I need to be thankful for the song "The Lakes of Pontchartrain." If it wasn't for the line "handsome young creole girl" I wouldn't have been curious enough to date my present girlfriend, who is African American. We've now been going out for almost 3 years, and I'm happier than I've ever been. I've also discovered a lot about what subconscious racism I've been carrying around in my head.
There is racism. You can't be black and have a conversation with your sons and your brothers in a parking lot. The police will come by and harass you. This despite the fact that my girlfriend's uncle is a wonderful, industrious, upstanding ex-military man. You can be white and do this, though. (This was not some seedy parking lot in a run-down neighborhood in the big city. It happened in a rural town of only 16,000.)
There is racism. You can't be black and have a conversation with your sons and your brothers in a parking lot. The police will come by and harass you. This despite the fact that my girlfriend's uncle is a wonderful, industrious, upstanding ex-military man. You can be white and do this, though. (This was not some seedy parking lot in a run-down neighborhood in the big city. It happened in a rural town of only 16,000.)