakened in America. If you enjoy today's podcast, be sure to subscribe and leave a review. You can also find us on Instagram at awakened in America. That's awakened underscore in underscore America and remember be mindful, be grateful. And most of all be you.