Happy Birthday, America!
Are you among those celebrating the holiday, the country that is the United States and the history that goes with it? Or are you one of the African Americans under the “illusion of inclusion?” Are you asking will we ever truly feel comfortable in our own country?
“We are Americans,” Pastor Paul A. Hill said. “The Fourth of July is a celebration of all Americans and what we have all contributed to this project called America. We have worked, labored, struggled, sacrificed and died for the project called the United States.
“I call it a project because it’s ongoing, fluid and not finished,” Hill said.
As the pastor of Grace United Methodist Church, Hill is an active member of the Black Methodist for Church Renewal, which represents and is dedicated to the more than 2,400 Black United Methodist congregations and their approximately 500,000 African American members across the United States.
The caucus believes its existence is vital because of its ability to advocate for the interests and inclusivity of Blacks in the general church structure.
“Blacks have played a pivotal role in the growth and development of the country,” Hill added. “But we have not always been affirmed for our investments, and have often been made to feel like stepchildren. Consequently, many feel that we are not worthy of the benefits of our labors.”
While watching the World Cup recently, a friend mentioned the obvious diversity and camaraderie on one of the South American soccer teams.
“They all consider themselves Argentinean,” she said. “Not African-Argentinian, Not German-Argentinian. Only Americans do that. We’re the only ones that differentiate ourselves.”
In the Black community, assimilation has long been thought of as “selling out” your culture. Maybe other cultures feel the same way? Maybe that is why each of the diverse areas of the city thrive in their own ways. Koreatown, Japanese Village, Little Saigon, Leimert Park—all hold onto cultures that keep us different. Yet there is an overarching desire to belong to the larger American society.
“We try to teach young men how to get along and become successful,” Dr. Mark Henderson, president of Brothers Inc. said. “But the key is not to loose your identity as you do so.”
Brothers Inc. works with schools in recruiting and retaining students of color. They also assist male students in developing leadership and decision making skills. The organization offers culturally relevant, customized services to students and parents.
“There are protocols at work and others at the office,” Henderson said. “It’s not ‘selling out,’ when you adapt to the workplace.
“Some youngsters say they are just ‘trying to keep it real,’” Henderson continued, “but that’s not going to work in that interview, when you are trying to get that job. There are certain diction practices, gestures, and dress customs. There’s an assumed protocol to take on.
“But even when we do all that, are we really, truly being accepted?” Henderson asked.
“Even when you meet all the qualifications of the job description but are still told you are ‘not the right fit,’ what is that? No one can tell you what that is.
“How do you get that magic combination to be a part of the established group? It’s one of those subtle things. You can’t put a finger on it,” points out Henderson, who explained that although no one may say anything in the job interview, some people are just not comfortable around those who are not like them.
Jean Franklin, director of the Anchor of Hope Re-entry Ministry at City of Refuge Church in Gardena, feels that the inclusion or exclusion of Blacks in the country all depends upon perspective.
“You can look through the lens of God’s truth and purpose. See the world as it is and try to change it, or you can look through the lens of the world and get angry, frustrated and beat your head against a brick wall.
“It all depends upon how you feel about yourself individually,” Franklin said. “For me, as an African American female, I believe that where I am right now, I have a purpose and I am included.
“It depends on your outlook,” she added. “Believers don’t act on ego, greed or fear like the rest of the world. We know who’s in charge, we know our purpose and that all things work together for good. When bad things happen, we work with it and move forward.”
Franklin’s ministry works specifically with persons coming out of incarceration and assists them in re-entering and fitting into society.
“The system is set up to be exclusive,” Franklin said. “But as believers, we are empowered to speak and act against that and take the tools we have to fight against injustice and wrong.
“Systems can keep us bound,” she added. “And we can get angry and disheartened. But we know there’s a greater good, and we will overcome. We have to fight for all of mankind.”
So, do you find yourself “comfortable” in our American society? Are we included, and what does comfortable even look like?
“Sure we do the 4th of July, but we are a resourceful people,” Dr. Mary-Antoinette Smith said. “We have our own holidays. We also celebrate emancipation on Juneteenth. We celebrate Christmas, but then we also celebrate Kwanzaa.”
Smith believes Americans are united by traditions like the 4th of July and that enjoying a Black family reunion and eating barbecue is what “comfort” looks like.
“If we aren’t comfortable now, when will we ever be?” she asks. “I always look forward to the 4th. Daddy instilled in us a deep pride in America and loved road trips. He would tell us to visit our National Parks, but added ‘don’t let anybody ruin it for you. Make sure you enjoy it and don’t take away the bad stuff, just the good stuff.’”
Smith recalled the pain on her father’s face when he told a story about his discharge from the military. He wanted to become a pharmacist.
“Three options were offered,” she said. “Auto shop, carpentry or college. My father stepped into the college line and was stopped with ‘Boy, what are you doing here? They (meaning the White soldiers) have three options, you have two.’”
As a result of that memory, Smith said her parents made sure she and her two siblings would not have their opportunities ruined by any barriers. The Smiths converted to Catholicism, just so their kids could have what they perceived as the best education offered in South L.A.
“We have to make sacrifices, take the crap, make it easier for the next generation,” Smith said. “It’s tough to be that kind of warrior.”
Over the years, while teaching predominantly White college students English Literature at Seattle University, Smith has come to the conclusion that even those students are a bit “uncomfortable” in America.
“Even though some of them are privileged and arrogant, they don’t think of themselves that way,” Smith said.
She noticed that during the recession, some of her White neighbors seemed visibly nervous and embarrassed to shop at the dollar store.
“It’s funny, even, to watch them go through security at the airport,” Smith said. “We are accustomed to profiling, but when they are selected randomly, they are disturbed and frazzled. Now they see what it’s like to be put on the spot. They don’t know they have privileges, until these advantages are taken away.”
“I think we’re all unsettled and confused,” she said.
Smith, a native Angelino, has lived in Seattle, Wash., for 20 years, but she still feels she has never really “fit in.”
“I can’t tell you how many Black teachers have been hired and left because they can’t find a fit here,” she said. “There are aspects of Seattle that I love, but it was a long row to hoe. Seattle has a reputation of being liberal, but it’s not true.”
Smith has had several encounters with racism, even when hanging out with fellow teachers and other White friends off campus.
“In public, when something overtly racist happens to me, they don’t do anything,” she said. “I have to ask them ‘did you see that?’ All I needed was for them to acknowledge it, I mean, can I get a witness?”
Although some of Smith’s friends say ‘I didn’t know what to do.’ Or tell her ‘you’re overly sensitive,’ she takes these opportunities to discuss the encounters and aims at teaching them to be vigilant and alert about racism.
Smith believes that this is a little way to begin to make a big difference: the majority society can become aware, offer to become allies, and teach their children the same.
For Blacks to become more comfortable in the United States, Smith believes it’s important for the majority population to acknowledge its flaws.
“We need them to do their part,” she said. “Even though our history keeps us from trusting White people entirely, we can become allies.”
