The Cookout

Ogun · 10/18/21

At what age did you begin to understand racism? I was in the 7th Grade around the time Root's came out, i was never taught about it from my parents even though my Dad being from L.A. and a lot of my family being from Oakland they knew what the deal was but never really told my brothers and sisters what we would be facing as we got older.
it became clear after watching roots at such a young age, and from that day on i knew what i would be dealing with. I just wish i was taught from my parent's, The Baby Boomer generation seriously failed Generation X.
Don't leave your kids unprepared if you have any.

Jay · 10/18/21

Ogun said:
At what age did you begin to understand racism? I was in the 7th Grade around the time Root's came out, i was never taught about it from my parents even though my Dad being from L.A. and a lot of my family being from Oakland they knew what the deal was but never really told my brothers and sisters what we would be facing as we got older.
it became clear after watching roots at such a young age, and from that day on i knew what i would be dealing with. I just wish i was taught from my parent's, The Baby Boomer generation seriously failed Generation X.
Don't leave your kids unprepared if you have any.

Man for me it really kicked in when I first went to Mississippi around 2000 and saw Confederate Flags and read books on Aliens. The Confederate Flags tripped me out, I remember walking in the country in the backwoods and saw a house with a confederate flag, I stopped dead in my tracks and pointed to it. My cousins were like “c‘mon man it’s nothing“…that was a huge culture shock to me. The books also had an impact, they were outlandish and ridiculous but it was the first thing that really took my mind outside of the frame of Christianity and showed me there was more out there.

That Mississippi incident primed the pump but once September 11th happened I was full blow woke. I didn’t even know what the twin towers were but I thought “why would someone want to do this to the USA, what did the USA do” and when I started to do research I started to really understand how devious this country was and how bad they f’d us over. I always knew racism was there and had bad experiences with Police but it’s so commonplace in our culture that it’s just a reality that you don’t have to talk about…racist police is low key like breathing air and drinking water once get you get around passed the “I Want to be a firefighter, police, astronaut“ phase.

Blackgravity · 10/18/21

Jay said:
Man for me it really kicked in when I first went to Mississippi around 2000 and saw Confederate Flags and read books on Aliens. The Confederate Flags tripped me out, I remember walking in the country in the backwoods and saw a house with a confederate flag, I stopped dead in my tracks and pointed to it. My cousins were like “c‘mon man it’s nothing“…that was a huge culture shock to me. The books also had an impact, they were outlandish and ridiculous but it was the first thing that really took my mind outside of the frame of Christianity and showed me there was more out there.

That Mississippi incident primed the pump but once September 11th happened I was full blow woke. I didn’t even know what the twin towers were but I thought “why would someone want to do this to the USA, what did the USA do” and when I started to do research I started to really understand how devious this country was and how bad they f’d us over. I always knew racism was there and had bad experiences with Police but it’s so commonplace in our culture that it’s just a reality that you don’t have to talk about…racist police is low key like breathing air and drinking water once get you get around passed the “I Want to be a firefighter, police, astronaut“ phase.

When you think about all the s4it we have to do to navigate this black life in this country, it's furiatin

Jay said:
Man for me it really kicked in when I first went to Mississippi around 2000 and saw Confederate Flags and read books on Aliens. The Confederate Flags tripped me out, I remember walking in the country in the backwoods and saw a house with a confederate flag, I stopped dead in my tracks and pointed to it. My cousins were like “c‘mon man it’s nothing“…that was a huge culture shock to me. The books also had an impact, they were outlandish and ridiculous but it was the first thing that really took my mind outside of the frame of Christianity and showed me there was more out there.

That Mississippi incident primed the pump but once September 11th happened I was full blow woke. I didn’t even know what the twin towers were but I thought “why would someone want to do this to the USA, what did the USA do” and when I started to do research I started to really understand how devious this country was and how bad they f’d us over. I always knew racism was there and had bad experiences with Police but it’s so commonplace in our culture that it’s just a reality that you don’t have to talk about…racist police is low key like breathing air and drinking water once get you get around passed the “I Want to be a firefighter, police, astronaut“ phase.

It's infuriating the things we as black people have to navigate in this country, one we built but are limited to enjoy.
I honestly hate white supremist to my core.

Goldilocks · 10/20/21

I was young. I don’t remember the age but only in the last few years to I realize racism isn’t hold the majority of BP back.

Jay · 10/20/21

Goldilocks said:
I was young. I don’t remember the age but only in the last few years to I realize racism isn’t hold the majority of BP back.

Do you agree that it's put us at a disadvantage and has stopped our ancestors from passing their wealth down to us?

jasonrest · 10/20/21

Jay said:
Do you agree that it's put us at a disadvantage and has stopped our ancestors from passing their wealth down to us?

there really wasn't any wealth to pass down.
they stole it all.

Jay · 10/20/21

jasonrest said:
there really wasn't any wealth to pass down.
they stole it all.

That's the point. They stopped us from passing the wealth down by either stealing it or destroying it.

jasonrest · 10/20/21

of things to come.

i was around 9 years old

and i attended a mostly white school. and of course had white friends. me and two of my white friends at the time were at the mall. his mom took us. she was inside. we were being stupid and making 911 prank calls and hanging up.
not too long after, cops showed up. they separated me from them. one cop was talking to the two white kids. and the other cop was talking to me. after a few minutes. the cops sent the white boys back to their mom and

i was put in the back of the cop car,

the two cops first told me i was going to jail and scared the shyt out of me but then they asked me where i lived. they started to take me home. on the way they explained that i didnt need to be around those boys anymore and to stop getting those boys in trouble. i was so confused.

they told my mom it was just me making the calls. and of course

she beat me within an inch of my life.

i found out later they didnt tell the boys mom anything and i had to be taken home because apparently i was the only
one making prank calls.
the two white boys never talked to me again.

not sure this completely woke me up, but it definitely got me asking questions, internally.
and of course i had other experiences that completely woke me up but this was definitely the start.

Jay · 10/20/21

jasonrest said:
of things to come.

i was around 9 years old

and i attended a mostly white school. and of course had white friends. me and two of my white friends at the time were at the mall. his mom took us. she was inside. we were being stupid and making 911 prank calls and hanging up.
not too long after, cops showed up. they separated me from them. one cop was talking to the two white kids. and the other cop was talking to me. after a few minutes. the cops sent the white boys back to their mom and

i was put in the back of the cop car,

the two cops first told me i was going to jail and scared the shyt out of me but then they asked me where i lived. they started to take me home. on the way they explained that i didnt need to be around those boys anymore and to stop getting those boys in trouble. i was so confused.

they told my mom it was just me making the calls. and of course

she beat me within an inch of my life.

i found out later they didnt tell the boys mom anything and i had to be taken home because apparently i was the only
one making prank calls.
the two white boys never talked to me again.

not sure this completely woke me up, but it definitely got me asking questions, internally.
and of course i had other experiences that completely woke me up but this was definitely the start.

This is America in a nutshell and it's disgusting. Thanks for sharing and I'm sorry that this happened to you. Can I share this on Twitter?

Goldilocks · 10/20/21

Jay said:
Do you agree that it's put us at a disadvantage and has stopped our ancestors from passing their wealth down to us?

Racism has stopped BP in the past. But it isn’t currently stopping us from doing anything.

Kanu · 10/21/21

Goldilocks said:
Racism has stopped BP in the past. But it isn’t currently stopping us from doing anything.

Why do you think black people are at the bottom of the economic ladder?

StayingHumble · 10/21/21

I want to say I woke up when I was walking down the street in the 6th grade and got rocks thrown at me by other kids cause I hung out with a kid that had Tourette's syndrome . After that I knew what was going on . Then later on in high school having been called the N word to my face .

jasonrest · 10/21/21

StayingHumble said:
I want to say I woke up when I was walking down the street in the 6th grade and got rocks thrown at me by other kids cause I hung out with a kid that had Tourette's syndrome . After that I knew what was going on . Then later on in high school having been called the N word to my face .

where was this? and what decade

Goldilocks · 10/21/21

Kanu said:
Why do you think black people are at the bottom of the economic ladder?

Currently? Because we have a self destructive culture and refuse to address it as a whole.

StayingHumble · 10/21/21

jasonrest said:
where was this? and what decade

This was in San Francisco. The rock incident happened in the 90s and the N word thing happened in the early 2000s .

Kanu · 10/21/21

Goldilocks said:
Currently? Because we have a self destructive culture and refuse to address it as a whole.

VGQ

sourgrapes · 10/21/21

I guess I am lucky to say that I haven't encountered many acts against me. Just a few but I never held it in my heart and let it destroy my plans. I feel like black men get targeted more than black women though so that could be why I haven't experienced it a whole lot. I also grew up having a mixed bag of friends. Some black, some white, some asian, etc.

I had a good mom as well who always had my back but never demonized people for me. She let me find the world and see it how I felt necessary to see it. Never pushed religion or politics on me and I thank her for that.

Mastamind · 10/21/21

When my parents moved to the suburban part of Alief. Never had to deal with white people other than in small doses(before I moved there I think I could count on one hand how many white people I knew). Everything from microaggressions to full blown racism. Soon as I got to the magnet school I avoided everyone in that neighborhood

Jay · 10/21/21

Mastamind said:
When my parents moved to the suburban part of Alief. Never had to deal with white people other than in small doses(before I moved there I think I could count on one hand how many white people I knew). Everything from microaggressions to full blown racism. Soon as I got to the magnet school I avoided everyone in that neighborhood

Man every time Texas showed me how racist it was it was in a suburb.

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