There's a great documentary on MSNBC Meeting David Wilson. David A. Wilson, a young African American man, traces the roots of his family back to slavery in North Carolina. David A. Wilson finds a descendant of the family that owned his family. The descendant's name just happens to be David B. Wilson. David A. calls David B. and says, "Hey, my name is David Wilson and I think your family owned my family."
The film follows David A.'s journey to North Carolina to meet older family members, meet David B. and see the plantation where his family lived and worked. It's a pretty powerful film - but it is one of hope. Of leaving bitterness and anger behind. Of honoring the past and the struggles from the past while working to overcome the struggles of today.
I am currently in graduate school. In one of my classes, we talk a lot about race. And it's not always positive; in fact, most of the times, it is painful. Some minorities in the class are angry and seem to be stuck in that anger and bitterness. Rarely are we able to have a conversation that doesn't make me feel like an evil white person. While I am not a racial minority, I do identify with an aspect of the struggles. I have a physical disability that leaves me walking with a significant limp. I may not know what it is like to be an African American, but I know what it is like to be judged because of a physical characteristic.
It sucks. One of my classmates stated that he has very few African American role models in prominent positions. I started thinking about how many role models I had with a similar physical disability. None. I've never had a teacher, a boss, a co-worker, or even a fellow student with a similar disability. And it has never made the think that there is something I can't do. My disability is a large part of me, it has shaped who I am, but it has also given me a determination to succeed - to prove people wrong. David A. Wilson said something about how to think of ourselves as victims belittles the determination, courage, and strength of those who have gone before us. I'd like to apply that another way. To think of myself as a victim belittles what I have accomplished.
I know that it is impossible to know what someone else's struggle is like if you have not experienced it yourself. And I know that a physical disability is far different from being a racial minority, but I hope for my classmates and for others who struggle because of prejudices and injustices, I hope that we can move from being victims to standing together in spite of ignorance and our histories, and overcome the struggles of today.
