Edward Taylor: Essay

Trt: 4:00 p IN THE YEAR THE OLYMPIA FIELDS COUNTY CLUB WAS DESEGREGATED, MY FAMILY DIDN'T JOIN, AND I DON'T THINK I EVER WILL. NOT BECAUSE I DON'T PLAY GOLF, AND I DON'T, BUT BECAUSE MY MOTHER RAISED ME NOT TO PLAY WITH PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO PLAY WITH ME. AND THEREIN LAY THE IRONY, FOR ME, IN MOVING TO OLYMPIA FIELDS.
I ASKED MY MOTHER WHY SHE AND MY FATHER CHOSE TO MOVE THERE.

(Mother) We were just tying to find an area where the schools were good, the neighborhood was safe and we've been satisfied since we've been here. I think the important thing is not who lives next door to me so much as regardless of where I want to live, there's no one who can say to me I can't.

MY FATHER'S ENEMY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE RACIAL STEREOTYPE. HE TOLD ME THIS STORY ONCE OF WHEN HE WORKED IN A LUNCHROOM AS A BUSBOY, AT A COLLEGE THAT HE COULDN'T ATTEND. ONE OF THE STUDENTS, WHO WAS ABOUT THE SAME AGE, HURLED A SPITBALL AT THE BACK OF HIS NECK. DEHUMANIZED, HE TURNED TO SEE WHO HAD DONE THIS. ALL THE WHITE BOYS AT THE TABLE, PEOPLE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN HIS PEERS, LAUGHED AS IF IT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING THEY HAD EVER SEEN. MANY YEARS LATER I THINK IT STILL HURTS HIM TO THINK ABOUT THAT. IT'S INTERESTING HOW CERTAIN THINGS STAY IN OUR MINDS. HOW AN EVENT THAT MAY HAVE LASTED A MOMENT OR TWO, CAN PLAY A LARGE PART OF ONES LIFE JOURNEY, EVEN IN WHERE WE CHOOSE TO LIVE. THE WAY I SEE IT, IN MOVING TO OLYMPIA FIELDS MY FATHER WAS STRIVING FOR THE ELITISM OF WEALTHY WHITES. AND NOW SOME WEALTHY BLACK FAMILIES IN OLYMPIA FIELDS SEEM TO WANT TO ENSURE A SEPARATION FROM LESS AFFLUENT BLACKS IN THE SAME WAY THAT WHITES WISHED TO REMAIN SEPARATE FROM US. THESE ARE ISSUES THAT CONCERN OLYMPIA FIELDS MAYOR LINDSEY JONES TOO. HE BELIEVES IN MAINTAINING A MIXED RACE COMMUNITY, AND IF POORER FAMILIES START MOVING IN HE SAYS IT WILL AFFECT MANY ASPECTS OF THE COMMUNITY.

(Mayor Jones) You have to worry about the loss of a tax base, lack of police protection; those things begin to roll, sort of like dominoes.

SOMETIMES PEOPLE IN TOWN TALK ABOUT WHETHER IT'S RIGHT OR WRONG FOR LESS WELL OFF BLACKS TO MOVE INTO OLYMPIA FIELDS. MY MOTHER SEES IT THIS WAY.

(Mother) We don't want to take on as a black the same attitudes of other races against our own people.

SOMETIMES I ASK MYSELF IF THERE'S ANY SOLACE FOR THE BLACK MIDDLE CLASS IN AMERICA, EVEN IN OLYMPIA FIELDS. BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME THAT EVEN THOSE LIKE MY FATHER WHO WERE ABLE TO MOVE OUT OF LOWER INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS, STILL CAN'T BUY THEIR WAY OUT OF BEING BLACK. PSYCHICALLY, YOUR STILL ONE OF THEM.

MUCH OF OUR PAST IN AMERICA INCLUDES DISCRIMINATION WE CAN'T ESCAPE. WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO EVEN THE PLAYING FIELD. WHEN I WAS A BOY SOMEONE ASKED ME,

"WHAT DO YOU CALL A BLACK MAN?"
"A NIGGER"
"WELL THEN WHAT DO YOU CALL A BLACK MAN WITH A DEGREE?"
"A NIGGER WITH A DEGREE"

I THINK I EVEN TOLD THAT JOKE TO A COUPLE OF PEOPLE WHEN I WAS A KID THINKING THAT IT REALLY MEANT NOTHING TO ME.

THE CHARGE OF BLACK FOLKS BORN IN THE 30'S AND 40'S LIKE MY FATHER WAS TO NOT BE THAT RACIAL STEREOTYPE.
MY FATHER WORKED HIS FINGERS TO THE BONE. HE SHED BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS, DOING WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT HE COULDN'T, TO FIGHT IT. PERHAPS MY FATHER WAS ALSO HOPING THAT IF HE WORKED HARD ENOUGH AT ERASING THE RACIAL STEREOTYPE I WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORK SO HARD AT IT.
MY GENERATION HAS MORE OPPORTUNITIES NOW THAN MY FATHER EVER DID, AND FOR THAT I THANK HIM. NOW AS I START MY OWN FAMILY, IN SOUTH SHORE, I ASK MYSELF, AND MY PEERS, WHAT ARE WE CHARGED WITH?