Please Read. St. Augustine is a city that we are all proud of. It has a very rich and, often, ignored history. There is a lot TO be proud of in many ways. We want to celebrate that. But our city isnt without warts. It has, in its history, things that are uncomfortable truths. Things we arent proud of and shouldnt be. But, nevertheless, things that existed. The treatment of Native Americans, African Americans, slavery and the such, all are a part of the history of our city. Our city is not unique in that regard. There are times when, in our post about our history, we have to touch on delicate subjects, such as those mentioned above. Obviously, the posting of the recent postcards has prompted some controversy. So let me be absolutely clear about this. What is depicted in those postcards regarding blacks IS racist. Of course David didnt post them because of that, nor does he endorse the content of what they portray. He posted them because they are a part of our history, an undeniable fact that he said might be offensive in their content. But there is no way around it, they are racist depictions with exaggerated racial features. They were sold, as I mentioned in a previous post, to support tourist’s interpretations of the South. One of those being the racist nature of institutionalized slavery (which, again, was not unique to our town nor to the South). But, sadly, it IS a part of our history. We can’t ignore it and to censor items and artifacts that represent our past is wrong as well. Warts and all. What we do not, and we won’t tolerate, is anyone who celebrates it or supports it. That is just wrong. You can appreciate the beauty of the card without condoning the content. In fact, for me, the beauty is wasted and diminished by the content. But the content is a reflection of that time, not our time. And not what what we are now, nor what St. Augustine Memories is about. Bluntly, again, if you support slavery or racism depicted WITHIN items like this, please leave the page. You are not welcome here. I hope none of us fall under that description. Ive seen several people who have said that they believe in representing what the past was accurately so that we learn from it and don’t repeat it. That’s the attitude I would hope we all have. As Ive said many times, I am more proud of the progress weve made since then; that I can look at things like this and recognize it’s part of an evil yoke that we have freed ourselves from. And something we still battle with today, but that we battle with it at all is something we should be proud of. St. Augustine Memories is a page that wants EVERYONE to feel comfortable with being a member. All of us. Chico and I do our best to try to enforce that. We have to weigh these things carefully when they come up, sometimes going against our own selfish preferences for what is best for the board. So, please, let’s be understanding and, more importantly, considerate of our fellow St. Augustinians. Thank you.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 20:52:20 +0000
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