Trash In The White House
I was unfamiliar with Tammy Bruce until today when I read she had called our first lady, Michelle Obama, TRASH! I had to take a step backwards and breathe deeply to keep from screaming. On what planet and what universe can this smart, sophisticated, cultured lady be called trash? What would start the tirade that made this statement?
Mrs. Obama was talking to a group of children and was trying to explain that when she was young she had been accused of trying to act white because she spoke well and made good grades. Well Ms. Loud Mouth Know Nothing I, and my children, have also been accused of the EXACT same thing!
I came from a small southern town in North Carolina. Arriving in San Diego, I found so many opportunities for my kids and myself, I enrolled us in as many things as possible to enrich our lives. There were little Miss and Mister Manners classes for my kids. We also went to the library and my 4 and 6 year old children had their own cards which they valued. They played softball and bowled and were in Girl Scouts and Club Scouts. I took pottery and sewing classes. My ex made the mistake of telling me his cousins said I was acting white. Well I lite her up (for my white friends who might not know what that means I will tell you later).
Then there was a time before Affirmative Action when I was promised a job on the phone in my home town of Asheville and when I got there the Director of Nursing said she did not know I was Black! I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I do now. But this is the way I have always talked even though I was raised in the south and even though I am light skinned, I am indeed BLACK! I also had an Internet and phone friend from Fargo, ND, who was surprised that once we talked that I did not have what he called a Black accent. He was also surprised at the parallels in our childhoods.
What I’d say if I had a chance to talk with Tammy Bruce is that you do not understand what being Black is about. And you don’t understand the pressure we face from our own community especially when we try to better ourselves. So shut up until you have something constructive and worthwhile to contribute!