I will agree that some of the ideas are good. I am a student who is teaching the essay by Charles J. Ogletree Jr. 'Litigating the Legacy of Slavery' to my ENG COMP class as a debate. I have done my own research on this. I do not agree fully. I do know full well about the Rodney King happenings as my brother was at that time and still is a deputy sheriff there in LA County. If someone would be kind enough to explain to me about where this will stop. Large Corporations, Government, et.... Will the people who's ancestors owned slaves be next to have to pay? What about the Jews who were slaves to the Egyptians? Are they due compensation? Or the Jews who were wrongly done by Hitler? Aren't they due compensation? My ancestors had servents, I don't know about slaves, and my German heritage my family on my mothers side stayed for Hitler, because they believed in him, my grandfather fought against him. So, my question is, what about us that had ancestors that had slaves? Will you come after us or make our children pay as you had the courts pay? I have been trying to explain this to my little girl since she is interested about what I am studying. I am trying to bring her up open-minded about people but it's hard when I sometimes feel my self contradicting some things I have said. I was brought up in a town that is pretty well known for being racial, and thought that I have overcome the boundries. When we started our first day we had to announce our names, where we are from and something about us. My class is 3/4 Aferican-American. There were more comments that were uncalled for about my home town. Last week when our professor announced what essays we would teach in class they again made several comments. How can there be so much hate? I am not in the Klan and do not know if there is still one here. I do not make racial slurs, I don't want them said to me. I have a whole melting pot of friends-black, asian, hispanic, white, and a few from India. I myself am Scottish-Welsh-German. 100% American. Not Sottish-American nor Welsh- American or even German-American. I am Ameican, tried and true RED-WHITE-and BLUE. I am happy I have the frredoms that I have. That my ancestors on up to my recently deceased in Iraq cousin. And my fiancee who leaves in a few monthes for Iraq. Doesn't that make us one? Not by race but by Nation? I am one of those people who doesn't know a stranger and try to set an example for my daughter. I cannot fix the past. I can only show her to treat people with respect and know that the color of someones skin is not the way to judge someone.
I am not trying to anger anyone but these are questions that I have that I would like answered. Thank you for your time.
