Waco1947 said:
1. Have any of you asked black people if they have experienced racism? Follow up question "What did that racial experience feel like?
2. Have any of you asked black friends if racism still exists?
I asking if you white guys have actually asked these questions and what were the answers.
I look forward to your considered opinion and sharing of these racial experiences for the people that you asked.
My answers:
1. No. All of my black friends (100's of them over the years) seemed to have no problems with nor complained about racism, their upbringing, etc.
2. No. It is a subject I never bring up because my black friends did not sit around complaining or begging. They made the best of their situations and worked hard to assimilate. I never heard a single one of the hundreds mention the word racism. Never. Now, they did call me honky. The token white bread. Cracker. On occasion when we exchanged friendly college type insults these came up. Did not bother me.
This reminds me of an incident around 1978 or 1979 in the Baylor Athletic Dining Hall that was underneath Martin Hall.
Grant and a few coaches ate in the dining hall one evening after practice. They very seldom did this. The next day GT called a few players into his office to discuss the "segregated" dining hall. He wanted to know why all of the black football players ate with blacks and all of the white players ate with white players.
He decided this was not healthy for the TEAM so he demanded that each table have a mixture of black players and white players at every meal. It lasted less than one week and went back to the way it was before. Whites on one side and blacks on the other side.
By the way...........we did have neck bone night complete with collard greens, corn bread, fried chicken, okra, candied yams, black eyed peas and even chitlins. Needless to say there was a long line at Pete's diner across the street, McDonald's or Whataburger on those nights.
"So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains And we never even know we have the key"