Between the world and me

[andwhat]

I finally read it last month. Discuss away.

[wesleycrusher4ever]

I've read it!

[insominac]

I read it with my black book club and then read it with my white Santa Monica book club. Lol. Lessons were learned that day.

[insominac]

I loved his discussion of the black body - how he just broke everything down so clearly - from the ravages of slavery to the modern performances of masculinity... I don't have my book handy, but I'll come back with more details. I thought a lot about this book while watching Moonlight, which Coates also loved...

[andwhat]

Dec 3, 2016 21:37:57 GMT -5 @tooshort said:

Overall thoughts?

He reminded me a lot of the ladies here. I've always held integration as the holy grail and it's interesting to hear from people that have zero interest in it. It's definitely a different perspective---one I need to ponder some more.

The fact that he wrote this to his son breaks my heart. I'm buying it and keeping it to read to my son when he gets older. There were so many great lessons, things I want to tell my son that I didn't know how to word.

I finished the book wishing I had attended an HBCU. I really wish I could exist in a world that I didn't feel like an other.

His comments of being held up as the exception to your race hit me hard. I've always been that person and I tired of playing the token role.

I have more. I'll come back to this.

This is me exactly. It is why I initially questioned if I was doing DD a disservice by living in a predominantly black county. While I have always lived here, the schools I went to were really diverse. Looking at those schools now for DD and the demographics have completely changed to being 90+% black. I was always big on my schooling needed to reflect the real world so I was prepared. But since being on these boards I have wished several times that I went to an HBCU and I do not look at integration the way I once did. I would love for black people to be able to create our own and it be sucessful, but we are so far behind the curve ball on this. I see other minority groups doing it all the time though. But their histories in this country are so different than ours. Now I am like give us our damn reparations and our 40 acres and a mule so we can have the land and money to create our own schools, banks, shopping, etc.

The exception to your race got me too. I remember in HS my best friend was white. Her dad was a cop in our predominantly black county. I don't know if he was racist, but he definitely had a bunch of negative stereotypes of black people. But my family was the exception. I frequently spent the night at their house, went on family vacations, everything. They always treated me like part of the family. But he made it clear he thought me and my family were different than typical black people.

[kicks]

Ok I definitely need to download this book!

My friend recently went to her Howard homecoming and I was like damn, that looks so wonderful to be in that environment.

I don't think I wish I went to an hbcu because I'm glad I pursued my dream of playing D1 soccer, however I do wish I would've joined a sorority, probably delta, just for that connection.

[andwhat]

Dec 4, 2016 9:11:44 GMT -5 kicks said:

Ok I definitely need to download this book!

My friend recently went to her Howard homecoming and I was like damn, that looks so wonderful to be in that environment.

I don't think I wish I went to an hbcu because I'm glad I pursued my dream of playing D1 soccer, however I do wish I would've joined a sorority, probably delta, just for that connection.

I had such a negative perception of sororities in college. But I loved the idea of stepping. But now I sometimes wish I had joined one. They weren't that big on my college campus though. I don't think anyway.

I have thought of joining a grad chapter, but I don't really have the time for something like that right now.

[kicks]

Dec 4, 2016 9:42:29 GMT -5 andwhat said:

Dec 4, 2016 9:11:44 GMT -5 kicks said:

Ok I definitely need to download this book!

My friend recently went to her Howard homecoming and I was like damn, that looks so wonderful to be in that environment.

I don't think I wish I went to an hbcu because I'm glad I pursued my dream of playing D1 soccer, however I do wish I would've joined a sorority, probably delta, just for that connection.

I had such a negative perception of sororities in college. But I loved the idea of stepping. But now I sometimes wish I had joined one. They weren't that big on my college campus though. I don't think anyway.

I have thought of joining a grad chapter, but I don't really have the time for something like that right now.

I think stepping is half the reason I didn't join a sorority, I didn't want to embarrass myself. Hello awkward black girl!

[threejs]

I listened to this book in my car last spring. There were passages that brought me to tears, but now I need to listen again because I don't remember them.

I am forever grateful I attended an HBCU. I grew up one of the only black kids, always, and even at 17, knew I wanted to be with my people. My brother, who is 12 months older than me, went to a service academy and is still in the military. Our views on race and racism ARE SO DIFFERENT. If he wasn't my brother, I wouldn't even be friends with him. lol. It makes me sad, but because he grew up in a white world and managed to escape, ignore, or not even recognize the racism he truly doesn't get it.

I don't necessarily think all black kids should go to HBCUs (and am not sure what I want for my daughter), but the affirmation, the self love, that feeling of being at home, the history and knowledge that we are fucking fabulous, and strong and powerful, I'm not sure you can get that from anywhere quite like you can at an HBCU.