[Durham INC] New from the Rev-elution - Jeanne Lucas

[Carl Kenney]

No, I do not see you as a racist.  I see you as one doing the right thing - trying to move past all these divides.  Your story is deep and painful, and, like mine, is both hard to tell and hard to hear.  There are layers to mine that I've not told. The same applies over there with you.  With that being said, we must vow to ally with one another.  Finding advocates isn't easy work.  Part of it takes standing with folks as they dig.  When we dig, and we both have been doing that, you often don't know what you're digging for.  Sometimes it feels like I'm digging with my hands because someone took my shovel.
My apology to you.  I failed to share that I hear your pain.  Black folks do that sometimes.  We have difficulty hearing white people talk about pain because we wear ours like a badge.  Some call it street credibility.  All call it victimhood.  All of us have suffered my friend, and when we find stories like your story, we must pause and notice the grace in that moment.  Shucks, I'm not sure what inspired you to make it through all of that, but I do know I'm glad you did.
I'm also glad that you are with me as I walk to the other side of the street.

Date: Thu, 24 May 2012 10:43:22 -0700
From: christinebbd at yahoo.com
To: christinebbd at yahoo.com
CC: inc-list at rtpnet.org; inc-list at durhaminc.org
Subject: Re: [Durham INC] New from the Rev-elution - Jeanne Lucas

Someone wrote privately, and it reminded me of what happens when you disturb deep roots.
I wrote about my painful past, in hopes that you'd see how hard I've worked to dig up bitter roots.  Deeply painful roots.  And when you start trying to dig up those roots, it hurts like hell.  Walking the road of life sure is easier if you just leave the roots alone!  The thing about roots though, is they affect what's going on above ground.   Bitter roots don't let you look so nice.  
Racism has deep, deep roots.  As a white person trying to disturb those roots... I probably look like a racist, right?  Anyone coming along to dig up those roots is going to look like a racist
 to the black person, and a nutcase to the few white people who think you're nuts trying to bring a black person into the mix.
 I hope you see that I'm trying to disturb the roots, and bring them up to heal the bitterness.  

Christine Chamberlain
    
   
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