Posted on Dec 9, 2015
SPC Andrew Griffin
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Today marks the 150 Anniversary of the ending of Slavery. Earlier today the President gave a Speech to address it. Many People are still looking for Slave Reparations. It is still painful in a lot of ways and stands a Dark Place in our History. Slavery ended. But how much of a setback did it have on African-Americans?
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SSG Warren Swan
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I'm going to be told again to "get over it". "it happened, and blacks were complicit in it". "Move on". "What would you do with 40 acres and a mule". "Other races were slaves too". "Indians fought the government to keep their slaves after the emancipation". What's changed....a lot has changed, and while a lot of it has been good, a lot of it has been bad. When your skin color has laws made that directly affect it, when your skin color justifies profiling, when your skin color can land you a more severe prison sentence, when your skin color can get every ill known to man, yet you cannot get a home loan, when your skin color is used as a recruiting tool or is used for promotion, when your skin color finds itself able to call another a derogatory name, and get upset when someone else uses it, when your skin color glorifies the ghetto and ignorance in it, and considers those that make it out and become successful sellouts, when your skin color uses a great form of music that was intended to inform and tell stories as a means to call women bitches and Hoes, celebrate drug use, killing of our own, and demean and hurt it's own, when your skin color looks at another of the same and can call them jigabo's and wanna be's, I could go on and on, but slavery is still in FULL EFFECT to this day. To this time...to this moment. It's not so much the "white man" holding me back vs. the simple fact that many of my black peers are holding themselves back. Slavery of the mind is one of the last barriers left from actual slavery from the 1800's. It's what the struggle really is. There's nothing no one who wants something cannot get with hard work, but when you use fall back stereotypes as a means for success, we're failing and we're still slaves. This does not say there isn't discrimination still. Three strikes was intended for people of color or the poorer class, and those that were affected by it were those of color and the poorer class. If it was applied fairly, a LOT of celebrities would be looking at LONG time in prison. The crack vs. cocaine laws were made to affect to hit those of color and the poorer class of Americans. Had cocaine/heroin been on equal terms as crack a lot more celebs would be doing LONG time. The struggle is REAL. It's NEVER going anywhere, but what folks need to know is that the struggle that the black people have cried over, isn't a black problem. It hits everyone regardless of skin color. Having money helps, but doesn't solve everything. Being middle class is one paycheck away from being in the projects or a trailer park. Upper middle class is only two away. Slavery is still here. And the master is the dollar.
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LTC Hardware Test Engineer
LTC (Join to see)
9 y
MCPO Roger Collins - I have two adopted sons who are black and I must say that I have had more issues with "racism" directed at me from blacks than I have from whites. The most common negative theme from black people has been "how dare you" or "what right do you have to deprive them of their culture". The honest truth is, at least in my area, there are not enough black families willing to adopt so it's either be adopted by a white family or stay in the fostercare system until they age out.
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MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO Roger Collins
9 y
And to think you are in the terrible South.
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SSG Warren Swan
SSG Warren Swan
9 y
LTC (Join to see) - Sir first off thank you for adopting PERIOD. Takes a strong person, a strong family unit to welcome strangers into their home and give them the same love as if they were naturally born by the parents. Onto my second part of this; as a black man, as an American, and as Solder, if those near you cannot, will not, and do not support you in a manner that is appropriate and understanding, please copy this to them and my name....F*CK YOU!! Warren Matthew Swan sends his warmest regards. Should they want anymore contact info I'll be more than happy to give them whatever they need. You are setting an example that most won't do, yet all seem to have an opinion on. Again Sir thank you for stopping the evolving door with kids in the judicial system being that studies show quite a bit of the orphans who have no role models emulate the WRONG role models ending up in juvie, jail, and prison.
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SN Greg Wright
SN Greg Wright
9 y
SSG Warren Swan Brother, I've hinted at this before, but whatever you're doing with your life right now, in terms of work, if it's not being a city councilman, school board member, state congressmen....SOMETHING political, with the long-term goal of getting into the big leagues and dispensing your fucking WISDOM (because that's what it is) that is light-years beyond any of the ostensible 'big dogs' running for all those important political races today...then the world is a little less bright than it might be, because you bring better dialogue, better vision, and maybe, just maybe, a better way forward. To say 'I beg you' is overly dramatic. So instead, I'll just say: consistently, with every post you make about potentially divisive topics like this, you land on the right side, every single time. The RIGHT side. Not the 'Greg' side. Not the 'xxxx Race/politics/religion' side. The RIGHT side. That's not rare in today's political climate. It's nonexistent. I truly believe that you could make a tangible difference in political service if you chose to.

Of course, you've served enough, and no one could blame you if your hat is hung for good. But man....I wish you were on my ballots.
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Capt Seid Waddell
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African American culture in the U.S. has had more of a setback over the past four or five decades than it had in the previous century. The family structure has been destroyed by the culture of government dependency.
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SSG Michael Hartsfield
SSG Michael Hartsfield
9 y
The Catholic News Service.
Interesting.
Nevertheless it doesn't discuss the income disparity between Black high school graduates and White high school graduates, which was the original thought of the topic
Luckily for you though...

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/in-plain-sight/education-not-great-equalizer-black-americans-n305196
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SSG Michael Hartsfield
SSG Michael Hartsfield
9 y
"Probability" not certainty.
And where was this found? It looks like a screenshot from and old textbook.
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Capt Seid Waddell
Capt Seid Waddell
9 y
SSG Michael Hartsfield, it is a screen shot from the .pdf report cited.
I do not have the software on this computer to copy and paste the text from a .pdf.
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Capt Seid Waddell
Capt Seid Waddell
9 y
SSG Michael Hartsfield, I agree with your link. As I said above, education is only one of the five things that are required to keep a person out of poverty. The culture is the primary determinant of the outcomes experienced by the various groups.

Dysfunctional behavior has bad results; it is the behaviors and expectations that need to be changed, and these things cannot be changed by the government or any other outside actors.

Change the behavior and you will change the results.

If you want better results then change the dysfunctional culture - graduate from high school; wait until you are 21 to get married; do not have children until you are married; get a full time job, and stay away from recreational drugs.

"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got."
- Mark Twain
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LTC Stephen F.
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Edited 9 y ago
In this nation it is the 150th anniversary SPC Andrew Griffin to the official end of slavery.
The practise pf shipping slaves from Africa ended in Britain decades earlier.
American indigenous people were treated horribly in many cases into the early 20th century.
Black slaves are still traded in Muslim dominated countries of north Africa notably Sudan.
The sexual slave trade thrives and includes women, girls and boys of all colors unfortunately.
The country has come a long way in terms of how individuals are treated. From a legal perspective the law is generally colorblind in intent although practical application varies from area to area.
Our hope is in Christ alone. Martin Luther King recognized this as do all Christians. I hope that one day all people will be treated with respect and dignity since we are each created in the image of God.
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SPC Andrew Griffin
SPC Andrew Griffin
9 y
Very Rich Post!
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SGM David W. Carr  LOM, DMSM  MP SGT
SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT
9 y
The original Irish were forced to come to America because of religious hatred or wide spread famine. The initial wave contained many indentured serpents. After the harsh condition to travel across the Atlantic. They came to America with nothing and had to live in unhealthy Squaller in inner cities. Being limited in the jobs they could perform. Most were extremely dangerous work other would not perform. In typical Irish fashion they strapped on their boots and worked hard to make a btter life for their children.

Historically our city Police, Fire Departments, and tunnel sand hogs have a very Irish/Scottish influence. There are numberous NY City Cops and Fireman/fighters in my Irish family history. Maybe that is why I was drawn to being a cop growing up.
Just go to a funeral and listen to the bagpipe performers in their uniform kilts.
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SPC Andrew Griffin
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