Angry all day, everyday...

I was going to start this "joint" by bemoaning the fact that my weekly holla is becoming more of a bi-monthly holla but oh well and whatever... I'll write when I can or feel so inspired and today is one of those days...

I'll start with the fact that it has been almost one whole month since I have been officially laid off... And guess what? This is NOT easy. I'm one of the blessed folks that has a little savings to help out. Not that I want to use it all up and go back to have a $50 bank balance but damn what if I had nothing at all... Scary "ish"! I'm scared enough and I got a little change. I also got a car note, a mortgage and a bambino on the way... so... Anyway, like I said being laid off is not easy. It would be hard enough if I felt things had been done right but when you feel like you've been treated unfairly and ostracized to boot, well... I can't help but be a little angry. But despite whatever bitterness I feel towards my former employers...(and I'm working on it-a little) that's really not the subject of today's holla (not directly)! No today's holla is about righteous anger! And righteous anger about racism...

This has been prompted by this morning's news and all of the commentary on what happened to Henry Louis Gates last week. I think when I heard about what happened to him, being arrested inside his home, having his cane taken away, being handcuffed etc, my reaction was "Hmph, I'm not surprised" and "Typical...would this have happened to a white man?" Then our president (excuse me our President) was asked his opinion and he said that he didn't have all the facts but the thinks the police acted "stupidly".

What shocked me was the fact that whites and blacks alike responded to the President's response. Even my boy...Jon Stewart, who I usually like quite a bit. Everyone was like oh he shouldn't have said that and he should apologize. My response...Hmph! The hell he should! I can see other peple's points that he should take a different stance as our country's leader and that he shouldn't have spoken without knowing all of the facts. Okay, I can concede (albeit reluctantly) to those points...but guess what...Obama is Obama and he is/was speaking candidly from his own experience. Everyone is so focused on his use of the word stupidly that they don't want to acknowledge what he said about disproportionate arrests and harrassment of men of color. In fact, he is now being labeled a racist by Glen Beck of all people. Gimme a damn break.

The fact is that Obama in the White House does not mean that we don't still have a way to go in addressing race relations, institutionalized racism and the notion of white supremacy in this country. When I think of all that we (people of color-particular black people-my race) have been through historically, continue to go through on the daily, and the small minor indignities of being put down subtly and not so subtly, I'm surprised I'm not angry all day, everyday. Please!

And while that would be a perfect place to end this post, let me just add that on today's Today show, they showed the story of a kidnapping and murder of a young white girl by a black male while their expert guest used that to justify racial profiling. Wonder what type of message the news execs were sending by choosing that story at this time? Do you think we're stupid or something?