I try not to bring up race , it is a sensitive subject, and anything you say will be used against you. BUT it is the subject of the day. People on the outside might assume that due to the demographics, that Viburnum is a racist place, I am not in a position to make that call. But I think Cristal Brooks Beeman is . Here is a comment she allowed me to share. Racism is a very big issue for me. As someone who has seen it first hand, been a victim of it and worries daily about it. I was married to a black man for 14 years and I saw the very ugly side of racism from both whites and blacks alike. I have two mixed race children who have been on the receiving end of the hate. Racism is still very much alive people. Every day and everywhere. I may not always say favorable things about my hometown but my black exhusband, my children and I lived in the little country town of Viburnum, Mo for 13 years and we were welcomed and accepted. We faced less racial problems in that sleepy little town than anywhere else we had resided. Imagine that? At that time my two mixed kids were the only ones in that school system. The teachers, administration and coaches treated them no differently than any other student. My ex husband was never mistreated or shunned by the town. He was respectful to them, worked hard,obeyed the laws and he became a part of the community and even after our divorce he chose to continue residing there. With that being said, now that we live closer to St Louis I see and hear more racism that I have ever heard in my life. I have seen first hand the racial profiling done by police in the areas(near a college campus stopping black students) . Or the racial profiling done by prospective employers(I have worked places that would throw black, Hispanic or middleeastern applicants paperwork in the trash), I have went to school in places that neglected to give the same education to the black or hispanic students. This disgusts me!!!! These are people who are trying to better their lives, trying to be productive members of society. So why can a little town like Viburnum (where I know for a fact that people were taught racist slurs, jokes and mentality )can judge people based on character but the people of the city cannot? And with all honesty, the current events have done nothing but widen the racial divide. Those who thought poorly of black people think even more so after hearing about all the looting and rioting. Now those with racism in their heart feel that their opinion has been validated.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:32:24 +0000
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