stories about racism & what it is

Jacksonville couple sees home appraisal jump 40 percent after they remove all traces of “Blackness”
A Florida couple whose home appraisal came in far below expectations “white washed” their home before a second appraisal and saw the estimated value jump 40 percent.

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/jacksonville-couple-sees-home-appraisal-jump-40-percent-after-they-remove-all-traces-of-blackness/77-c3087e8c-0c65-4fb9-8319-da82f5c0ea20?fbclid=IwAR2a-eOUcIW8GShR_XfL43eBA7C31MxP7d5kygUq9iHHpOTjrd1nlKJ96ZE

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An Ortega couple whose home appraisal came in more than $100,000 below expectations tried an experiment. According to a Facebook post and a story in Tuesday’s New York Times, Abena and Alex Horton sought a second appraisal — but first, they redecorated their house.

According to Abena Horton’s post, “we took down all family pictures containing Black relatives. We took down all pictures of African-American greats that we display to inspire our son. Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison came down from the bookshelves; Shakespeare went up. My son and I took a convenient shopping trip during the appraisal, leaving my white male husband to show the appraiser around, alone.”

The second appraisal jumped by 40 percent – going from the initial $330,000 to $465,000

“My heart kind of broke,” Ms. Horton told the Times. “I know what the issue was. And I knew what we needed to do to fix it, because in the Black community, it’s just common knowledge that you take your pictures down when you’re selling the house. But I didn’t think I had to worry about that with an appraisal.”

The July 2 Facebook post by Abena Horton explains further:

“On generational wealth. So. We needed to get our home appraised. The appraiser came by and he was immediately unpleasant – making one rude comment after another,’ she wrote.” He expressed exaggerated surprise when he saw me working at my home office during the walk-through. At the end of it we received an appraisal result that was so low that it was laughable. We appraised far lower than *neighboring* home sales with fewer bathrooms, fewer bedrooms, significantly lower square footage and half the land. I knew immediately what needed to happen. …”

Horton said that’s when the family “whitewashed” their home.

“We appraised $135,000 higher the second time around. The amount of an entire house in some areas,” she wrote. “Racism silently but conspicuously steals wealth. Racism wastes time. Racism raises blood pressure. Racism makes me hate myself for my calm acceptance of what I had to do, and have always had to do, to achieve a fair result. I write this from a place of absolute anguish, to sort through my emotions. I want better for my son. #BlackLivesMatter.”

from Facebook

—

“Erased” History……..

— From the book, The Warmth of Other Suns
http://www.theapartment’sersuns.com

On the evening of July 11, 1951, one of the biggest riots in U.S. history began after a young black couple moved into an apartment in all-white Cicero, IL, west of Chicago. The husband, Harvey Clark, was a World War II veteran who migrated to Chicago from Mississippi and was working as a bus driver.
He and his wife Johnetta had been crammed with their two children in a two-room tenement along with a family of five on the city’s overcrowded South Side. The couple found more space and cheaper rents in Cicero, closer to his work. The local sheriff turned them away when they first tried to move in.
With a court order in hand, the couple moved their belongings into the new apartment on July 11, as a mob formed around them, heckling and throwing rocks. The mob, many of them eastern European immigrants, grew to as many as 4,000 by nightfall. The couple fled, unable to stay overnight in the new apartment.
That night, the mob stormed the apartment and hurled the family’s belongings out of a third floor window: the sofa, the chairs, the clothes, the baby pictures. The mob tore out the fixtures: the stove, the radiators, the sinks. They smashed the piano, overturned the refrigerator, bashed in the toilet. They set the family’s belongings on fire and then firebombed the building, leaving even the apartment’s white tenants homeless.
The rioters overturned police cars and threw stones at firefighters who tried to put out the fire. The Illinois Governor, Adlai Stevenson, had to call in the National Guard for the first time since the 1919 race riots in Chicago. It took more than 600 guardsmen, police officers and sheriff’s deputies to beat back the mob that night and three more days until the rioting over the Clarks to subside.
The Clarks were prevented from spending a single night in Cicero. A total of 118 men were arrested in the rioting but none were indicted. Instead, the rental agent and the owner of the apartment building were indicted for inciting a riot by renting to the Clarks in the first place. The Cicero riot attracted worldwide attention and became a symbol of northern hostility to the arrival of millions of African Americans during the Great Migration.

==

added by me, from the wiki:

Riot

Firemen who rushed to the building were met with showers of bricks and stones from the mob. Sheriffs’ deputies asked the firemen to turn their hoses on the rioters, who refused to do so without their lieutenant, who was unavailable. The situation appeared to be out of control and County Sheriff John E. Babbs asked Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson to send in the Illinois National Guard. As troops arrived at the scene, the rioters fought with them. Armed with bayonets, rifle butts, and tear gas, the troops ended the riot by setting a 300-meter (328-yard) perimeter around the apartment block in which the rioting was in progress. By July 14, most of the violence had ended.

Aftermath

The Cook County grand jury failed to indict any of the accused rioters, instead indicting Clark’s attorney from the NAACP (George N. Leighton, later a federal judge; his own defense counsel would be future Justice of the Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall), the owner of the apartment building, and the owner’s rental agent and lawyer on charges of inciting a riot and conspiracy to damage property. The charges were dropped after widespread criticism.

A federal grand jury then indicted four Cicero officials and three police officers on charges of violating Clark’s rights in connection with the race riots after the United States Attorney General launched an investigation of the incident. Charges were dropped against the fire chief, whose firefighters refused to direct their water hoses at the rioters when requested by the police, and the town’s president. The police chief and two police officers were fined a total of $2,500 (equivalent to $25,000 in 2019) for violating Clark’s civil rights. The federal prosecution was hailed as a courageous achievement, since it was rare that civil rights in housing had stirred action by federal officials.

The Cicero Race Riot of 1951 lasted several nights, involved two- to five thousand white rioters, and received worldwide condemnation. It was the first race riot to be broadcast on local television. Most viewed the rioting in Cicero from the comfort of their living rooms on TVs before they read it in the papers. The press in the 1940s Chicago housing attacks was largely ignored, but when the eruption occurred in Cicero in 1951, it brought worldwide condemnation for the first time and a dramatic climax to an era of large-scale residential change. The black population continued to increase in Chicago despite the incident, and the Chicago Housing Authority reported a decrease in the number of black families requesting police protection. Although the housing assaults did not end, they became less frequent than in the immediate aftermath of World War II.

In an editorial dated July 14, 1951, The Chicago Tribune used their disapproval of rent control to explain why the mob’s behavior should be condemned, stating “We think it was wholly indefensible, exactly as we think the similar behavior of the majority [tenants] on rent control is wholly indefensible. When majorities are right, it is not because they are majorities but because they are right. When majorities abuse their strength to impose injustice upon a minority, they are always wrong, whether the victims are an economic, a racial, a religious, or any other kind of minority.”

The buildings at the center of the riots are still standing and occupied as of 2017. Harvey E. Clark Jr. died in 1998 aged 75 at his home in Swannanoa, NC.

Black students turn to social media to expose racism at school

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/black-at-instagram-students-private-school-racism-social-media/

In an effort to expose the persistence of racism at schools, Black alumni and current students have taken to social media to share their personal, often traumatic experiences with racism on campus and push for these institutions to make changes. Some groups have created Instagram accounts, such as “Black at Dartmouth” and “Black at Blair Academy,” where students can share their stories.

The “True Colors of Columbia” Instagram account was created for past and present students of Columbia Prep, a private school in New York City, to expose racial injustice and demand change. Columbia Prep alumna Lauren Gloster, one of the administrators of the account, told CBSN this movement has been “a long time coming.”

“We’ve been silenced, and frustrated and hurt for so long,” Gloster told CBSN’s Anne-Marie Green and Vladimir Duthiers. “This movement was, and is, what we need in order to make our voices heard.”

The social media movement got its start among those who attended elite New York City private schools, but it has since expanded to many other institutions. “Black at Brearley” and “Black at Chapin” were among the first Instagram accounts created to address the issue. Now, there are “Black at” accounts for numerous high schools and colleges across the U.S. Parents, teachers, staff and others affiliated with the schools often join in too.

Some of the stories shared on the “Black at” Instagram pages are searing firsthand accounts of experiencing racism at school.

“You know, I myself have been physically assaulted by students, White students in my school, because I’m not as affluent as they are,” Gloster said, adding that some students said they have been “threatened to be lynched.”

Gloster said even parents and school staff have engaged in racist behavior. “And so, when you feel cornered by not just your student body, but your faculty and your administration and the parents around you, it’s really, really difficult to feel as though you are a fully matriculated member of the community. And that you have the same rights as everyone else in your community,” she said.

While it’s “painful,” she said, it’s also “unifying to see, you know, all of these students and faculty and parents coming together and expressing their stories.”

Christiana Best, an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work and Equitable Community Practice at the University of St. Joseph, told CBS News via email that many young people who experience racism don’t report it because they fear they won’t be believed by authority figures.

“Social media gives people an opportunity to share their experiences and begin to release the pain associated with it. They get to let it go,” Best told CBS News. “They also get to see that they are not alone and they get support from their community… and from one another, especially today because of the increased awareness of racism, this support helps them to begin the healing process.”

Best says while using social media to share experiences with racism isn’t traditional group therapy, “there are some similar benefits such as validation, learning from peers, being able to help others and finding a community that can provide social support.”

Soleil Kelly, a student at Vanderbilt University, helped create an account for her alma mater, Advanced Math and Science Academy, in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

Not only is the “Black at AMSA” account used to share the experiences of alumni and current students — which Kelly says has been “cathartic” — it is also used to share tips and resources for opening a dialogue with Black students, amplifying their voices and showing support. [me note: I looked this one up, here is the link: Black At AMSA https://www.facebook.com/Black-At-AMSA-111644460579643/ ]

The group also uses the account to share eye-opening statistics about racial incidents that happened at the school. According to “Black at AMSA,” 62 percent of students at the school have been in a classroom where the N-word was used in a lesson and say it made them feel isolated or uncomfortable.

A whopping 92 percent of Black students at AMSA have felt isolated from or chastised by their peers, according to the group. And 61 percent said they had been the victim of “racism, anti-blackness or microaggressions” from teachers at the school.

The stats and stories are disturbing, but the creators of these Instagram accounts hope that raising them will lead to changes at their schools. Many ask for new policies, additional resources and a different approach to reporting and handling such incidents.

Columbia Prep has hired a diversity consultant and is making changes to the curriculum, Gloster said, but the group believes that is not enough.

In a statement to CBS News, Columbia Prep said they are reading the posts on the Instagram account @truecolorsofcolumbia and “are grateful for the courageous actions taken by our students and alumni for sharing their experiences and concerns.”

“These are sobering and shocking reports to hear, and we are listening. Systemic racism exists at CGPS [Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School], and we apologize that we did not provide an inclusive and equitable environment for our BIPOC students and alumni. It is unacceptable,” the statement from the Head of School, Dr. Bill Donohue, reads.

In addition to hiring a diversity, equality and inclusion consultant, the school says it has created a list of seven action items including recruiting more diverse faculty members and meeting with student leaders about “needed changes in our curriculum.”

The “Black at AMSA” group created a list of nine demands for the administration and board of directors, including the hiring and retaining of more Black teachers and administrators, mandatory racial sensitivity training for all new hires and current faculty and staff, and the implementation of programming that educates students, faculty, and staff on Black cultures.

“They have accepted all of our demands and we are working with them to develop a plan which begins to implement each of them starting in the 2020-2021 academic year,” the group announced on Instagram. “We would like to thank all of our followers for their continued support of our mission. Real change is beginning to take place in the halls of AMSA.” CBS News has reached out to AMSA for a statement and is awaiting response from the school.

Before the “Black at” movement took off on social media, filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson exposed the racial disparities at one elite New York City private school with their 2014 documentary “American Promise.” The film, which took 13 years to produce, followed their son during his time at the Dalton School.

In an interview with CBSN, Brewster said students may leave private schools with college-level math and writing skills, but some might not leave with a sense of self-worth.

Stephenson said parent advocacy can help ensure a child’s success — but it also comes with challenges. “It requires time. It requires money. It requires access. It requires being heard. And so there’s that whole other level of structural racism that exists, even for the parent, even if they would want to advocate,” she said.

The education system in this country is “essentially inequitable,” Stephenson said, and those institutional inequities must be addressed so that parents aren’t burdened by the responsibility.

In the seven years since the Brooklyn couple completed “American Promise,” Stephenson said there has been some evolution — but it “hasn’t necessarily come from the institutions.” Instead, it’s been the students who have been pushing for change and making a difference.

Lions’ Matthew Stafford recounts seeing racism against Black teammates firsthand

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29915121/lions-matthew-stafford-recounts-seeing-racism-firsthand-black-teammates

In an essay on The Players’ Tribune on Friday, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford detailed racism against teammates that he saw firsthand in the spring while working out in Georgia.

Stafford wrote in the essay that he went to work out with receiver Danny Amendola one week at a field — something he had prearranged — and had no issues. The next week, Stafford showed up to the same field with the same permissions, this time with four Black teammates, and was told to leave.

“We were just starting to dump all the footballs out on the field and some of the guys were still stretching when a gentleman came out and told us that we were trespassing — and to leave immediately. We didn’t even have our cleats on yet. I remember I was standing there in my socks, just kind of stunned and confused, like, What?” Stafford wrote. “But he didn’t even want to listen. We were still gathering up the footballs and trying to figure out another spot where we might be able to go when the gentleman pulled out his cellphone.

“He said, ‘I’m calling the police.’ After everything that we’ve witnessed over the last few months, and how situations can escalate for no reason at all … and here the police are being called.

“We were there for maybe 10 minutes total. Nobody said a bad word to him. And he still called the police and told them that we were being ‘uncooperative’ and ‘not leaving the property.'”

Stafford wrote that he and his teammates left immediately and that the quarterback was “embarrassed to have put my teammates in that situation.”

He wrote, “The only difference is what we all know in our hearts. Danny and I are white. We don’t get the cops called on us in those situations. We don’t immediately get called uncooperative. And even if Danny and I somehow did get the cops called on us, we all know how that interaction would’ve gone.”

Stafford wrote that in the day of meetings leading up to the team’s decision to cancel practice in August in protest of the Jacob Blake shooting, the story that stuck with him was the one told by teammate Trey Flowers.

Flowers explained what he does if he is ever pulled over by police and how “he copes with the anxiety” of any dealings he has with law enforcement.

“Trey was explaining that if he were to ever get pulled over in his car — something that I have experienced many times without even thinking twice about it — he would roll down his window, put both hands on the wheel and ask the officer if he would like him to step out of the car so he can handcuff him,” Stafford wrote.

“Just so that he is not seen as a threat. Just so the officer can’t say, ‘Oh, he was reaching here, he was reaching there.’ … Just so he makes it back home.

“If you’re a white person, all I’m asking you to do is to really think about that. Imagine that being your first instinct when you see police lights in your rearview mirror. No one in America should have to feel this way.”

Stafford said after the team’s protest that he received text messages that opened his eyes to how far away he believes some people are from listening.

“Things like, ‘Sorry you had to miss practice’ or ‘Sorry you have to deal with this stuff, man,'” Stafford wrote. “The fact that anyone would feel sorry for me, or be thinking about a football practice at a time like that, really speaks volumes.

“There are still people in this country who just want sports to be a distraction, and that’s their right. But I beg to differ.”

Stafford had long been quiet about many topics for the majority of his career. In the past six months, he has become vocal, from speaking in town halls on voting rights to donating money for social justice initiatives in Georgia — where he went to college — to the essay he wrote Friday.

“When something’s important to him and he feels a certain way, he’ll express his opinions and he’ll do that,” said Sean Ryan, Stafford’s quarterbacks coach the past two seasons. “I think when he sees something that’s wrong or something that he feels that he can help make right, he’s going to do it.

“I’ve seen that from the start. I think situations have changed in the last year-and-a-half that have given him the ability or the situations that present maybe what he feels like, ‘Hey, this is the time to voice my opinion.’ So I think things have changed for a lot of us in that way. But it does not surprise me at all that the guy’s out in front, that he’s leading and that he’s being genuine and letting his feelings be known and trying to help things. That does not surprise me at all.”