Sometimes I think I’m slow to change my bad habits. The
state of Georgia’s slower.
Okay, seriously, I know there's nothing funny about institutionalized racism. I spent my teen years in Georgia, and even though the area where I lived was less regressive, there were kids who would freak out at the idea of interracial relationships. In the 90's.
Since I'm on the topic of young people standing up to policies of segregation, I also watched this interview with Claudette Colvin who was arrested in 1955 at the age of 15 for refusing to get up and move further back on the bus (nine months before Rosa Park's arrest). She says, "It felt like Sojourner Truth’s hands were pushing me down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman’s hands were pushing me down on another shoulder, and I could not move." Calling upon ancestral strength can be potent in trying times.
The other side involves calling upon our descendents for strength--whether related by blood or not. I discovered some years ago the power of connecting with future generations alongside--or even instead of--ancestral generations. There is a particular motivation and sense of innovation that can be harnassed when acting for our descendents just as ancestors--both blood and adopted--can provide foundation and support.
Finally, there are our present-day peers. The young people in that Georgia high school in Wilcox County were motivated because of their connection to each other to break down deeply entrenched community-sanctioned segregation. How inspiring!
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