Black in America: Stay in Your Place

Black in America: Stay in Your Place
By Dr. Jesse J. Hargrove

Do Blacks in America still believe that they ought to stay in their place? There are no signs that say “you will have no trouble from us [the white establishment] if you stay in your place,” but why do some Blacks think that the reality is still there? I was listening to an outstanding Radio Talk-Show Host, Jeffery Faulkerson, as he interviewed the outstanding eighty-year old educator Virgealia Ellis. She profoundly discussed the civil rights movement then and now. One of her brilliant discussion points dealt with how Blacks were taught to stay in their place. Were they taught this or did they just learn it? More importantly, do they still believe it?

Prior to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Blacks occupied their place in this American society and as long as you stayed in your place, there were no problems. If you broke the law, you went to jail, and remember that segregation was the law of the land. This was the case during the demonstrations and sit-ins at Woolworth. That was then and the will of the law was imposed on those who refused to comply. Today, we must ask, have Blacks self-imposed this “stay in your place mentality” on ourselves? Why do so many of us seem to not make much progress socially and educationally when it comes to our children? Do we believe that we should still stay in our place of complacency? Please holla back! ---JH