First some facts:
1.) Portland, er, the whole frickin' state of OR, is one of the whitest (per capita) in America.
2.) Talking about race relations makes white people very uncomfortable.
3.) Whites will NEVER know what it feels like to be called the "N" word.
4.) Whites will never know the injustice of being pulled over for "driving while black".
And so on and so on. You get the drift!
Therefore, it's about time we all start talk-therapy about racism in America. Thanks to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright for his passionate message, albeit delivered in anger, we are finally (forced) to confront America's ugly history of slavery and racism.
Today's Oregonian contains a very eloquent op-ed piece written by a young, African-American woman who's lived in Portland (from the south) for only five years. Her experiences and her last paragraph say it all:
"If what I've said has offended you or if you think that in some way I've judged you unjustly, hold on to the that feeling because then you'll know how it feels to be BLACK IN OREGON!"
Thank you, Catrina N. Bush, for saying it as only a black person could!
