Our Version of "The Estates"

[c.j.jaxxon]

Sorry Y'all! Should've gave y'all the definition of "redlining".

[strictlybroadband]

c.j.jaxxon wrote:

> That's good to hear then. The one one thing to remeber about
> the states that it was founded on racisim and segregation is a
> part of it. The other thing is there is more blacks in the
> states than it is in Britain which is probably one reason why
> you don't have racial problems.

Oh we have them! Just different problems to yours. The status of black Britons is as immigrants (or descendants of immigrants) whereas the status of most black Americans is as the descendants of slaves. Once segregation was established at the start of the slave trade it became very hard to roll it back - even to this day.

> Simply put, there's too many of
> us here and when that happens that scares white people here
> because we can't or don't want to stay in the same "hood"
> forever so we have to branch out.

So is the problem "too many black people" or that white Americans are overly frightened of everything?

> To this day there are
> neighborhoods we can't move to not only because we might get
> chased out but other things like "redlining" or just simply
> telling us that houses or apartments aren't available. This is
> called discrimination. We do have mixed "hoods" but not a whole
> lot. Plus the Mexican population is growing here in the states
> by leaps and bounds and they have a better time moving into
> white neighborhoods than we (blacks) do.

Mexicans have "immigrant status", as black people do in Britain but not in America.

[c.j.jaxxon]

Blacks having different problems there? I agree! Too many blacks or overly frightened white people? The jury is still out on that one. Mexicans having immigrant status? True! How very true! Now blacks having immigrant status in Britain is something I should've known seeing I was reading about the Jamaicans years ago. Or maybe I just forgot. I know the history of blacks here in the US is always something to study but where ever blacks are is always of interest to me whether it be Britain, Africa (where it all started) South America (yeah they have dark people there too!) or the Islands.

[strictlybroadband]

FYI - The black British population splits roughly into half African and half Caribbean. The Africans are primarily from Nigeria and Ghana, Caribbeans mostly Jamaicans and other ex-British islands: Trinidad, Barbados and all the tiny islands.

The West Indian community have a lot of the same problems as African Americans do, but Africans are generally high achievers. Nigerians are the most upwardly mobile community in Britain (I read somewhere...) and tend to take the kinds of jobs that Jews and Indians have been know for in the past: doctor, lawyer, etc...

Black people are very integrated here compared to the US - getting towards half of black people have white partners/spouses. I read some time ago that one in 20 kids born in Britain today are of mixed black/white parentage. That really pisses off racists. !happy!

[c.j.jaxxon]

Oh I'm pretty sure it would over here too! But you know it's too late for that. We have mixed couples with racially mixed children too but they mostly live in the suburbs unless you live on the northside of Chicago where it is more racially tolerant. I have a buddy of mine about to move to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and he was telling me about a white girl who he was talking to didn't have a problem about dating a black man. Mind you, Cedar Rapids is a lily white place where VERY few blacks live and most of the black population live in Des Moines or Davenport. Oh, and thanks for the FYI. No wonder when I see a black Briton woman she's light-skinned i.e. Charmaine, Donna, Maxine, Charlene, Alexis, Jade, and they're all beautiful. You do have a dark-skinned women I like though, Lexi, Amanda and Jenny.

[c.j.jaxxon]

You know something? I was thinking. We have a thing going on here called the African Festival of Light where they have music by local and national acts, food, art for sale music and dvds for sale, etc and of course it's all black culture on the southside of Chicago. At the same time they have the Taste of Chicago going on downtown where they also have local and national music acts and food (at a higher price of course). At the African Fest, mostly black crowd. At the Taste of Chicago, mostly white crowd. You know we talked about segregation in America and specificaly in Chicago and while at the African Fest saturday I looked at the crowd and I thought to myself, "you know, even though we live in a black neighborhood, we LIKE it!" I'm pretty sure that white people say the same thing. The one thing that black people are proud of is their neighborhood being all black. Admitedly we can do without the crime, but segregation in a sense has made us proud of where we came from and where we live. (You have to be here to understand that). So while we have nothing against mixed neighborhoods, where we grow and grew up gives us pride and fond memories. Even if it is the projects, the south or west sides of Chicago we love it. However that also means that if a white person wants to come and buy some BBQ Ribs they should be able to buy their food without no problems from ignorant black people and likewise if a black person wants to get some pizza they should be able to buy it without being chased out buy some ignorant white people. Whatcha think?

[strictlybroadband]

c.j.jaxxon wrote:

> No wonder when I see
> a black Briton woman she's light-skinned i.e. Charmaine, Donna,
> Maxine, Charlene, Alexis, Jade, and they're all beautiful. You
> do have a dark-skinned women I like though, Lexi, Amanda and
> Jenny.

Don't forget Naomi Campbell! She's one of ours (for better or for worse...)

[strictlybroadband]

That's an interesting perspective. I think though that segregation has to end before people can treat each other with genuine respect. I've been to a few black neighbourhoods in the US and while most people are friendly, I've experienced racism several times. This doesn't happen in Britain, the Caribbean or Africa largely, but in the US there seems to be a seething distrust from both black and white.

The only way people can learn that people of other colours and faiths are equal to them is by living with them as neighbours, so only black or white neighbourhoods are a block to progress IMHO.

Then the next step is from neighbour to relative. Once everyone is related to someone of a different race, the racists will have lost their cause permanently.

[c.j.jaxxon]

No doubt about it!

[c.j.jaxxon]

OOOOOOOOHHHHH! I'm tellin! !laugh!