The Great Divide--Thoughts Upon the King Holiday (Part 2 of 2)

[moongirlk]

Just wanted to say a huge thanks to Ebony for the mental and 
emotional excercise this morning - what a fantastic essay!  I took 
the quiz.  Did reasonably well, but definitely learned a few things.  
I wish it had more information right there - such a pain to wait to 
get my hands on the books you recommended.  

On a side note, that poem you cited?  Was it not meant to be 
satirical?  (I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but I always 
thought it was)

I was actually reminded on Sunday of the still-pervasive confusion 
about equal opportunity, affirmative action and race by my own 
mother.  My friend Tiffany helped her get a part-time job at the 
company she works for after she (my mom) retired from teaching pre-
school.  Now, with the economy the way it is, the department that 
Tiffany works in may be laying some people off next month, and 
Tiffany is afraid she may be out of a job.  My mother insisted to me 
that there was no way Tiffany would be among those who are laid off.  
I asked her how she could be so sure if the company is struggling.  I 
expected her to say that Tiffany's the most knowlegeable, or the 
hardest worker, or was somehow better than the other people in her 
department, although my mom doesn't work in that area, and may not 
knw .  Instead, and she said that they wouldn't lay her off becuase 
she's black.  Knowing that my mom and I have both known and loved 
Tiff since I was 14, I was too shocked to think of an appropriate 
response to that, so I changed the subject.  It's been nagging at me 
ever since.

Anyway, big thanks to Ebony for the brain food.  

peaceful Tuesday to all,
kimberly