As an apparent white (more in a bit) born in '52 in Ok the comparison piss me off.
I can't deny my privilege to be white, male, straight, and old. I didn't grow up having to watch my surrounds/mouth/back at all times.
Yes, as a kid, cops weren't too friendly, but I wasn't going to be shot.
I didn't have to worry about where to live except based on how much I could afford.
Saw the integration of my town in the '60s and how local businesses handled it in a less than stellar manner.
Now the other bit.
In a medium sized city in Ok in the '50s/'60s the racism was open even with a military post on our boundary. I can remember seeing separate fountains and bathrooms in the county courthouse and there were sections of town demarked in a manner best unmentioned.
While the memory isn't erased, I grew beyond my surroundings to recognize the realities of the world and didn't pass on the links to the past.
As a reader and media consumer, I was aware of the Great Migration and it's effect on our country. I saw Dr. King and the Civil
Rights movement on the nightly news as a part of my growth into a responsible adult. I also saw the American Indian Movement attempt to follow in their brother's footsteps.
As a member of the Cherokee Nation, I have a past too. The Trail of Tears and the Dust Bowl are written on my heart as well. I don't wear the burden openly as the hair and cheekbones didn't look out of place. An old story from my area was that the train station had a waiting area inside for the whites, the blacks could wait outside on the platform, and the Indians stood to the side on the ground.
Anyway, if I'm giving someone grief about being naïve or inexperienced, Ok Boomer is earned.
Otherwise, we all need to be open to other realities, that's what we should have learned from Barack Obama.
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