How Racism Harms White People: Drained Pool Politics

 

RantWoman will be tagging anything involving the voices of women #WomensHistoryMonth

Megan McGee, self-proclaimed policy nerd and author of 

CNN Interview

And a story similar to the ones cited in the book.

I have followed Heather McGee even before her book and I totally AGREE with this concept.   In Kansas City, MO we had ONE amusement park when I was growing up ...

but want to share this with you.   I studied African American studies when I was in college because I was so angry that schools hadn't taught any of that to me when I grew up, and I had come from a very bigoted family (and was pretty much ostrasized for my own beliefs, which

were that people are wonderful, no matter their skin color, beliefs, sexual orientation, etc.,   So when we were growing up, there was a small Black community and our high school class was the first integrated class.  My last name was Robbins before I was married, and I had the

good fortune to share a gym locker with the only other Black female student in our class, because her name was Joan Robinson.  Joan and I became friends in school.  I knew I could never invite her to MY house, of course.  She wouldn't have been welcome.  But she and I knew

we shared many values, and we laughed together.  She dated one of the other REALLY nice black kids in our class, and at the end of our junior year, he was voted the boy most likely to succeed.   I say this to lay the groundwork to tell you that on the other side of the fence was this

story.   We lived in the smaller town of Independence, MO.  (I don't know the population, but in Kansas City, there was one large amusement park in those days called "Fairyland Park"...with Ferris wheel, big old wooden rollercoaster (this is back in the early 1950's, all kinds of rides,

fun houses with mirrors and the like, and it was always a special treat for us to have a big group of our teenage kids get to go to Fairyland Park for special occasions.   Never ONCE did it occur to me that my BLACK friends (or any other people of color were not allowed at this facility!

As a kid in the 1950's, I was too busy having FUN to even notice that not everyone was able to be included. (shamefully)   I did not know this until JUST THIS YEAR!  Finally, in the 1960's, a group of  People of Color protested, and the owners of Fairyland Park CLOSED THE DOORS

so NO ONE ever entered the park again!     It made me think of all the other facilities we had gone to as teens where we'd had so much "fun" but we had been oblivious to the fact that none of our Black and Brown friends were there.    And so today, (now I live in Phoenix, but it still hurts

me to think that perhaps the malt shops we frequented, the hamburger joints, the movie theaters, the rollerskating rinks, and so many other places WERE DISCRIMINATING.....and many STILL ARE!    We all have to be aware of this, and make sure that the people who are open for

business are open for business to EVERYONE.....  Heather McGee is absolutely correct with the premise of her book.  No one in business should be able to get by with only serving SOME people.  When I was a waitress, I wrote down orders for customers who could not speak, and though

I could not sign, I found people who could, and we always found a way to HELP people, not turn them away....  There is never a way for HATE....   And if we give into it here, our country will perish.....