HISTORY VI: UNCLE TOM

Can you show respect for different views, class?

I’ve talked about when I was younger and growing up in the south of England before. My young mind didn’t yet comprehend that there would be evil in this world that looked at me for the amount of melanin in my skin and thought that I was an animal, not fit even to lick the bottom of their boot. And although I came to meet such people later in life, I was happy being oblivious for my youth.

I had a few friends – being relatively athletic and decently smart meant I fit in with a couple of cliques without fitting in 100% to one – but the main link between these cliques was the diversity. There were boys and girls and black and white and Asian, and tall and short and wealthy and poor. Nine-year-old me didn’t care for the labels and so my friends were equal.

I was raised to believe that a friend is a friend, black or white. I grew up defending to the death that we are all born equal.

Luther Creed did not.

Many people have noted that my beliefs align with Martin Luther King Jr., whereas Creed’s align more with Malcolm X, and this is problematic to me.

King promoted the empowerment of black people through gaining equality with white people, through being recognised as the same. X promoted the empowerment of black people through being different. Whilst King was fighting for the civil rights movement to end the segregation of black and white people, X advocated for the complete separation of the two races, even supporting the Nation of Islam’s proposal of establishing a new country for African Americans.

But breeding difference only breeds misunderstanding and that only generates more hate. Malcolm X advocated violence, and when he learned that King stood for peace and stood against violence he called him an Uncle Tom. Now class, if you don’t know what that means, Uncle Tom is slang for a black man that is “too respectful” or “too friendly” to white people. This is simply not true. King believed in being respectful and friendly to ALL people.

So call me an Uncle Tom if you must because I treat my white friends the same way I treat my black friends, but know that I will never believe violence is the right road. Everyone can be redeemed. Creed and his hero believe in divide and conquer, but me and mine believe in unite and prosper, and to me that will always be the more human option.

And after all, boys or girls, black or white or Asian, tall or short, wealthy or poor, we are all but humans, given one shot at living our life as best we can. And especially seeing the destruction that has already taken place in OSW, why on Earth would you spend the time you have dwelling on hate?

Hope will win out, class, and fear will lose.