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The big mistake was to cluster certain groups into ghettos - Italians had ghettos- Jews had them...east Indians had them..They were ghettos based on familiar culture...The sad state of affairs for black people was the ghettoizing of the people- not through culture but through poverty.
If I were black- I would live among the whites...at least they would discover that I was just as good- just as smart and just as dignified as they are.. Blacks could not have proper cultural ghettos because the were ripped off for their culture...250 years ago...I know the feeling- The Russian revolution and the war destroyed my family and wiped out their history- I still am not sure who I am or where I come from...
If you are intelligent - do not pay attention to racism...the more you focus on it- the stronger it gets- forget about it!
So what are you suggesting would be the ideal situation? hand people keys to business's that just came off the streets? The way I see it there is a large population of Blacks that do nothing to make themselves marketable if they even care to get a job at all... I have personally seen kids try to apply for a job with pants to their knees and a cigar behind their ear etc. you have to call it both ways bud
A degree does not automatically qualify you for a job if you have no marketable skills. It has nothing to do with race. I know lots of white people who are highly educated and unemployed or underemployed. It might help to pay someone to coach you on proper interviewing skills and how to make yourself more marketable. You may not realize that you are giving off negative vibes. Sometimes when things are not going your way you are so used to having negative thoughts that your perception may be skewed and you take things more personally or perceive something as a slight that wasn't intended to be. A positive attitude goes a long way. I would much rather hire someone who is trainable and willing to do anything and is able to get along with everyone and "roll with the punches" than someone who has the attitude that they already know everything and are critical of everything and never satisfied. A negative attitude is like a cancer in the workplace that spreads and affects everyone and inhibits open communication and productivity. I don't know you, so I may be completely off base, but I wish you the best.
There's only been ONE black influential businessman in SC, who's tied to the elitest SC branch of Freemasons.
WHY DO SO MANY ATHLETES COME FROM HERE but can't put money back into the community without issues?
Simple answer. Yes. There is.
However, you can find some opportunities here. At the same token, i feel to get that opportunity underneath others, they will want you to sacrifice your culture.
And as for poor communities being all black, No .. there's definitely a lot of latin and whites mixed in there.
I feel sorry for people that have be separated from mainstream society over a period of generations. This social isolation breeds people that simply have not been exposed to much other than their immediate environment, leaving them clueless about what and how things work.
I was lucky..even though I am white - many of the others in my rough and poor rural place..did not make it- most are dead due to drugs and wild living...My parents were immigrants- we arrived in 1950- even though my father lost his family at 14--and my mother separated from hers at 15- they did bring with them part of the old Russian culture- orthodox Christianity- My father had a very good circle of friends who were deposed aristocrats..I watched and learned as a child.
These people are all gone now..but - I managed to keep a little bit of lost class- culture- a system of old values that came out of the late 1800s..People and families fall from grace- due to world events.
There were no black people in our area...in fact they were non-existent - Except for Mrs. Joesph..who lived with her husband and 5 children--who she had kindly adopted- She was our music teacher..This family was strong - they had culture- it was music- There was no such thing as racism..back then- I played with her kids and never viewed them as "black"- I just did not see that- all I remember about my buddy Marvin..Is that he had a great smile and was full of joy...
As for my fathers friends and culture- I never heard any of them undermine- bad mouth or disrespect anyone- whether you were poor--rich--Christian--Jew---or black...not one single bad word ever uttered..I thank God for being exposed to what was left of real class- It had nothing to do with money..It was as Martin Luther King said- judged by the character of the person...the rest was foolishness...Racism was for the lower class--for the fools and rubes.
This really is a world-wide issue, not just Greenville, SC, and Greenville certainly isn't immune to it either. Unfortunately it's in our nature as human beings. I think it does get better from generation to generation, but we still have a long way to go. No pun intended, but this is not a "black and white" issue. There's so much involved and there's no simple answer.
The only thing I can think of is to do our best as individuals and also to teach our children the values we believe to be just and fair, to make it better for future generations.
I'm not saying everyone is overtly racist. There are some nice peoplel here. What I am saying is a lot of people simply don't understand the conditions that black people here live in and lack of opportunities. It never crossed their radar , but I see it daily.Whenever I go anywhere I see mostly white people in charge and working and second hispanics in charge and working, but not so many black people. There is however a large amount of unemployed or underemployed black people. Go downtown who is working there? Who owns businesses there? Who can afford to eat there and have a good time? Who are in the restaurants and bars? It's about 90% white 1% black.
Firstly, this is hardly unique to Greenville. How old are you and where are you from?
Secondly, Greenville doesn't have a particularly large Black population to begin with, at least compared to surrounding cities. When you combine that with lower educational attainment rates for Blacks overall, well...
Key to success for fellow blacks. Remove your boundaries, stop thinking everything you do has to seem in line with what you think is our culture. That's the key. Get out of your comfort zone.
Racist here by most definitions: I have observed black women in particular are so loud in groups, Hispanics are always so happy in groups, and white people only talk to you if you're in the same church.
As for opportunities, some black Facebook friends of mine say it helps if you hange your name legally to something like Jacob. Seriously though, many of my overseas friends in college said it helped to put an american name on their resume.
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