The one thing I have to say, is that the readings of this week made me think a lot, for plenty of different readings.
The first reading that got my brain going was “The Race Problem in a Christian State.” It just really struck me that the reasonings behind Ransom saying that black people are more American than white people, besides Native Americans of course, is true. If you ask a white person their ethnicity you will get many answers like german, french, or british. If you ask a black person we will say African American, because we are defined by America. We don’t have the option to list all the African tribes our ancestors originated from, and therefore, we do not have the opportunity to participate in their cultures. For the most part, we developed our own culture here in America.
The second reading that really made me think was ” A Litany of Atlanta,” for the simple fact that I have never, and will never, understand poetry 🙂
Credo, however, genuinely moved me. Its inspiring and honestly so touching to see someone believe so full heartedly in the black race. It’s something you rarely see even today, even among black people.
And then we come to the “Atlanta Compromise Speech.” All I have to say about this reading is that I don’t understand Booker T Washington. To me, it seems as if he is pandering to the white people, or succumbing to white ideals of what a black person can be or do. However, this just seems to stand in direct opposition to how he fought to become who he was. I can understand him wanting black people to become skilled in the areas of physical labor, but I can’t understand him wanting black people to settle for just that.