Black, white, yellow or brown: Does it really matter?

How has race impacted your family history?

Although this sensitive issue is often overlooked as we delve into our roots, it often plays a larger role than you might imagine. My blogging friend Miriam Midkiff of AnceStories has an excellent post this week on the topic, with Martin Luther King Day less than a week away.

Even in these relatively enlightened times, the race issue is never far away. This morning’s paper carried a story about Louisiana’s new governor, Bobby Jindal, calling him “the nation’s first elected Indian-American chief executive and the state’s first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction.” Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been sparring over the issue for the past week.

I grew up in the overwhelmingly white community of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Council Bluffs was also a very blue collar railroad town in those days. I worked my way through college mostly by working a variety of railroad jobs. On those jobs I worked side-by-side mostly with white men of limited education who were outspoken about their deep-seated racist views. I also worked with American Indians, blacks and Latinos at a time when the civil rights movement was just gaining a solid foothold in American culture. It was a rich, yet often tense, environment.

My father-in-law was mostly Irish and faced prejudice in his formative years in Omaha. Italians and Czechs also had their own enclaves in the first half of the 20th century in Omaha, doing much of their business and most of their socializing with “their own kind.”

It’s hard for me to get a good read on how we all get along these days. In times of crisis, a true democracy built on the backs and minds of a diverse populace whose civil rights are genuinely equal should be able to pull together for the common good rather than splintering off into separate groups dedicated to preserving their own mutual self interests.

Regardless of how you see the state of the races today, it’s worth reflecting on where your family has been with regard to race relations, evaluating where it is today and, most importantly, projecting where you’d like for it to be in future generations.

Larry Lehmer, founder and president of When Words Matter, is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, visit his web site or send him an e-mail.

Flickr photo courtesy of benchilada.

Comments

[Moultrie Creek]

Larry, I was stationed in Omaha in the early 70s - back when being military was definitely uncool. As a woman, I wasn't as obviously military as the guys with their short hair were, but we girls had our share of tense moments with the local population. I do have very fond memories of the Czech community and learning to polka at some of the local festivals. They accepted us without reservation and we enjoyed sharing their culture and their hospitality.

[Larry Lehmer]

Glad to hear you took in some of the local flavor, Denise. The Bohemian Cafe in South Omaha remains one of my favorite restaurants anywhere and my wife has fond memories of spending evenings with her family at Sokol Hall. Thanks for sharing.