The Liberty Bell
March 10, 2021
Oakland, CA
Cold and rainy
Our original Liberty Bell arrived in Philadelphia from England in 1735, cracked on arrival. Although it has been re-cast, repaired and re-repaired, still the crack remains, a poignant symbol of the deep fissure in our society between those of white, European ancestry and those of African ancestry. There are very few bridges by which this chasm can be crossed. On one side there is a large percentage of Americans who are afraid of how African Americans will vote if they have the chance, and on the other, the mass of African Americans who fear and distrust white people.
Most of us white folks will say, “But I am not a white supremacist! I love everybody!” Even if we believe we love everybody, do they love us? There is a black gentleman living in the apartment building next door. Occasionally I see him when he comes out in front to smoke. Yesterday, he was there when I went out the front door. “Hi there,” I said. “Are you out for a smoke?” “Yes,” and he quickly moved two buildings away. End of conversation.
Half a block down the street there is a black family with young children living in a two-story building with a large parking area in front where the children can play. They may be running around, playing near the sidewalk, but when I pass by, they run back close to the building. Maybe they don’t want to use the whole space anymore, but maybe someone told them to stay away from white people.
Our Declaration of Independence says that every man (women excluded) is entitled to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, which has often been interpreted to mean, “Every white man is entitled to live his life as he chooses to achieve wealth for himself and his family.”
I like the French Declaration better: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité! Liberty, Equality, Fraternity! How can we have equality if we don’t have brotherhood, and how can we have brotherhood if we are afraid of each other? Neither equality nor fraternity are in our Declaration of Independence.
Perhaps a new Declaration of Interdependence based on the French model is what we need.
Looking forward to Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity for all,
Dorothy (Deviani)
What I am reading: “Becoming” by Michelle Obama
I think of this a lot .Yes, I would love live in the world of a “healed community”. Growth in the human Soul of this planet toward knowing we are one people, enjoy our differences, and learn.
Even though we have a Declaration of Independence,of our ancestors, they wanted peace too…it is not what we experience in this world.. as a whole. However some healing has occurred.
Every day I see public coverage of many brilliant black people excelling in positions of leadership, sports and busines .They are in entertainment fields and film. They express kindness and have many talents,like everyone else.I have always felt the culture of African American people have great natural rhythm, and music in their Souls. I love to hear them playing , and singing.
And yet we still have a “double entendre” of police prejudice and killings .
I think there are some areas in the world where there is more prejudice than some other areas.
The police agency needs reform, it is a very difficult thing to determine,but needs a lot of help in that area. It is very obvious there is a terrible imbalance.
This issue runs very deep in most of the minds of Western society. It is SOOO deep in the psyche it is a Pandemic. I look forward to media emphasizing the positive stories of people of color . Not only black but brown, red, Asian. The variety makes this an interesting planet to live on. We can
learn much from each other. I would say we need small reminders daily. On the radio, and all public media sources. It is a individual task.