quality of life

“Like me, my buddy (also black) grew up in a different DC. Not to romanticize it, but it was a time of tucked in shirt tails, “good” grammar, and what seemed like a zillion parents. Those of us who remain in neighborhoods like Petworth and Brightwood see the opposite of all this. And like some of our newer white neighbors, we are sometimes derided for being who we are. I don’t want to speak for my friend, but it angers, hurts and bewilders us. We sometimes wonder if we have been evicted from “the race”-and that maybe the paperwork got lost in the mail.The class divisions in this town are rarely discussed. But they are as real as Red Line delays. When my family arrived here in 1958-we caught the tail end of a very hue-conscious black middle class community. Some of our neighbors were less than thrilled to have “dark” people like us around.

But now I wonder if we haven’t swung-as America seems to do with everything from food to car size- 360 degrees

in the other direction. The elementary school teachers ( for example) who frequently told us we were somebody, and who, yes, preferred European classical music to James Brown, would have a heck of a time in this educational environment. So would I.

So maybe this is just some of the aforementioned “generational you know what”… I am certainly not nostalgic for the old days. I guess I am, well, angry, hurt and baffled. It does make me wonder what in the heck I am still doing here. But that is another riff.”

The following was written by my friend Cindy who is moving to Canada “in order to live with her partner because immigration is regulated by the federal government, and it will not recognize her marriage so that she can sponsor her partner to immigrate.”

 

Thoughts on the passage of Proposition 8 in California

November 6, 2008

Two nights ago, I celebrated as my country elected Barack Obama to be our 44^th president. It was a great day for democracy, with 64 percent of registered voters turning out, a majority of whom voted for a candidate who ran a campaign based on bringing the disparate pieces of our country together rather than exacerbating the existing divides. A few hours after the presidential election was called, it became apparent, however, that California’s Proposition 8 was expected to pass, taking away the right of gay people to marry in the state.

Yesterday, I watched my friends – gay and straight – lament the loss in California while also celebrating the presidential victory. My gay friends were particularly disheartened, wondering how this could happen, how people could hate us so much as to take away this right. I, too, am disappointed by the results in California. Defeating this proposal would have been a tremendous victory for gay rights in our country. But I am feeling mostly optimistic about what is to come. While it would have been wonderful to see this passed by popular vote, minority rights have historically been won in the courts. Starting in January, we will have a president who is more likely than perhaps any president who has come before him to appoint judges who will uphold gay rights.

 

In the meantime, we have our work cut out for us. Grab your anger and your disappointment and turn it into action. Here are some things that we can all do, whether we are gay or straight. Let’s get to work. Continues after the jump. (more…)